Imagine being offered a job you actually want. The pay is fair, the team is supportive, and the work is meaningful. Then you do the math. Every dollar earned beyond a certain threshold reduces your ODSP support. The potential promotion, extra hours, or higher salary that should move you forward suddenly comes with financial risk. This is the reality for many people with disabilities receiving disability benefits. This is the reality for many people with disabilities receiving disability benefits.
There is no question that the barriers are real. Statistics Canada reported in 2022 that 62% of Canadians with disabilities aged 25 to 64 were employed, compared to 78% of those without disabilities. Yet more than 740,000 non-employed Canadians with disabilities were identified as having the potential to work in an inclusive and accommodating labour market. The talent exists—but too often, the opportunities do not.
While governments have an important role to play in addressing systemic barriers, employers and organizational leaders have responsibilities too. Expanding opportunities for people with disabilities is about more than inclusion. It’s opening pathways to talent, leadership, and innovation that organizations cannot afford to overlook.
The business case is compelling. Ontario Tim Hortons franchise owner Mark Wafer, who employed dozens of people with disabilities across his restaurants, reported lower turnover, lower absenteeism, improved workplace safety, and higher productivity. He has often spoken about how employees with disabilities became some of his strongest performers and contributed to a more innovative and loyal workforce. Inclusive hiring, in this case, became a competitive advantage for his business.
But hiring is only the beginning. If employers benefit from hiring people with disabilities, they will also benefit from investing in their growth.
Mainstream conversations about disability and employment focus on getting people into jobs. That matters, but we rarely ask where they are five or ten years later. Are people with disabilities building careers? Are they moving into leadership positions? Are they gaining the skills, experience, and opportunities needed to achieve greater financial independence? Or are they expected to remain in the same roles indefinitely, grateful simply to be employed?
If people with disabilities make up more than one quarter of Canada’s population, why are they so rarely represented in leadership roles? Statistics Canada found that only 0.8% of corporate executives identified as having a disability. That gap should make us ask not whether talent exists, but whether pathways to leadership do. And too often, career pathways narrow long before leadership opportunities come into view.
The challenge isn’t getting people with disabilities into jobs. It’s ensuring they have the same opportunities to grow, advance, and lead. I acknowledge that not everyone wants to become a manager or executive, and that’s perfectly fine. The issue is whether those who want to grow have the same opportunities to do so as everyone else.
If we are serious about creating accessible workplaces, we need to think beyond recruitment and ask who is being mentored, who is being encouraged to take on new responsibilities, who is being considered for advancement, and who is being overlooked. Sometimes that starts with something as simple as identifying employees with leadership potential and creating development plans for them, just as you would for any other high-performing employee.
Professional development matters because it creates pathways to leadership, higher earnings, greater confidence and self-determination. And more importantly, investing in professional growth sends a powerful message: we see your potential, we’re investing in you.
I was recently listening to the Voices of ABLE2 podcast featuring disability champion and former NHL player Jim Kyte. As the first deaf player in NHL history, Jim spoke about his unique strategies to adapt to the sport, allowing him to outperform many of his peers and compete at the highest level of the game. He also spoke about advocating for accessible transportation in Gatineau Park, when the National Capital Commission (NCC) limited access to self-propelled modes of transportation during the pandemic. His efforts helped influence the provision of on-demand shuttle services, improving access for everyone. What stood out to me was how lived experience shaped his perspective, not only in recognizing barriers, but in finding solutions that benefited everyone. This is the kind of leadership people with disabilities bring when they’re given opportunities to influence decisions and drive change.
When people with disabilities advance into leadership positions, they bring perspectives that challenge assumptions, improve accessibility, and often lead to better outcomes for everyone. Their lived experience becomes an asset, not only for people with disabilities, but for organizations, communities, and society as a whole.
At ABLE2, we work every day to help people build toward greater independence through programs that support skill development, financial literacy, self-advocacy, and employment readiness. We can help prepare people for opportunity, but opportunity must also exist.
That is where employers come in.
I’m asking leaders in my network to look beyond hiring targets and think about growth. Consider whether employees with disabilities on your team are receiving meaningful opportunities to learn, lead, and advance. Are they being developed for the next step in their careers? Or have they been sitting in the same role for years with no clear pathway forward? We often talk about the untapped potential of people with disabilities. Perhaps it’s time to ask whether the real untapped potential lies within our workplaces.
The difference between employment and true inclusion is opportunity.
When we invest in the professional growth of people with disabilities, we are investing in future leaders, innovators, and changemakers. We are creating pathways to greater independence and strengthening our organizations in the process.
I’d love to hear from employers, managers, and fellow leaders: what is one thing your organization is doing, or could do, to better support the professional growth of employees with disabilities?
Published by
Experienced Non-Profit Executive Director