Webinar

The IDEA Speaker Series is a monthly webinar that provides an opportunity to hear the latest about current topics in the work disability policy arena and learn about activities underway within and beyond IDEA.

Whether you're a policymaker, practitioner, researcher, or advocate, we invite you to explore these conversations and join us in advancing equity, accessibility, and opportunity for all.

Sinead McCarthy and Shari Raghoo headshots
Webinar

WorkAbility: redesigning the workplace DNA

With 1 in 5 Canadians affected by mental health annually, prioritizing mental health in the workplace is necessary for employers to experience higher productivity, increased employee engagement and lower turnover. Youth Employment Services (YES) WorkAbility (WA) project is using mental health
Laura and Carolyn headshots
Webinar

Starting early: preparing systems, employers, families, & youth

A number of population groups face unique barriers to entering and remaining in the workforce in Canada. Individuals with disabilities and youth are two such groups, each with higher-than-average unemployment rates in Ontario and Canada. Youth with disabilities, representing a group facing
Francis Fung and Kim Jeffries headshot
Webinar

Creating and fostering a workplace culture to drive disability inclusion

Despite anti-discrimination legislations and disability awareness campaigns, people with disabilities continue to report system barriers and stigma in their pursuit for meaningful employment. There is a growing attention to organizational culture and its impact on employment for persons with
Headshot of Mukta Kulkarni
Webinar

Building inclusive organizations

Fostering an inclusive environment is a shared responsibility. This webinar explores how organizations and individuals play a crucial role in creating inclusive environments, drawing on key insights from empirical research. Actionable steps that organizations can take to enhance inclusivity are
Emile Tompa and Rebecca Gewurtz
Webinar

Building employer capacity for disability inclusion: knowledge to practice

In this inaugural webinar, Executive Director Dr. Emile Tompa and Director Dr. Rebecca Gewurtz described the structure and activities of the IDEA social innovation laboratory. IDEA spearheads what they describe as demand side capacity building or disability confidence—terms used to describe employer
Valérie Martin
Webinar

Accommodation as a relational concept

Workers with autism can benefit from supported employment services that help them find jobs; however, job retention remains a challenge. In this webinar, Valérie Martin discussed how the relationship between the worker and his or her supervisor has been found to be critical to sustained employment
Susanne M. Bruyère
Webinar

Neurodiversity in the workplace

In this webinar, Dr. Susanne M. Bruyère described neurodiversity and discussed the increasing interest among employers in hiring neurodiverse/neurodivergent job applicants. The recruitment and interview process for neurodiverse job candidates, ways to improve the success of neurodiverse employees
Mahadeo Sukhai
Webinar

Why disclosure doesn't work

In this webinar, Mahadeo Sukhai discussed why disclosure doesn’t work and “accommodation” is a dirty word, and is ableist. Take a deep dive into the disclosure and accommodation framework for persons with disabilities at work. Why is it set up the way it is? How does it work “from the other side?”
Dr Marie Laberge
Webinar

Building capacity for frontline employment service practitioners

In this webinar, Marie Laberge discussed her action-research study that analyzed service delivery models for integrating unemployed persons with disabilities into the labour market. A summary of the resultant tools under development to assist frontline practitioners in better supporting the
Jutta Treviranus
Webinar

Addressing the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence

People with disabilities experience both the greatest opportunities and the greatest risks of artificial intelligence (AI). AI, in mechanizing statistical reasoning, performs best when processing situations and people that are statistical averages. How do we take advantage of the power tools of AI
Alexis Buettgen
Webinar

Exploring inclusive employment of persons with disabilities in the green economy

This webinar explored the challenges, barriers and opportunities for inclusive employment of persons with disabilities in the green economy and green jobs. The green economy presents a unique opportunity as it is defined as low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Its key features