Watch above: A new three-year pilot project, ready, willing and able, encourages employers to hire people with intellectual disabilities. Joelle Tomlinson spoke with Sheila Anderson on how the project can benefit employers and employees.
SASKATOON – For more than half-a-million Canadians with intellectual disabilities or autism, finding work is next to impossible. Now, with the help of a federally-funded program called Ready, Willing & Able (RWA), employers will be able to connect with this untapped labour pool.
“The autism spectrum is vast,” said Sheila Anderson, the employment initiatives director with RWA. “We have individuals with really high needs and we have individuals going to university getting degrees and masters, but they’re having a hard time selling themselves in the employment field or just passing interviews.”
The Government of Canada has made a three year investment in RWA to work with employers and community agencies in 20 communities across the country.
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