Innovative program helps

Even in a booming economy, the biggest challenge for intellectually disabled workers is simply landing a job.
“We have a 75 per cent unemployment rate in Saskatchewan for folks with intellectual disabilities and those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” said Sheila Anderson, Director of Employment Initiatives with the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living (SACL). “We really want to decrease that unemployment rate by helping employers carve out a place for these workers.”

Anderson said the experience of several employers who have done just that has been very positive. A new federally-funded program called “Ready, Willing and Able” is designed to boost employers’ capacity and confidence to hire employees with intellectual disabilities. The program is a partnership between the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA). More on this story at ccgazette.ca or find out more about CACL's Ready, Willing and Able program at readywillingable.ca