After sustaining an injury in middle school, Jessica joined an employment program at Holland Bloorview to gain work experiences with built-in accessibility supports. Knowing that she was interested in law, Holland Bloorview was there to help her connect with a meaningful work experience in her dream field.
Ready to Work, a summer-long employment placement program, helps youth with disabilities find work environments in which they can thrive—and supports employers with workplace inclusion and accessibility.
In partnership with donors and other organizations, Holland Bloorview is spreading this and other best practices and models for youth employment inclusion across the province to promote access to meaningful work experiences for youth with disabilities.
As a law-school hopeful, Jessica was connected to a Ready to Work placement at Torys LLP in 2018.
“The impact Jessica and the students who followed had on our workplace has been lasting,” said Daniel Walters, Director, AV & Office Services at Torys LLP. “The fact that Jessica is now in law school speaks volumes about the talent these programs help connect employers with.”
“At the end of a summer, it’s so impactful for everyone, myself included, to look back and see the accomplishments of both the young worker and of the workplace team,” Laura Howson-Strong, the occupational therapist who leads the Ready to Work program. “You get to observe truly inclusive environments in which the youth and the staff build a genuine connection.”
Today, Jessica is studying in her final year at law school in Toronto and credits her Ready to Work experience as a game-changer in helping her find her path.
Meet Jessica
What was important about your Ready to Work experience with Torys?
It was very clear from the beginning that the priority was helping me find a law firm that could support me as a high school student. There wasn’t ever a conversation about reducing expectations or changing my goals. As someone with a disability, we always worry that our goals aren’t going to be received well, because people may perceive them as too far. Ready to Work and Torys supported my dreams. Having discussions about accessibility was really important. I believe I was one of their first disabled students working with them. They did really well at listening to what was important and what I needed.
What would it have been like for you had you not had that support from Holland Bloorview while getting early work experiences?
I would not have known where to start. I’m very thankful to Holland Bloorview for not only helping me secure a job, but also for helping me prepare for interviews and job applications, which are typically nerve-wracking experiences. It would have been a lot harder to start off finding jobs and being confident in myself when interviewing. The fact that I was able to practice and to get comfortable in my own skin was instrumental.
How can employers be more inclusive to employees who have disabilities?
I want employers to think about how they can improve their accessibility and accommodations to people with disabilities. Most employers don’t realize they may have barriers up to people with disabilities. I also want employers to know people with disabilities are ready to work and want to work. You have to be open to it, to their experiences and to their lives, too.
For National Disability Employment Awareness Month, what is your message to employers and youth with disabilities and their families?
To employers: people with disabilities are ready and willing to work. I encourage employers to think about ways that they can improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
To youth with disabilities and their families: focus on getting as many experiences early on as they can. There may be barriers that may stop you, but I think you should focus on just trying to get the experience if you can. Open up your world to what may be possible in the future instead of thinking about what you can and can’t do.