Publications
courantes
If you have issues with accessing the documents, contact info@crwdp.ca
1. Seed Grant Project Report : The Human Rights of Injured Workers: Social Protection Floors and the Canadian Work Disability System
Author: Jeffrey Hilgert
Summary: This seed grant project funded a Social Protection Floors student fellowship at the School of Industrial Relations at the University of Montreal. The objective of this project was to support a graduate student research project to explore the human rights dimension of social protection for injured workers within the Canadian context while working in partnership with injured worker groups in Canada to further advance their human rights agenda. The result of this seed grant project is a case study that examines recent changes to the benefit determination policy of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board under international labour and human rights standards. The primary conclusion drawn from this study is that the injured worker benefit policy changes made by the Ontario WSIB in 2015 appear to raise human rights concerns, but documenting these changes is not yet possible due to the lengthy appeals process faced by injured worker claimants.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access word version of the report
2. L’utilisation des TIC pour soutenir l’accès à l’emploi des adolescents handicapés ou en difficultés d’apprentissage ou d’adaptation (HDAA) [The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support access to employment for adolescents with special needs]
Authors: Marie Laberge, Curtis Breslin, Gabriel Charland
Sommaire: La subvention de démarrage du CRPIP a permis de réaliser une revue de littérature qui a mis en évidence l’intérêt de recourir aux technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) pour favoriser l’insertion professionnelle des jeunes adultes en situation de handicap. Elle a également servi à rédiger trois demandes de subvention dont deux se sont avérées positives. Enfin, elle a aussi permis de bâtir un réseau de collaborateurs et de partenaires intéressés par la mise en œuvre d’une nouvelle programmation de recherche favorisant l’insertion professionnelle par le recours aux TIC. Cette programmation vise autant à soutenir les utilisateurs bénéficiaires que les utilisateurs intermédiaires qui sont impliqués dans la programmation ou le choix des aides technologiques en fonction des besoins.
Summary: The seed grant from CRWDP was used to carry out a literature review which highlighted the importance of using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote the professional integration of young adults with special needs. This seed grant was also used to prepare three grant applications, two of which were funded. Lastly, it helped to build a network of collaborators and partners interested in the implementation of a new research program promoting professional integration through the use of ICT. This program aims to support end-users as well as intermediate users who help to choose and adjust technological aids according to specific needs of the end-users.
Click here to access the full report (pdf, French); click here to access word version of the report (French)
3. Injured Workers Who Experience Challenges Returning to Work: Pathways and Consequences
Authors: Rebecca Gewurtz, Stephanie Premji, Linn Holness
Lay summary (abbreviated): The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of injured workers in Ontario who do not return to work successfully following a work-related injury. The findings that emerged from the analysis capture the journeys of injured workers who experience challenging RTW trajectories and describe the implications for injured workers across all areas of their lives, including: (1) Interactions with workers’ compensation and other benefit systems; (2) Financial strain and family relationship; (3) Subsequent health concerns and pressure to return to work, and; (4) Stigma associated with being an injured worker.
Click here to access the full report
4. Episodic Disabilities in Canada
Authors: Adele Furrie, Rebecca Gewurtz, Wendy Porch, Cameron Crawford, Maureen Haan, John Stapleton
Abstract: Background: Many people who have certain types of health conditions (e.g. multiple sclerosis, bi-polar disorder, HIV or arthritis) have unpredictable episodes of illness followed by periods of wellness. The episodes of illness often result in intermittent work capacity (IWC). Our research is one step in the gathering of information to gain a better understanding of the employment issues faced by this segment of Canada’s population with disabilities. Methods: We conducted a literature review and developed a statistical profile of people with episodic disabilities derived from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability. Results: Many people with episodic disabilities have sought, obtained and retained employment. Many have found employers who have worked with them to accommodate their fluctuating work disability. However, there are many who are still struggling. Conclusions: The findings of this report advance the emerging literature on episodic disability and employment. It highlights the need to better understand the employment trajectories of persons with episodic disabilities, as well as their interactions with various income support programs over time. There is also a need to explore successful cases of retention in order to understand the strategies that these employers had implemented.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access word version of the report
5. Disability Supports and Employment Policy
Authors: Sherri Torjman and Anne Makhoul (Caledon Institute of Social Policy)
Abstract (abbreviated): This study explores access to disability supports and links to paid employment. Two components of disability supports are included: technical aids and equipment, and personal services such as attendant care and home care. The many problems identified through interviews with key informants and highlighted in the relevant literature can be grouped into three categories related to the availability, affordability and responsiveness of disability supports. Each of these areas is discussed in the report. Key policy strategies that will improve access to disability supports and enable participation in the paid labour market are highlighted. Canada needs to pay special attention to investment in and provision of disability supports. The need is great and will only grow in future with an aging population and rising incidence of chronic disease.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access word version of the report
6. Making the Law Keep Down the Costs. Why Canada’s public systems designed to support unemployed workers with a disability are making the decisions that they are.
