Fifth Annual Light It Up! For NDEAM Shines Purple and Blue Light Nationwide on Awareness That Being a Disability-Inclusive Employer Goes Far Beyond “Ticking Boxes” to be Compliant With Legislation

Thursday, October 10th, 2024

Over 500 locations in almost 160 cities and towns across Canada taking part — many “first-time” new locations; federal government illuminating almost 50 buildings across Canada including in The Yukon for the first time; Ontario Government Lighting 13 buildings; famous landmarks including Niagara Falls, CN Tower, Olympic Stadium, Terry Fox Memorial, “Jumbo” Monument; Legislatures in Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, BC illuminating; Canadian Forces participating for the first time, in Truro, NS

(Editors and writers note: the list of Light It Up! For NDEAM participating locations is attached at the end of this news release.)

Whitby, ON, October 10, 2024 — Now in its fifth year, the unique national flagship event of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in Canada — Light It Up! For NDEAM — will shine a nationwide light on why businesses need to make all the connections to disability inclusion and fully embrace it, on Thursday, October 17.

“It’s vital for business leaders and owners in every province to recognize and understand that being an accessible and disability-inclusive employer means a lot more than ‘ticking boxes’ to be compliant with provincial employment standards and human rights legislation,” says Jeannette Campbell, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN).

“Fully, proactively embracing disability inclusion is a key to making not only your business, but the community it serves, stronger and more vibrant, both economically and socially. It’s good for your business, for your company culture and for your brand. There’s ample research that shows this.”

For example:

• A 2021 survey by the Angus Reid Institute and the Rick Hansen Foundation found, 62% of Canadians would be more likely to do business with a company if they knew the business had specific policies to support employees who have a disability.
• An Accenture study found, disability-inclusive businesses have 30% higher profit margins and 28% higher revenue than companies that aren’t.
• In research by two London Business School professors published in a 2023 Harvard Business Review article, 88% of human resources professionals surveyed said disability-inclusive hiring “significantly” improved “the internal culture of their firms.”

Campbell adds, “Being disability inclusive encompasses proactively, intentionally creating a work environment where all employees feel valued and are provided with equitable opportunities to contribute and thrive.”

Light It Up! For NDEAM has evolved from being an “awareness” lighting event to being a movement that sparks ongoing engagement and conversation about disability-inclusive hiring between job seekers, families, community organizations, businesses and local governments, all over Canada.

“I think the shear amount of involvement in Light It Up! For NDEAM every year, is a testament to this,” affirms Campbell.

Every year, hundreds of communities and locations across the country illuminate purple and blue on the third Thursday of every October.

Next Thursday (October 17), over 500 locations in almost 160 communities across Canada will illuminate purple and blue.

They include office towers, small businesses, government buildings, bridges, town and city halls, public spaces and world-famous Canadian landmarks — including Olympic Stadium, White Rock Pier, the CN Tower and Niagara Falls.

Since 2021, Light It Up! for NDEAM happens on such a large scale nationwide through collaboration between ODEN and the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, MentorAbility Canada, other regional disability-sector organizations and local community-based employment service providers across Canada; and with the participation of the federal and some provincial governments. The scale of involvement makes Light It Up! For NDEAM unique.

In addition to many locations that have supported Light It Up! For NDEAM since its beginnings, several communities and locations are participating this year for the first time.

These include:

• Sylvan Lake Rotary Light House, Sylvan Lake, AB
• City of Edmunston, NB — City Hall
• Town of Ladysmith, BC — Town Hall and Municipal Signature Signs
• City of St. Thomas, ON — “Jumbo” the Elephant Monument
• Carleton, Place, ON — Central Bridge
• Trail, BC — Victoria Street Bridge

The federal government recognizes the significance and importance of Light It Up! For NDEAM, and has participated in it since 2021.

This year Public Services and Procurement Canada is lighting 48 federal buildings across the country — a record number.

They include 25 Government of Canada buildings around Ontario. Sixteen of these are in the nation’s capital, including the Geological Survey Building, the Lester B. Pearson and John R. Diefenbaker buildings, and the Public Archives and National Library. Other federal buildings around the country being illuminated include the John Cabot Building in St. John’s; the Joseph R. Smallwood Building in Corner Brook, NL; the Joseph A. Ghiz Building in Summerside, PEI; the Environment Canada building in Toronto; Canada Place in Edmonton; and P.L. James Place in Victoria.

