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Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core Pathways to Employment in the Digital Economy for Albertans with Disabilities

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Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core Pathways to Employment in the Digital Economy for Albertans with Disabilities Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core Pathways to Employment in the Digital Economy for Albertans with Disabilities March 2021 Research by The Information and Communications Technology Council The Province of Alberta is working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services. Preface The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is a not-for-profit, national centre of expertise for strengthening Canada’s digital advantage in a global economy. Through trusted research, practical policy advice, and creative capacity-building programs, ICTC fosters globally competitive Canadian industries enabled by innovative and diverse digital talent. In partnership with an expansive network of industry leaders, academics partners, and policy makers across Canada, ICTC has empowered a robust and inclusive digital economy for over 25 years. To cite this report: Cutean, A., Martell, T., “Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core: Pathways to Employment in the Digital Economy for Albertans with Disabilities” (March 2021), Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), Ottawa, Canada. Researched and written by Alexandra Cutean (Senior Director, Research & Policy), and Tracy Martell (Research Quality Analyst), with generous support from Rob Davidson (Director, Data Analytics), Nathan Snider (Manager, Research & Stakeholder Engagement), Rosina Hamoni (Research Analyst), Olivia Lin (Junior Data Analyst), Amal Das (Junior Data Analyst), and the ICTC Digital Think Tank Team. Designed by Raymond Brand. The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Alberta. Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core www.ictc-ctic.ca 3 Acknowledgements ICTC gratefully acknowledges all the individuals and organizations who contributed to this study, including but not limited to the following: Al Del Degan, FSD Program Lead, EvolveU Alan Kriss, CEO, Specialisterne USA/Canada Aleem Jaffer, Job Developer, EmployAbilities Amos Ngai, Academic Chair—School of ICT, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Annette Borrows, President, Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) Bailey Copithorne, Senior Product Designer, Clio Brooks Hanewich, Co-founder, Matchwork Carl Schuler, Diversity and Accessibility Consultant, Calgary Alternative Employment Service (CAES) Carole Mendonca, Manager, Accessibility, Deloitte Canada Carrie Axten, Senior Manager, Prospect Human Services Christine Calvert, Director, Talent Acquisition, Shaw Communications Christopher Anstey, Director of Business Development, Vevacova Centre for Disability Services and Research (Vevacova) Chris Thomas, Senior Consultant, The Classic Business Consulting Group Cindy Pilz, Manager of Deaf Services, Deaf and Hearing Alberta (DHA) Danielle Yoo, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Deanna Lilley, Interpreting Services Manager, Deaf and Hearing Alberta (DHA) Diana Powell, Human Resources Lead, Riva International, Inc. Erin Gates, Academic Chair, Software and Data, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Gary Birch, Executive Director, Neil Squire Society Ginette Marcoux, Executive Director, Jasper Employment & Education Centre (JEEC) Jeanette Sutherland, Director, EDGE Up, Workforce and Productivity, Calgary Economic Development Jeff Clemens, Program Chair, Bow Valley College Jolene Van Vliet, Employment Consultant, EPSS Jon Garland, Employment Development Supervisor, EmployAbilies Joy Hewitt, National Director of Employment, Auticon Calgary Kat Connolly, Web Development Mentor, Lighthouse Labs Krystle Wittevrongel, Research Associate, Health Policy, University of Calgary School of Public Policy Larry Matheson, CEO, Kerby Centre Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core www.ictc-ctic.ca 4 Lee Pilkington, Gateway Association Margaux Myers, People Operations Manager, Aimsio Mark Farr, Disability Outreach Consultant, City of Edmonton Mathieu Fenniak, Director of Site Reliability Engineering, Replicon Michelle Pandith, Manager, Canadian Council on Rehabilitation ad Work (CCRW) Dr. Mike Annette, Associate Professor, McEwan University Murray Davidson, Director of Career Connections, Goodwill Neil Barnett, Director of Inclusive Hearing and Accessibility, Microsoft Peter Lafontaine, Business Development Lead, Auticon Calgary Rachel Wade, Manager, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Parkland Fuel Corporation Randall Stellar, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion and People Insights, Shaw Communications, Inc. Rebecca Liggins, Product Designer, Clio Ricardo Wagner, Accessibility Lead, Microsoft Rory LaRocque, Program Director, Entrust Sahana Parameswara, Executive Director, Gateway