Author: Andrew King, LLM
Abstract: This paper documents changes made to workers compensation, CPP, EI, and welfare since 1990 by Federal and provincial government in the pursuit of cutting costs. The objective of these changes has been to reduce the entitlement and amount of benefits and bureaucratize adjudication, particularly for those with intermittent, recurring and extended periods of disability. The results contribute to the increasing number of workers with a disability who end up on welfare. This report argues that there are different policy strategies that are more fair and effective in supporting unemployed workers with a disability.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access word version of the report
7. Life and Work at the Margins: (Un)employment, Poverty and Activism in Canada’s Disability Community Since 1966
Author: Dustin Galer
Abstract: The report surveys the extent of poverty in the disability community over time, including ways in which experiences of poverty stimulated active resistance through anti-poverty and disability rights groups. It considers the impact these groups had on work disability policy as well as the dialectic of disability in policy circles and the broader public sphere.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access the word version of the report
8. Willing but Unable: A population in waiting
Authors: Adele D. Furrie, Dr. Donna S. Lero, April D'Aubin, Grace Ewles
Abstract: Background: As the number of skilled workers decrease as Canada’s population ages, individuals with disabilities comprise a talent pool that is sometimes overlooked. The objective of this report is to provide a profile of these potential workers and an overview of the employment environment and challenges faced by these individuals. Method: The profile uses data from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability augmented by insights from Canadians with disabilities who shared their experience and knowledge of Canada’s existing employment environment. Findings: The population of potential workers with disabilities is diverse in age, abilities, and the extent to which they require workplace accommodations. There is a need for training and skills development programs that recognize that diversity. As well, policies should be developed to address disincentives to work (e.g. loss of benefits, attitudinal barriers).
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access the word version of the report
9. Disability Support Services in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: Impacts on Labour Market Participation for Individuals with Disabilities
Prepared by the SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in partnership with The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities-Newfoundland and Labrador (COD-NL)
Abstract: The goal of the project is to explore potential barriers to labour market participation related to disability support services in our province. The research engaged policy makers and individuals with disabilities in order to consider different perspectives and experiences with both designing/allocating and utilizing disability support services. This report presents our findings on the impact of different disability support services on the labour market participation of individuals with disabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a focus on disability-related supports attached to income support programs. The report also examines some broader issues that pertain to the overall set of disability support programs including eligibility, portability, financing, and delivery, as well as how improved coordination, efficiency, flexibility, and accountability could improve employment outcomes in the local labour market for people with disabilities.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access the word version of the report
10. Work Disability Policy Scoping Review Database
Authors: Ellen MacEachen, Bronson Du, Emma Bartel, Emile Tompa, Jackie Stapleton, Agnieszka Kosny, Ivana Petricone, and Kerstin Ekberg
Abstract: There is an abundance of research published over the past 15 years on work disability programs and policies. The CRWDP scoping review team conducted a systematic literature search across 4 different scientific databases (Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Pubmed) that resulted in over 9000 articles. By reviewing the title and abstract of each article, we identified over 700 articles that focused on government-led or mandated programs related to work integration, including helping people with disabilities to enter the labor market, return to work, stay at work or receive income support.
Click here to access the database
11. Policies and Practices on the Accommodation of Persons with Invisible Disabilities in Workplaces: A Review of Canadian and International Literature
Author: Michael Prince
Abstract: Invisible disabilities refer to a range of mental and physical disabilities that, like visible impairments, vary in their origins, degree of severity and in whether they are episodic or permanent. Much of the mainstream literature on employment and disability does not consider the question of a person disclosing their hidden disability to an employer. While disclosure is the route to a workplace accommodation process and can be in the best interest of the employee with a disability, it is a highly risky decision to disclose with numerous potential disadvantages along with advantages. The resulting situation is the predicament of disclosure for employees with invisible disabilities. Employers can create a workplace culture that encourages disclosure by people with invisible disabilities by being clear about the competencies required for a job; giving as much information, in accessible formats, as possible in advance; and, in recruitment
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access the word version of the report
12. Evidence Synthesis of Workplace Accommodation Policies and Practices for Persons with Visible Disabilities
Authors: Emile Tompa, Alexis Buettgen, Quenby Mahood, Kathy Padkapayeva, Andrew Posen, Amin Yazdani
Many Canadians with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed despite being able and willing to work. Workplace accommodations may have tremendous benefits for these people and their employers. We have conducted a scholarly and grey literature review to identify workplace accommodations that can support people with visible disabilities, including sight, hearing and mobility disabilities, chronic pain, auto immune diseases, as well as multiple sclerosis and acquired brain injury. Our review includes details of specific accommodations made by employers, broken down into 17 discrete categories. We provide the references to the studies that describe application of various accommodations in different settings. Besides that, we share helpful tools and recommendations to assist employers with the development of policies and procedures, derived from our grey literature search. Employers have a variety of accommodations at their disposal, and they are encouraged to implement the right combination of customized solutions for their individual employees.
Click here to access the full report (pdf); click here to access the word version of the report
13. Work Disability Prevention Management System: A proposal for a national standard to Canadian Standard Association (CSA)
Abstract: Given that organizations struggle to identify how to address work disability, there is a need for a national standard based on best practice models for the management of work disability prevention. The proposed Canadian Standard aims to specify requirements for a Work Disability Prevention Management System (WDPMS). The Standard will integrate best current research evidence and the viewpoints and successful practices of multiple stakeholders: employers, workers and worker representatives, clinicians, workers compensation authorities, insurance companies, policy makers, and researchers.
Click here to access the proposal
14. An Environmental Scan of Past Policy Initiatives Addressing Coordination Issues in the Canadian Work Disability Policy System
Abstract: Canada’s disability income support programs such as Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, Employment Insurance sickness benefits, Workers’ Compensation benefits, Social Assistance for people with disabilities, and private disability insurance, largely operate independently from one another. Policymakers, researchers and program users have pointed out that the lack of coordination across these programs has negative consequences for the equity, administrative efficiency and ease of access to supports provided by these programs. Using information collected from policy documents and key informant interviews, this environmental scan examines past efforts that have been made to improve coordination among Canada’s disability income support programs, detailing their successes and obstacles. Ultimately, the scan helps identify important lessons for future attempts at coordination in this policy arena.
The full report will be coming soon.
Click here to access a summary of past policy initiatives identified by this scan and related documents.