As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ready, Willing, and Able (RWA) program, we are filled with pride and gratitude for the incredible journey we have undertaken as a community. Over the past decade, RWA has (in partnership with 200+ supported employment agencies across the country), transformed the landscape of inclusive employment in Canada; helping to shift the paradigm from a charity-based model to one that recognizes the immense value of people with intellectual disabilities and those on the autism spectrum as contributors to our economy and society.
Since its inception, RWA has facilitated over 5,000 employment outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum or an intellectual disability. These outcomes vary across every sector and industry and were achieved without the use of wage subsidies, ensuring that these roles were competitively paid and valued. Our work with more than 20,000 employers, including 20 National Employer Partners, across the country has demonstrated time and again that inclusive hiring is not just the right thing to do – it is the smart thing to do.
RWA has never been in the business of “placements”. We have strived to educate, engage, and support employers in every province and territory, showing them the business case for inclusive hiring. Successive employer surveys during each phase of RWA’s journey have shown definitively that employees with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum have made meaningful contributions to every aspect of a business; contributions on a level equal to or exceeding their counterparts without a disability. From considerations of profit margins to client/customer satisfaction to retention and workplace morale, the success of these thousands of RWA outcomes have underscored the transformative impact of inclusive employment on corporate cultures nationwide.
As we look towards the future, RWA is recommitting itself to the ideal that inclusive employment is about so much more than just finding people a job. With our innovative projects in career advancement and the engagement of Indigenous and racialized communities, we are working to ensure all Autistic people or those with an intellectual disability have the support to build lifelong career paths. Inclusion demands that everyone must have the opportunity to contribute to and derive benefit from active and meaningful participation in the Canadian labour force. We must leave no one behind.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We could not have achieved this without the unwavering support of so many champions, in so many different communities. We are excited about what we can accomplish in the next decade and beyond. Together, with our partners, RWA will continue to break down barriers, create opportunities, and celebrate the unique talents and contributions of all Canadians.