New Westminster, B.C., March 23, 2015 – If an inspiring new campaign has the desired effect, many more of those with developmental disabilities will soon be gainfully employed throughout British Columbia. By calling on MLAs to hire the Ready, Willing & Able in their local constituency offices, the hope is that private sector employers will take notice and be inspired to do likewise.
On Thursday, March 26, Inclusion BC representatives will be at the Victoria legislature looking to engage MLAs and recognizing those who promise to hire someone with a developmental disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Says Faith Bodnar, Inclusion BC Executive Director, “Ready, Willing & Able is a campaign with a thought-provoking message. Despite the desire and ability to work, only one in four people of working age with a developmental disability and ASD is in paid employment. This is our way of asking BC’s MLAs, as leaders in their communities, to help both remedy and highlight the situation.”
Statistics indicate there are approximately 60,000 working-age adults with developmental disabilities in British Columbia. Bodnar continues, “With the right support, community investment and employer leadership, these individuals could and should be employed at a rate on par with other British Columbians.”
Bodnar also notes that there are a growing number of businesses and employers who are seeing the real returns of hiring within this untapped labour pool. “They see the benefits of having them join the workforce at a pay scale similar to their peers and enjoying the economic independence and social structure made possible through work. It’s win-win.”
Those MLAs who choose to join the program will be given a special Inclusion BC lapel pin that the organization anticipates will become symbolic of a shift in perception to hiring those with developmental disabilities.