Contributor: Vanessa Sinclair (vsinclair@ccrw.org) 

Disability rates are rising among youth. In 2022, one in five people (20%) between the ages of 15 and 24 had at least one disability – up from 13% in 2017.i Some of the most common  disabilities among youth are mental health-related, such as mood and anxiety disorders, followed by learning disabilities and pain-related disabilities. [1] 

Not all young adults are considered to be in the labour force, which is defined as either being employed or looking for work. Among those who are, only 73% of youth with disabilities are employed, compared to 82% of those without disabilities.ii Over 282,000 young people with disabilities in Canada are currently unemployed and are not in school, but have the potential to work. [2] 

Youth with disabilities face numerous barriers to gaining crucial early work experiences and building career skills. Employment service providers like CCRW can support youth to overcome these barriers by helping them plan their careers, find inclusive employers, and access work opportunities. Below are some of the ways CCRW helps young job seekers succeed. 

Employment access. 

Entering the labour market is challenging for everyone, and youth with disabilities are less likely to have had access to the early opportunities that set job seekers up for success, like volunteering, internships, and career mentors. 

To help young job seekers with disabilities get started in the workforce, CCRW offers resume and cover letter writing assistance, interview practice, job search strategies, and subsidized employment opportunities across diverse industries. CCRW also works together with job seekers and employers, educating and consulting with businesses to promote workplace inclusion and accessibility. 

To help job seekers find inclusive opportunities, CCRW is also proud to offer job seekers access to the Untapped Talent platform, where they can find and apply to job postings from disability confident employers across Canada. 

Career development. 

For many, young adulthood is a time of career exploration, which can be both exciting and stressful. Youth receive many well-meaning but sometimes conflicting messages about careers from friends, family, and schools. Evaluating one’s own career interests, skills, and goals – and how to pursue those goals – can be overwhelming. 

Youth with disabilities are also less likely to have large peer networks [3] or to have connections to experienced career mentors. [4] Smaller networks can limit career opportunities, because peer and professional contacts often share information about work, volunteer, and training opportunities, as well as advice and guidance. 

CCRW can support youth with disabilities to plan their career journeys by helping clients explore options, recognize their potential, and discover pathways to gaining necessary education, skills, and training. CCRW also connects job seekers with career mentors, helping them build valuable professional networks and gain industry-relevant advice. 

Skill-building and self-advocacy. 

The benefits of early career experiences are significant. Access to volunteer and co-op opportunities as early as high school can help youth build foundational life and career skills like adaptability, job searching, and networking. [5],[6],[7] However, youth with disabilities are less likely to have access to these opportunities. CCRW offers clients a library of over 70 virtual courses covering the nine Skills for Success, along with individualized support from experienced employment professionals, helping job seekers build and refine their competency in areas like numeracy, communication, and problem solving. A sample of these courses are available to anyone online. 

Youth with disabilities may experience both ageism and ableism. Some people may not even believe youth can have disabilities, as it contradicts their deeply-held assumptions about young people’s health. [8] Many of the most common disabilities among young adults are not immediately apparent to others, and mental health disabilities, in particular, are still highly stigmatized. [9] 

Self-advocacy skills are rarely formally taught, but they enable job seekers and employees to confidently navigate conversations like disability disclosure and workplace accommodation requests. CCRW helps job seekers with disabilities learn how to ask for workplace accommodations and what kinds of accommodations are available. Through coaching and innovative Virtual Reality training sessions, CCRW also helps job seekers practice challenging workplace conversations, like disclosure, in a safe and positive environment. 

Over a third of CCRW’s clients are job seekers with disabilities under the age of 30. Through job search assistance, skills training, and connections to inclusive employers, CCRW’s services help youth overcome barriers to employment and access meaningful work opportunities. 

References

[1] Hébert, B.-P., Kevins, C., Mofidi, A., Morris, S., Simionescu, D., & Thicke, M. (2024). A demographic, employment and income profile of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over in Canada, 2022 (Nos. 89-654–X). https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2024001-eng.pdf

[2] Statistics Canada. (2024b). Table 13-10-0895-01 Work potential for persons with disabilities by age group and gender [Dataset]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1310089501-eng

[3] Paul, T., Di Rezze, B., Rosenbaum, P., Cahill, P., Jiang, A., Kim, E., & Campbell, W. (2022). Perspectives of children and youth with disabilities and special needs regarding their experiences in inclusive education: A meta-aggregative review. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.864752

[4] Lindstrom, L., Kahn, L. G., & Lindsey, H. (2013). Navigating the early career years: Barriers and strategies for young adults with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 39(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-130637

[5] Awsumb, J., Schutz, M., Carter, E., Schwartzman, B., Burgess, L., & Lounds Taylor, J. (2022). Pursuing paid employment for youth with severe disabilities: Multiple perspectives on pressing challenges. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 47(1), 22–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/15407969221075629

[6] Lindsay, S. (2011). Discrimination and other barriers to employment for teens and young adults with disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation, 33(15–16), 1340–1350. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2010.531372

[7] Lindsay, S., & Ahmed, H. (2021). School and employment-related barriers for youth and young adults with and without a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic in the greater Toronto area. Adolescents, 1(4), 442–460. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1040034

[8] WHO. (2021). Global report on ageism. World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240016866

[9] Woodgate, R. L., Comaskey, B., Tennent, P., Wener, P., & Altman, G. (2020). The wicked problem of stigma for youth living with anxiety. Qualitative Health Research, 30(10), 1491–1502. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320916460