Media Release: Community Living Huntsville spotlights disability inclusion as the future of work for NDEAM 2022

Diane Lupton (left), Manager, Community Supports, and Julia Danks, Supervisor, Community Participation and Supported Employment, for Community Living Huntsville, know disability inclusion in employment is essential for employers to succeed now and into the future. Photo by Community Living Huntsville.

NORTH MUSKOKA – It’s time to shine a light on disability inclusion as the future of work, during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).

“It’s essential for employers to create and grow inclusive workplaces because, in today’s environment, all businesses are struggling with staffing,” says Diane Lupton, Manager, Community Supports, for Community Living Huntsville. “We feel there are some untapped resources that employers could be hiring to fill these gaps.”

NDEAM, a month-long campaign led by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) each October, promotes disability inclusion in business and the workplace. The 2022 theme is Driving the Future of Work with Disability Inclusion.

“The number of Canadians who have a disability is increasing … so in the years ahead, there are going to be more employees — and more jobseekers — in the disability talent pool,” says ODEN. “Organizations that understand the power of investing in the talent of skilled people who have a disability now invest in future success. They’re driving the future of work with disability inclusion.”

Roughly one in five Canadians has a disability, and that is expected to rise to one in four Canadians within the next two decades, according to Statistics Canada.

Community Living Huntsville will light its offices at 99 West Road, Huntsville, in purple and blue on Thursday, October 20, as part of Light It Up! For NDEAM, a one-night-only, coordinated lighting event happening across Canada. The community can show its support by wearing purple and blue or lighting their businesses in the signature colours, too. Share photos with the hashtag #LightItUpForNDEAM to social media.

Community Living Huntsville has provided Supported Employment services for adults with developmental disabilities and employers in the Huntsville area since 1990. It has inclusive employment relationships with more than 125 local businesses and organizations.

Services for employers include job matching, job development, disability awareness training, onboarding support, and ongoing job coaching for the employee, as needed.

Find more about NDEAM on ODEN’s website. And visit Community Living Huntsville’s website to learn how to become an inclusive employment partner in North Muskoka.

Community Living Huntsville is a not-for-profit, registered charity that supports and advocates alongside people with developmental disabilities and families to live, work, and play in unique and purposeful ways in North Muskoka. Learn more at clhuntsville.ca. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and TikTok. Light It Up! For NDEAM is a trademark of the Ontario Disability Employment Network. Used with permission.