Celebrating an AI Technology Win That’s Uniquely Leading the Way in Inclusive Online Recruiting

Filed under AI Technology, Inclusive Hiring
By Jeannette Campbell
Just over a year ago — in October 2021 — ODEN launched Jobs Ability Canada. And it’s now officially the only online job portal in Canada using international award-winning artificial intelligence (AI) technology designed for accessibility to level the playing field for job seekers who have a disability.
The AI platform, developed by Albany, NY-based Our Ability Inc., has won a Zero Project Award for 2023. Among 320 nominations worldwide, it is one of 71 winners from 38 countries.
If you’ve never heard of the Vienna-based Zero Project, it’s a research-driven initiative committed to supporting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Every year, it considers innovative solutions from companies and organizations that are designed to eliminate barriers to inclusion.
The Jobs Ability innovation
The theme of the 2023 Zero Project Awards was, Independent Living & Political Participation, and ICT.
Jobs Ability is most certainly an innovation in online recruitment. And the AI-based platform is definitely helping break down barriers to employment in an era when it’s generally acknowledged that the recruitment system is broken.
Unlike traditional job-search portals that focus on work history and experience, the Jobs Ability platform is abilities-based. It allows job seekers to create profiles that highlight their skills and talents, using a unique AI chatbot named “Abi,” short for “ability.”
The Jobs Ability AI technology was developed for job seekers who have a disability, by people who have a disability. Mainstream job portals are not designed with accessibility in mind. This often leads to job seekers who have a disability abandoning the online application process, or not applying at all.
What’s missed with mainstream portals
When this happens, in essence, they’re being denied the basic human right to equal access to employment as stipulated under international law in the UNCRPD.
And businesses are losing out on a lot of skilled talent: There are over 645,000 job seekers in this country who can, and want to, work.
Then there are all the business benefits not experienced when all that talent isn’t on the radar because of the lack of accessibility in company “Careers” portals and mainstream online job portals.
Jobs Ability provides an opportunity to engage the business community nationwide in a new way, with cutting-edge technology, as well as highlight the skills of individuals across Canada and the U.S. who have a disability, to ensure they have a pathway to employment.
It’s a win-win
That’s why this Zero Project award is so meaningful. This award-winning AI technology is a win-win for both sides in the recruitment and hiring arena. Jobs Ability Canada doesn’t just help level the playing field for job seekers in this country’s disability community. It also helps businesses focused on disability-inclusive recruiting make direct, authentic connections with talent sources in this community.
And today, with the labour shortage across business and industry sectors, this is not only a huge advantage for businesses, but a vital opportunity to seize. Quite simply, recruiters and hiring managers need to expand their talent searches, for companies to stay competitive. Disability-inclusive hiring needs to be part of your strategic plan for growth and success.
Our mission at ODEN is to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability through helping businesses reach this talent pool for their labour needs.
Taking working relationship to a winning level
So it seemed natural for us to take to the next step the working relationship we’ve had for the past two years with founder and CEO John Robinson and his team at Our Ability Inc.
Last year we formally partnered with Our Ability Inc., and exclusively run the Jobs Ability portal in Canada.
It also seemed logical for us to nominate Our Ability Inc. and the Jobs Ability AI technology for the Zero Project 2023 Awards.
The months of anticipation seemed excruciatingly long. Then came the news this past summer that Our Ability had made the short list of nominees. Then more excited, confidently hopeful anticipation and waiting to hear. And finally, the thrilling moment on December 2 when the Zero Project announced the 2023 winners, Our Ability Inc. and the Jobs Ability technology among them.
Celebrating win on both sides of the border
It’s an especially big win for John and the Our Ability Inc. team — Our Ability is one of only two Zero Project 2023 award winners in the United States.
Up here in Canada, all of us at the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) are celebrating the win right along with the team of people who created the technology. Because this is an honour for all of us.
We’re a winner too because it means up here in Canada, Jobs Ability Canada and ODEN, as the exclusive Canadian provider, are now taking an undisputable leading role in joining together job seekers with inclusive businesses that are intentionally recruiting talent from Canada’s disability community.
The real reward
But, while the Zero Project 2023 Award is an edge and an honour for both ODEN and Our Ability Inc., it’s the outcome of applying the AI technology — helping job seekers and inclusive businesses connect, and have successful, fulfilling, employment experiences — that’s most rewarding for both our organizations.
As John Robinson said to me when we were talking about the win following the Zero Project Awards announcement, “It’s the real reason why we do what we do.”
More excited anticipation. We’re all going to be riding on this high right through to almost the end of February. Our Ability and ODEN have both been invited to attend the Zero Project Conference 2023 (#ZeroCon23) at the UN office in Vienna, Austria. That’s when and where all the Zero Project Award winners will receive their awards, and present and promote their winning solutions. The prestigious global gathering will be broadcast live, February 22 to 24, 2023.
About the author
Jeannette Campbell is CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network.