The CIC is undertaking an evaluation of this national initiative.
Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) is a national partnership of the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA) and their member organizations. Funded by the Government of Canada and active in 20 communities across the country, RWA is designed to increase the labour force participation of people with intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
At the mid-point of our evaluation we were able to report that there had been a steady increase in jobs quarter over quarter with reasonable balance across jurisdictions and the initiative is on track to meet its identified employment outcomes by December 2017. Year 2 of the initiative saw rapid growth in job placements for people on the autism spectrum.
Among respondents to the employer survey who had opinions for the questions that were asked, more than 93% rated the RWA employees as on par with or better than the average employee in terms of: punctuality; attendance; use of sick days; turnover; attitudes towards work; getting along with coworkers and management; contributing to positive workplace morale and spirit; frequency of occupational health and safety problems; impact on workers’ compensation costs; and impact on employee benefit costs.
The evidence to date suggests the RWA has made significant progress over the review period and has demonstrated the effectiveness of the model in enhancing the work force participation of people with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
Researchers: Dr. Tim Stainton (UBC V School of Social Work), Dr. Rachelle Hole (UBC O School of Social Work), and Dr. Cameron Crawford (Independent Research Consultant).
Funded by: Canadian Association for Community Living
Find out more about RWA.