Current and Upcoming Challenges
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Creating employment solutions for persons with disabilities

MaRS and CIBC have set out to address employment barriers for persons with disabilities. We know the future competitiveness of our country depends on engaging all of our intellectual capital, and enabling more persons with disabilities to be full participants in our economy is not just a positive gesture, it’s good for businesses and for Canadian economic growth. While there is significant evidence of the benefits to companies from the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workforce, many still struggle to find a job and access meaningful employment opportunities that utilize their skill sets. 

This initiative is rooted in the needs and priorities of people with disabilities through their active engagement. After hearing from the community through research conducted by MaRS with support from CIBC, as well as through an open call to persons with disabilities and allies seeking stories about barriers to employment they had seen, heard or experienced, four focus areas were chosen.

Research Report

The MaRS and CIBC Inclusive Design Challenge Research Report

In 2020, MaRS and CIBC released a research report that engaged with the disability community to learn more about the employment landscape for persons with disabilities in Canada. The MaRS report supported by CIBC investigates the main societal challenges and barriers to employment for persons with disabilities. These categories are complex and interconnected, discreetly impacting the individual based on disability, intersectionality, and socioeconomic status.

The report provides details regarding the research approach and methodology, as well as an overview of the societal challenges and direct barriers identified that are hindering persons with disabilities in finding and maintaining meaningful employment.

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