READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.
(Vancouver) People living with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and serious conditions such as MS often find themselves in a catch-22 – unable to take on full-time year-round employment, but willing and able to work with the right supports and flexibility. A study released today urges the provincial government to adopt a series of creative recommendations that would make employment possible for many more British Columbians with significant disabilities.
“Current income assistance policies often discourage rather than encourage people with disabilities to work,” says Michael Goldberg, co-author of Removing Barriers to Work: Flexible Employment Options for People with Disabilities in BC and a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“We usually think of people as on a payroll or a welfare roll, and nowhere in between,” says Goldberg. “But many people with disabilities need a combination of income assistance and paid work. It should be possible for disabled workers to cycle in and out of the workforce. Part-time workers should also be able to keep more of what they make – right now, every dollar earned above $500 per month is clawed back.”
“The Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance has made some positive changes, such as allowing disabled people who work to keep medical and dental benefits,” says Winston Leckie of Opportunities through Rehabilitation and Work Society. “The problem is, few people actually know about them – even many front-line Ministry staff. Good policies shouldn’t just exist on paper.”
“The provincial government wants to be a leader in Canada when it comes to increasing economic security for people with disabilities, and that’s a commendable goal,” says Laney Bryenton of the BC Association for Community Living. “It can learn from community and college programs and social enterprises right here in BC that are modeling best practices. They have been remarkably successful in employing people with disabilities who had previously been considered ‘unemployable.’”
“Instead of building on this success, the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance developed an entirely new program, the Employment Programs for People with Disabilities (EPPD),” says Marcy Cohen, co-author of the report and a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “Eighteen million dollars went into the program this year despite placement rates of only 12.5% over past four years. “Yet community and college-based employment programs for people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities achieved job placement rates between 36% and 81%.”
Among the keys to success for both the community-based programs and social enterprises studied:
- Highly individualized supports that don’t have time limits;
- Flexible work arrangements that don’t penalize disabled workers for requiring time out of the workforce to manage their health;
- Strong relationships and effective coordination between employers, agencies, and disabled workers;
- Commitment to a long-term relationship with disabled workers that takes their ongoing needs, desires and interests seriously.
“Not all people with disabilities can work,” says Adrienne Wasik, co-author of the report. “But for those who can, there are creative ways we could build flexibility into their employment.”
“We’ve been hearing a lot recently about the need for more community-based mental health services,” says Marcy Cohen. “These are exactly the kinds of supports that will reduce hospitalizations and homelessness. They help people to live independently and stay out of crisis.”
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For media inquiries, contact: [email protected].
Interviews with disability advocates, people working with community-based supportive employment programs, and local social enterprises that employ disabled workers are also available.
The study was produced as part of the Economic Security Project, a joint research initiative of the CCPA and Simon Fraser University, funded primarily by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