Association Sarah Taylor, Program Manager, Autism Calgary Sean McEwen, Director, Realeyes Capital Consultants Scott Bietz, Director of Employment Services, Vevacova Centre for Disability Services and Research (Vevacova) Scott Herron, Disabilities & Inclusion Specialist, ATB Financial Shauna McCallum, Director of Quality and Innovation, Chrysalis & Pan Disability Canada Shabeena Habib, VP, People and Culture, Goodwill Industries of Alberta Shelley Brown, HR Manager, Telus Shino Nakane, Community Relations Manager, Autism Society of Alberta Somayeh Beladi, Software Developer, Clio Tanya McLeod, President, Sinneave Family Foundation Ted Bonar, Program Lead, Career Support & Employment, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Tracey Johnson, Industry Workforce Specialist, Alberta Ministry of Labour & Immigration Tricia Gaudette, National Contract Manager, March of Dimes Canada Wendy McDonald, COO, Inclusion Alberta Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core www.ictc-ctic.ca 5 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 ABSTRACT 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 PART I: UNDERSTANDING DISABILITY 12 Introduction: Prevalence of Disability in Canada and Alberta 13 Zooming in on Alberta: Disability and Education 16 Fields of Education: STEM a Universally Popular Choice 17 Disability’s Impact on Employment 20 Employment in the Technology Sector Among Albertans with Disabilities 22 PART II: EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ALBERTA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY 24 Before the Change: 2019 to Early 2020 24 A Welcome Easing: Summer to Fall 2020 25 Battling Second Waves, Warding off a Third: Entering 2021 27 Zoom in on Calgary and Edmonton: Demand for Core Digital Roles 31 Building Supply Pipelines for In-Demand Jobs 32 PART III: EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ALBERTA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY 34 The Foundations: Data Collection and Measurement 34 Two Sides of the Same Coin: Disclosing A Disability 36 Understanding Workplace “Culture” 37 Organizational Values and Change Management 39 Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Training 43 Training Managers 43 Training Employees 46 Building Inclusive and Accessible Recruitment Practices 48 The Benefits and Drawbacks of Disclosure 54 Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core www.ictc-ctic.ca 6 Finding the Right Fit: Hiring People with Disabilities in Tech 55 The Link Between Education and Skills 56 Understanding Experience 58 Policy Built on Inclusivity and Accessibility 63 Acknowledging Gaps 64 Moving Forward: Actioning Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility in the Workplace 68 Making a Commitment to Accessibility and Inclusion 68 Employer Support: Information and Tools in High Demand 72 Basis for Future Collaboration: Undersanding and Leveraging Employer Motivators 73 CONCLUSION 75 APPENDIX 77 I. Research Methodology 77 Primary Research 77 Secondary Research 83 II. Limitations of Research 83 III. Employer Toolkit 84 Inclusivity and Accessibility at the Core www.ictc-ctic.ca 7 Abstract The digital economy has and continues to play a key role in Alberta’s economic success and will be a central pillar to its recovery and rebound from COVID-19. Despite a struggling overall economy, employment in Alberta’s digital economy at the end of 2020 was above pre-pandemic levels. Not only has Alberta’s digital economy proven resilient to these large-scale economic shocks, but it has also created high quality employment for Albertans throughout one of the most challenging economic periods in modern history. Employers in this rapidly growing digital tech space continue to assert that the demand for talent far outstrips available supply. They are also becoming increasingly aware of the reality that leveraging all talent streams is essential, including Albertans with disabilities. People with disabilities represent an untapped pool of skilled workers. Many possess advanced education in STEM disciplines, business, social sciences, and legal studies. Yet, according to employers, engaging and hiring people with disabilities remains a challenge, with many not knowing where to begin. Using mixed methods—key informant interviews, literature review, an employer survey, workshops, and an advisory committee—this report looks at the barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing meaningful employment in Alberta’s digital economy. It also discusses the barriers, challenges, and overall uncertainty that persist among employers with respect to recruiting and retaining people with disabilities. These include a lack of knowledge of employer legal obligations and a lack of awareness of where to obtain reliable information and resources to shape better policies and practices. These and other factors combine to create employer resistance to hire people with disabilities. However, there are also some opportunities and a pathway forward. Most employers are willing to hire more people
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