Notably, with the federal building illumination, Light It Up! For NDEAM is happening in the Yukon for the first time. In Whitehorse, the Elijah Smith Building is being lit.

The Canadian Armed Forces is also participating in Light It Up! For NDEAM for the first time, in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Headquarters building in Truro, and the Truro Armoury, are being illuminated.

The provincial governments of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba and BC are all participating.

In St. John’s the Confederation Building will be lit for Light It Up! For NDEAM, for the first time. Province House in Halifax will also light purple and blue for the first time. In Charlottetown, the Shaw (PEI Government Main Administration) Building will be lit again this year.

The Ontario Government is lighting 14 buildings around the province this year. In 2022 and 2023 five were illuminated.

The Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg also will be lit purple and blue again this year. The Legislature has been illuminated annually for Light It Up! For NDEAM since 2021.

In Victoria, the Legislative Assembly of BC fountains and ceremonial entrance will be lit for Light It Up! For NDEAM, for the first time.

Owen Sound, ON-based Brightshores Health System is participating for the first time — and is the first entire hospital system to participate in Light It Up! For NDEAM. They will illuminate their six hospitals, in Markdale, Meaford, Owen Sound, Lion’s Head, Southampton and Wiarton plus their Owen Sound Wellness and Recovery Centre.

Here are some of the significant and world-famous locations that will light purple and blue next Thursday night:

• “Jumbo” the Elephant Monument, St. Thomas, ON (first time)
• White Rock Pier, White Rock, BC (first time)
• Olympic Stadium in Montreal (first time)
• The Big Fiddle at the Port of Sydney, NS (participating since 2021)
• Niagara Falls – Canadian Horseshoe Falls and American Falls (participating since 2020)
• Peace Bridge (Fort Erie, ON–Buffalo, NY) (first time)
• CN Tower (participating since 2020)
• Halifax Seaport District, Port of Halifax (participating since 2021)
• Calgary Tower (participating in 2021)
• BC Place, Vancouver (participated since 2021)
• Canada Place Sails of Light, Vancouver (first time)
• Canada Life building, Toronto (participating since 2020)
• Cabot Tower at Signal Hill National Historic Site, St. John’s (since 2023)
• CNE Princes’ Gate in Toronto (since 2023)
• “Men of Iron” Railway Statue, Watrous, SK (first time)

Out West, the City of Williams Lake, BC — the hometown of “Man in Motion” Rick Hansen, will illuminate their City Hall for Light It Up! For NDEAM, again this year.

With one week to the event, the list of participating locations is still growing. “The more the involvement in Light It Up! For NDEAM, the greater the impact,” adds Campbell. “Every year, we’re updating the list of locations right up until the evening of Light It Up! For NDEAM.”

Light It Up! For NDEAM is the flagship event of ODEN’s annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month campaign. It has become the over-arching, unifying element of regional and local NDEAM campaigns across Canada.

“The impact this event is having, is more than we ever imagined when ODEN started Light It Up! For NDEAM,” Campbell adds. “The conversation it starts is having a lasting effect that can affect change, which is vital. Because access to employment is still a major barrier for people who have a disability, even though the employment rate of working age Canadians who have a disability is up.”

The Statistics Canada 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability showed, the employment rate of Canadians 25 to 64 who have a disability, is 62%. For years, it was stagnant at 59%.

Campbell points out that participating in Light It Up! For NDEAM is a great way for businesses to take their first step on the disability-inclusive hiring journey. “Afterwards, keep the conversation going with the local employment service providers who are there to help you make that journey is a successful one.”

ODEN is encouraging people in communities participating in Light It Up! For NDEAM, to photograph illuminated structures and post images on LinkedIn, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). The social media hashtags are: #LightItUpFor NDEAM, #LightItUpForDEAM and #EngageTalent.

A tip sheet to help people take great night-time photos of structures illuminated for Light It Up! For NDEAM is available in the online Light It Up! For NDEAM PR Kit, in English and French.

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For more information, and to arrange interviews, contact:  
Dean Askin, Communications Strategist, ODEN     daskin@odenetwork.com  416-818-1514 (cell)

ABOUT ODEN: The Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), created in 2008, is a professional body of more than 130 employment service providers united to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability. Members are from every corner of the province and support people of all disability types. Beyond Ontario, ODEN (odenetwork.com) has connections with organizations in other provinces and territories of Canada. Light It Up! For NDEAM^TM is a trademark of the Ontario Disability Employment Network.