Grant: Healthy and Productive Work - Partnership Grants

Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) recognizes "the right of persons with disabilities to work on an equal basis with others... in a work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities," and compels "State Parties to safeguard and promote the realization of the right to work." In Canada, people with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to employment with only 49% of individuals with disabilities reporting work (Statistics Canada, 2012). The employment situation for people with intellectual disability (ID) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is significantly worse; working age individuals represent the most unemployed and underemployed citizens in Canada. According to the Canadian Survey on Disability (2012), only 22.3% of persons with ID or ASD indicated some kind of employment, and, when employed, these individuals received low wages, worked few hours, and often worked in segregated settings; further, when ID/ASD research considers sex/gender, females fare worse than their male counterparts. In spite of this, work is an aspiration for people with ID or ASD and is a key mechanism for social inclusion.The BC Transitioning Youth with Disabilities and Employment Project -- "The TYDE Project" -- aims to improve employment outcomes for transitioning youth ages 14 - 18 with ID or ASD in British Columbia through early interventions that target youth and their parents with particular attention paid to gender in the design, implementation and assessment of this research and knowledge mobilization (KM). Research consistently supports that intervening early when young adolescent girls and boys with ID or ASD are transitioning from school to adult life translates to positive employment outcomes. Further, research demonstrates that 1) experiences with inclusive education, 2) positive parental expectations for employment and/or post-secondary education, 3) greater levels of self-determination among transitioning youth with ID or ASD, and, 4) early work experience are predictive of higher employment outcomes. These four domains underpin our research and KM program. Through this partnership, we will:1. Develop and test The TYDE Transitioning Youth to Employment Tool; an online interactive learning environment designed to enhance employment outcomes for youth with ID or ASD by increasing youth pre-employment skills, increasing youth self-determination, and improving parental/caregiver knowledge and expectations for fostering their youth's future employment experiences.