Yukon Disability Employment

Strategy

Community Futures Treaty 7: Disability Employment Symposium May 2012

Challenges, solutions and successes....

A made in Yukon approach

...the important part is to recognize the humanness of the workplace...then the business

case follows. (Presenter, Six Steps to Success Conference 2011)

The challenge

•Employers experiencing shortages of employees across sectors and skill levels.

•People with disabilities under represented in labour market.

The solution

The Yukon Disability Employment Strategy

Phase one: Six Steps to Success

Information and Education Stakeholder Engagement Employment Strategy

1 Communications Protocol

2

3

4

5

6

7

Define Disability for Business

Consult Business Directly

Dispel Stereotypes

Coordinate Agencies

Education Campaign

Increase Public Profile

1 Employer-side Focus

2

3

4

Establish Trust in Business

Align Medical Services

Target Small Business

1 Accommodation Financials

2

3

4

5

6

7

Self-evaluation Rubric

Pro-forma HR Policies

Accommodations Toolkit

Job-seekers Toolkit

Recruitment consultancy

Coordinate Support Services

8 Case Studies of Excellence

5 Links with Larger Employers

Birds-eye view of strategic objectives

Phase Two: Stakeholder Engagement and Strategy Development

http://ydes.tumblr.com/ http://ydesprojecttrail.tumblr.com/.

Phase Three: Implementation and Evolution

The success

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. The strategy will take into consideration the fact that all citizens need to have their basic needs met (food, shelter, health, fairness and safety) in order for their employment goals to be properly identified and met. To this end we will build strong partnerships with the Department of Health and Social Services and agencies such as Challenge, Salvation Army and the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

2. The strategy will be developed and implemented to meet the needs of employers and employees throughout the whole of the Yukon Territory.

3. The strategy will respect, and attempt where ever possible, to support and enhance the work of existing disability serving agencies.

4. Future funding criteria for all disability employment projects/programs to include the need for disability employment services to be consistent with the goals of the YDES.

5. The strategy will endeavour to have all partners/stakeholders agree on a single definition for “disability’ and a common glossary of terms and definitions relevant to our collective services.

To sum it up

“the greatest acts of success were not born of a single brilliant idea, but from the collective wisdom of a group of committed people” www.wheredisabilityworks.ca