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Executive Summary

The purpose of this paper is to describe and explore the Disability Confident initiative run by the UK Government and its relevance to Canada. The initiative’s objective is to enable both private and public employers to recruit and/or retain disabled employees.

The underlying assumption of the Disability Confident program, its general approach, and its specific provisions provide important lessons for Canada, which continues to face high rates of unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities. The announcement of a Disability Inclusion Action Plan in the 2020 Throne Speech was a commitment to improving the economic and social inclusion of people with disabilities. The Disability Inclusion Action Plan has been updated since its initial introduction, and employment continues to be a central focus.

Canada currently has a range of notable employment-based programs for people with disabilities. It is well worth considering whether and how to build elements of the Disability Confident approach into the mix. This paper first describes the UK program by that name. It then discusses the general concept of disability confidence, which is a term being used increasingly throughout the world and in Canada in both the disability narrative and program design.

While use of the disability confident concept varies widely, its objective is to fundamentally alter the employer mindset from fear and avoidance of people with disabilities to acceptance and inclusion in the workplace. Some organizations and businesses in Canada may not want to engage in a structured program like the UK model, but they may still be keen to embrace the key principles and practices of disability confidence.