The Ontario health care sector is facing a human resource crisis. At the same time, individuals with disabilities in Ontario need and want to work. The IHTR resource was co-created by, and for, Ontario’s health care organizations looking to become more disability-inclusive employers and to benefit from seeking out talented job seekers and employees with disabilities.
In 2024, thanks to a grant from the Government of Ontario and funding from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Foundation, a group of 9 Ontario healthcare organizations came together with 3 employment-oriented organizations to co-create a resource that would address two aligning needs: (1) the health-care human resource crisis currently faced in Ontario and across Canada, and (2) the high unemployment rate for Ontarians with disabilities who want and are able to work. Through a year-long Human-Centred Design process, the group iteratively designed a training resource for our fellow Ontario health-care organizations to promote disability-inclusive employment in our sector.
The design process took 12 months and included representatives from over 70 organizations. The result is the IHTR training materials that are free to all Ontario health-care organization, adaptable to your needs and examples, and connected to best-practice resources. The content draws from current best practices in the disability-inclusive employment sector, and is all presented from a health care perspective. We have included information from external free resources, and purposely aligned our learning to fit with health-care organizations’ Human Resource/People and Culture, Occupational Health and Safety, and EDI goals.
The information was co-created by our 9 health-care organization partners, and refined based on our pilot deliveries across the organizations. Our 3 employment partners also reviewed the materials, along with representatives from the Canadian Council for Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW).
Our IHTR training materials, resources, and guides, are open-access. You are welcome to use them to design a custom learning experience for your organization and staff, or to follow them as designed. All of our resources for sharing have been provided in an editable format so that you can use your own logos, your own organizational terms, and add in your own examples that will be most meaningful to your people leaders.
Before getting started, we recommend reviewing our Facilitator’s Guide (PDF) and Implementation Guide (PDF).
We have recordings of the training session available in English and French on our YouTube channel.
The goal of this work is to provide the information and resources that your organization or team will need to grow your organization’s understanding on the importance of disability-inclusive hiring.
Funding for this work was provided by the Government of Ontario and The Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Foundation.
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Contributors to the project oversight team include:
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The organizations that contributed to the creation and piloting of the IHTR resources include:
Holland Bloorview, Halton Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Sault Area Hospital, SickKids, Health Sciences North, Norfolk General Hospital, West Haldimand General Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Lifecare Brantford
We want to thank the members of our steering committee, including (alphabetically):
Laura Bowman (Holland Bloorview), Jeanette Campbell (ODEN), Gabriella Carafa (Holland Bloorview), Sarah Holman (Holland Bloorview), Krista Ieraci (Halton Healthcare), Lila Jorgensen (ODEN), Jeff Kargus (Halton Healthcare), Carolyn McDougall (Holland Bloorview), Dolly Menna-Dack (Holland Bloorview), Tracy Morrow (Community Living Oakville), Lori Riding (Halton Healthcare), Anna Oh (Holland Bloorview), Rosilee Peto (St. Joseph’s Health Care London), Deanne Rodrigue (HB), Ashleigh Townley (HB), Amy Widdows (ODEN), Jen Way (March of Dimes Canada).
We acknowledge and thank those who contributed their lived experience of employment and job seeking with a disability through stories and videos.
Additionally, we thank the following groups for contributing to the design process of the IHTR resources:
The Institute for Work and Health, Empowered Kids Ontario, Kids Health Alliance, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Unity Health, ErinOak Kids, Pathways Sarnia, University Health Network.
The IHTR training has been piloted across a number of Ontario organizations, and here is what people had to say:
“People with disabilities and health conditions work and thrive in a variety of roles in Ontario health-care organizations, yet there is more to be done to ensure our policies and processes are truly inclusive. Our leaders who have completed the IHTR training told us they appreciated the scenarios and resources and now feel better equipped to implement inclusive practices. That’s important because we know diverse teams are more innovative and effective. IHTR is part of our commitment to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible and anti-racist environment that treats all individuals with respect and fairness.” – Tracey Millar, vice president, people and culture, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
“The IHTR training opened my eyes to strategies and resources that can help us all foster a more inclusive workplace. From rethinking how we design our job descriptions to ensuring our training programs are accessible to everyone, Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain provides a roadmap for creating policies and environments where everyone can succeed.” – Michelle Leroux, Chief Human Resources Officer, Halton Healthcare
“Co-design brings together a diverse range of stakeholders—such as service users, experts, and community members—to collaborate in developing effective solutions. This collaborative approach is exactly what IHTR embodies. By offering training to healthcare organizations, it not only creates enhanced hiring opportunities but also promotes a more inclusive workplace. The training provides healthcare organizations with the tools to assess and refine their hiring practices, while simultaneously building confidence in hiring individuals with disabilities. As a service provider, this initiative opens up greater opportunities for people with disabilities to be hired and valued, fostering greater inclusion and diversity within the workforce.” – Tracey Morrow, Employment Specialist, Community Living Oakville
“As an organization focused on dismantling barriers, improving access to services, and enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities, we’re proud to be part of this project and we encourage others to join us. This initiative is about celebrating the skills, knowledge, and perspectives people with disabilities bring to the labour market.” – Len Baker, March of Dimes Canada President and CEO
