September is back-to-school time for students at all levels…elementary school, middle school…and college and and university students.

It’s a good time to talk about supporting youth who have a disability so they can transition to employment from high school or post-secondary education.

Research shows that young people who have a disability…have a better chance of long-term success in the workforce if they have a part-time job while they’re finishing high school.

The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability showed that 20% of Canadian youth have a disability. That’s more than 546,000 young people.

Then there all the young people who have disability, who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). In Canada, that’s almost 109,000 young people.

And almost 84,000 of them have been identified as potential employees. The statistics show there are a lot of youth who have a disability who can, and want to, work. But are we doing enough to support them?

A report released in September 2024 suggests not. And it outlines a public funding cost-benefit model of “stable, equitable ‘start-early’ programs” that shows a small public investment per person has a big lifetime return on investment.

It’s been a year since the release of Funding Employment Inclusion for Ontario Youth with Disabilities: A Cost-Benefit Model.

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital spearheaded this collaborative report.

This episode, we find out what’s been happening in the year since the report was released and presented to the Ontario government.

Catch this insightful conversation with guests with Holland Bloorview’s Laura Bowman and Carolyn McDougall.

SHOW NOTES

• Episode 37 transcript (PDF)
• Download and read the report
• Learn about other Holland Bloorview youth funding advocacy initiatives and resources