Disability and work
People with disabilities face substantially lower employment levels than the general working-age population. This page pulls together research and resources on policies and practices aimed at improving the labour market participation of people living with disabilities.
Featured
Research Highlights
Examining four types of job disruptions due to a health condition, and the differences expected when workplace support needs are met
Job disruptions are common among workers living with chronic physical and/or mental health conditions, an IWH study has found. The study investigated the effects of workplace supports had on four types of job disruptions.
Published: March 11, 2025
At Work article
Top-ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities in the future of work
IWH researchers asked persons with disabilities, practitioners and subject matter experts about strategies for disability inclusion in the face of six future of work challenges. A new report details their top-ranked strategies to foster inclusion in the face of each challenge.
Published: June 7, 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Financial incentives to promote employment of persons with disabilities: a scoping review of when and how they work best
Published: Disability and Rehabilitation, January 2023
Project
Project
Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Transition to work and career development
This project will identify and synthesize innovative school-to-work transition programs, practices and interventions for persons with disabilities that emphasize access to high-quality jobs and career success.
Status: Ongoing
Project
Project
Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Evidence synthesis
As part of the IDEA initiative, IWH is leading an evidence synthesis component to identify needs/challenges, knowledge gaps and existing evidence-informed tools and promising practices related to IDEA's objectives.
Status: Ongoing
Journal article
At Work article
How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities
What kind of government funding best encourages employers to hire and retain persons with disabilities? A research team at the Institute for Work & Health recently explored this question.
Published: May 2022
Project report
Project report
Funding employment services to create sustainable employment opportunities for persons with disabilities
This report provides evidence-based insights for policy-makers on the design and administration of funding programs for employment services for persons with disabilities that promote gainful and, ideally, sustainable paid employment opportunities.
Published: April 2022
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
The employment quality of persons with disabilities: findings from a national survey
Persons with disabilities face persisting inequities in the labour market arising from stigma, discrimination, and other structural barriers to employment. It is widely accepted that greater integration into the labour market could serve to promote the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities. But what happens when they are successful at integrating into the labour market? What kind of jobs do they get? In this presentation, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi shares findings from a recent nationwide survey examining the employment quality of persons with disabilities in Canada. He documents the nature and extent of employment inequities experienced by persons with disabilities, as well as the consequences of these inequities for support and accommodation in the workplace.
Published: April 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Guest editorial. The benefits of inclusion: disability and work in the 21st century
Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, April 2022
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society
Despite progress to date, persons with disabilities still face discrimination and other barriers to full participation in society. What would be the economic benefits if these barriers are removed? Understanding the magnitude of the benefits can provide invaluable information to policy-makers, disability advocates and industry leaders as they consider the rewards of efforts to improve accessibility. In this presentation, IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Emile Tompa shares a framework his research team developed for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. He also shares the results of the framework when implemented for the Canadian context.
Published: February 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society
Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, January 2022