'I want to work': New hub connects people with Down syndrome to jobs
Canada has roughly one million jobs unfulfilled, and a new tool is looking to connect employers with candidates they may not have expected to hire—which is part of the problem, according to disability advocates.
Inployable is the first-ever employment network created in Canada on LinkedIn, an initiative of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS).
“[These candidates] are reliable, they have low absenteeism,” said Executive Director Laura LaChance.
“These are all business cases—where there is data to support this—that people with down syndrome contribute as much or more than other team members.”
LaChance cited figures from a 2018 Accenture study for the American Association of People with Disabilities, which investigated the financial performance of 140 companies, finding those which hired and supported workers with disabilities saw 28 per cent higher revenue and twice the net income.
Yet in Canada, according to CDSS, over half of those living with Down Syndrome in Canada are either not employed or volunteering their time and labour.
Jessica Rotolo says she was surprised and elated to discover she was being paid at her most recent job.
She works three days a week as a classroom assistant at Centennial Infant and Child Centre, where she herself went to preschool.
“I was so happy it was a paid job because I need money to move out of my house and live on my own,” she told CTV News Toronto, standing with her mother Dorlean who smiled at the answer.
Executive Director of Centennial Shemina Ladak says the centre has been hiring people living with Down Syndrome and other conditions for several years.
“Nobody’s called in sick, they’re always on time, they stay until the end, and they do the tasks that are assigned to them really, really well,” Ladak said.
Dorlean Rotolo says Jessica is like many young people living with Down Syndrome, who can succeed if given the opportunity and support along the way.
“Everything she’s accomplished in her life at 24—I was not even close to doing the things that she has done, so we’re just so proud,” she said.
As for Jessica, she herself best summed up her qualifications.
“I am smart I am resourceful, I’m always on time,” she said.
“I want people to know that I am a confident young woman who is rocking life.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton dead following prison attack
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
DND moving 1,000 employees out of Ottawa office building due to safety concerns
The Department of National Defence is moving approximately 1,000 employees out of an office building in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood, citing safety concerns for its employees.
Baby dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to woman who was in police custody
A newborn is dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to a woman in police custody.
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: 'I am completely heartsick and devastated'
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
Fast food chain value deals ramp up in the United States: What does it mean for Canada?
After years of price increases and a decline in customers, fast food chains in the United States are competing with each other and offering value deals in hopes of bringing more foot traffic into their establishments.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
2 children among 5 people hospitalized after head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's west end
Two young children and three adults were seriously injured in a major collision on Highway 417 between Palladium Drive and Carp Road in Ottawa's west end Friday afternoon.
Marian Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, dies at 86
Marian Shields Robinson, the mother of Michelle Obama who moved with the first family to the White House when son-in-law Barack Obama was elected president, has died. She was 86.