Disability confidence makes business sense for Canadian employers, says EFD

13th November 2008

Canadian employers need to see disability confidence as a business issue, Susan Scott-Parker OBE, chief executive of the UK’s Employers’ Forum on Disability, will tell delegates at a Vancouver conference today, Thursday 13 November.

The Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) conference in Vancouver will bring together service providers from across Canada to talk about disability at work, particularly intellectual (or learning) disabilities.

The conference follows the recent publication of research by the Job Opportunity Information Network that found 78 per cent of Canadians say they are more likely to buy a product or service from a business that has a policy of hiring people with disabilities than a company that doesn't.

Susan Scott-Parker said: “Disability confidence is about much more than being comfortable working with disabled colleagues and customers. It means that an organisation sees disability as a business issue that affects every area of its work, particularly its staff, customers and stakeholders.

“One in three people have a disability or are related to someone who is. No employer can afford to miss out on the talents and spending power of millions of disabled people in the current economic climate.

“Disability confidence is a challenge for many employers and global companies, including those in British Columbia. Yet organisations that get it right on disability see gains right across their work. I look forward to engaging with Canadian leaders in the business community and key stakeholders on this crucial issue.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Susan Scott-Parker’s speaking tour is being organised by:

•    Accessworks, who are funded by 2010 Legacies Now,

•    POLARIS Employment Services Society,

•    the British Columbia Association for Community Living,

•    ORW Opportunities through Rehabilitation and Work Society, and

•    The BC Centre for Ability.

Media enquiries, please contact:

Brenda Otema, Communications & Marketing Officer
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: brenda.otema@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020

About Employers' Forum on Disability

Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 300 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.

www.efd.org.uk