May 18, 2023 (Toronto, Ontario)—Launching today is a six-year initiative that flips on its head the traditional approach to increasing the employment of persons with disabilities.
Instead of focusing on the resources and skills that ensure persons with disabilities are job-ready—where most attention has previously been paid—Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) is focusing on building the capacity of employers and workplaces to recruit, hire, onboard, accommodate, train, mentor and promote persons with disabilities.
Funded by the federal government’s New Frontiers… Read more
April 12, 2023 (Toronto, Ont.) — People with disabilities in Canada are not only less likely than people without disabilities to find work. When they do, they are also more likely to find themselves in lower quality jobs.
That’s according to a study published online today in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation (doi: 10.1007/s10926-023-10113-7). Led by IWH Associate Scientist Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi, the study… Read more
March 7, 2023 (Toronto, Ont.) — A new evidence-based tool from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) will help workers with chronic and often episodic health conditions continue to work safely, comfortably and productively in their jobs.
The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT), being launched online on March 21, will allow workers with chronic conditions to learn about potential supports and accommodations specific to their job demands. Workers will then be able to implement them on their own or, if necessary, seek support from their employer, without… Read more
January 13, 2022 (Toronto, Ont.) — The Board of Directors of the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Smith as the next Institute president. Smith, a member of IWH’s scientific staff for over 15 years and currently IWH’s scientific co-director, steps into the new role on January 17, 2022.
The Institute is known for its research excellence, production of useful and relevant findings, and engagement with stakeholders throughout the scientific process,says Smith.
I’m looking forward to contributing in new and… Read more
December 14, 2020 (Toronto, Canada)—Providing adequate workplace COVID-19 protection can have benefits in addition to preventing the transmission of the virus. Adequate protection is also linked to better mental health among workers, according to a pair of studies conducted by the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).
The newest of the two studies, published today in the Annals of Work Exposures and Health (doi:10.1093/annweh/wxaa119), found… Read more
June 27, 2019 (Toronto, Ont.)—Wage subsidies and other financial supports are widely used by Canadian governments to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities. Yet, employers, disability advocates, service providers and people with disabilities hold strong and often polarized views about the merits of these incentives.
Some feel these types of incentives are essential for encouraging employers, especially small and mid-sized firms, to hire and retain people with disabilities. Others feel financial incentives take advantage of people with disabilities by giving… Read more
April 8, 2019 (Toronto, Canada)—Despite their growing numbers in the workforce, women continue to bear the greatest responsibility when it comes to the impact of eldercare on work.
According to an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) study published today in The Journals of Gerontology (open access at doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz026), women are much more likely than men to stop working, to work part-time or to take time off work during the week in order to care for an older relative.
For example… Read more
September 27, 2018 (Toronto, Ontario)—For more than a decade in Canada, deaths due to occupational disease have exceeded the number of deaths due to traumatic injury. Policy-makers and workplace parties are increasingly recognizing that society needs to pay greater attention—including regulatory attention—to preventing work-related diseases such as occupational cancers.
This November 28 in Toronto, Dr. Paul Demers will discuss the progress made in preventing occupational disease and the work that still needs to be done. Demers, a Canadian-based international expert on work-… Read more
August 30, 2018 (Toronto, Ontario)—Women working in Ontario’s education sector are four to six times more likely than their male counterparts to require time off work because of being physically assaulted on the job.
This is according to a study by the Toronto-based Institute for Work & Health (IWH), published online yesterday in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (doi: 10.1136/oemed-2018-105152). The… Read more
November 20, 2017 (Ottawa, Ont.)—Improving access to the labour force for people with disabilities is the theme of an upcoming three-day conference bringing together individuals with a disability, employer and labour representatives, as well as disability support, advocacy, government and research organizations.
The Disability and Work in Canada conference takes place in Ottawa on November 27-29, 2017, at the Canadian War Museum, as part of the Canada 150 celebration. Presenters and participants will review and celebrate progress to date on opening the world of work to… Read more
Media contacts
Cindy Moser
Communications Director
Institute for Work & Health
416-927-2027, ext. 2183
705-872-1939 (cell)
cmoser@iwh.on.ca
Uyen Vu
Communications Manager
Institute for Work & Health
613-725-0106
613-979-7742 (cell)
uvu@iwh.on.ca