Resources
Are you looking to make your organization more accessible and inclusive? Our library of free resources will give you the tools you need to move to the next stage in your journey.
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Getting Started -
Building Momentum
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Fully Engaged -
Best Practices
Use the buttons below to:
- Select the size of your business
- Choose a category that you’re interested in learning more about
Alternatively, you can use the search bar to enter in a keyword (i.e. interviews) and we will find resources for you.
Resources Suggested For You
Getting Started
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This business to business resource aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises easily adapt hiring and retention practices to become a more inclusive and supportive employer. Features case studies, inclusion tips, and the fundamental of HR practices.
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BCLC’s approach to creating a Diversity & Inclusion Statement.
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Harvard Business Review highlights how the case for improving work for people with disabilities goes way beyond compliance.
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Use this self-assessment tool to help determine where your organization is at on its journey to becoming an inclusive and accessible workplace.
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Suggestions on how to celebrate disability in the workplace, whether you only have 15 minutes or an entire day.
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Language related to disabilities is constantly evolving and preferred language can differ by region, country, or individual. Here are some language tips that may help you get started.
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Meridian Meats & Farm Market4 Tips for a Successful Partnership Between Employers and Disability Service Organizations
Meridian Meats and Farm Market, a medium-sized BC business, and posAbilities Employment Services, offer some tips for creating a successful partnership between employers and DESOs.
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EY’s employees have created a network focused on mental health awareness. This group aims to provide employees with information on and support for coping with mental health challenges and stress.
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Use these 3 wellness tips to ensure that your organizations workstations and environment are contributing to the health and well-being of your employees.
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Vancity embarked on a number of initiatives surrounding mental health to help build their employees understanding of the issue.
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Steps to consider when writing an inclusive job posting.
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Tacofino shares their five tips on how to create an inclusive and accessible small business.
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Tips for employers on how to balance employee privacy while encouraging the disclosure of information that supports employees to be successful.
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Questions that you can and can’t ask during an interview.
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Use this template to tailor an inclusive job posting.
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Items to consider when selecting a disability employment service organization (DESO) to work with.
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Brad McCannell, Rick Hansen Foundation’s VP, Access & Inclusion, busts the top 5 myths of Universal Design.
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The Rick Hansen Foundation suggests reviewing these key areas of your workplace and guidelines when planning for accessibility.
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Use this article that highlights tips on how to retain employees with disabilities.
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Use this article that highlights recruitment tips for hiring people with disabilities.
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Use this article to get your team behind an inclusive hiring strategy.
Building Momentum
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Learn how Destination BC included Diversity and Inclusion in their HR strategy.
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5 tips for creating a Diversity and Inclusion strategy for your large business.
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Is your business inclusive? Learn how you could be recognized for your recruitment practices and celebrate the successes of other employers.
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Our 3 tips to make the leadership and culture of your business more inclusive.
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Strategies for small businesses to efficiently and effectively roll out an employee engagement survey.
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ICBC shares how they built an Employee Resource Group and how you can get started in your workplace.
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BC Hydro’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an important part of their culture. These FAQs can assist organizations in forming their own ERGs.
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How to make the orientation and onboarding process inclusive for all employees.
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When hiring someone with a disability for the first time, it is important to understand what concerns your team might have so you can proactively address them.
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An alternative set of inclusive questions to consider when conducting an interview.
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Tips to increasing the inclusiveness of your interviews for candidates with disabilities.
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Employers can use the checklist to plan effective recruitment and hiring practices.
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Understanding any unintended barriers in the recruitment process can help ensure a more diverse talent pool of candidates.
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Common questions and misconceptions that employers have when it comes to hiring people with disabilities.
Fully Engaged
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Learn how YVR delivered Unconscious Bias training to their management team.
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HIRE for TALENT shares four steps for creating an inclusive workplace.
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Produced by Mental Health Works, this guide seeks to educate managers and staff on how to better accommodate people with mental health challenges in the workplace.
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How reasonable accommodation can benefit your organization.
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Information for employers about workplace accommodations.
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This free set of tools will guide you through how to be aware of biases in order to create a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone.
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These videos are designed to help employers recognize biases, so they can reduce their negative effects in the workplace.
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The Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report.
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Tips can help reduce bias in the hiring process.
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Employees receiving disability assistance from the provincial government can use an annual earnings exemption to keep more of the money they earn from work.
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TeenWork is a youth employment program from CanAssist at the University of Victoria designed to help youth with disabilities find and retain employment.
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Vancity wanted to focus their branch staff on customer care. To support this, they hired neurodiverse individuals, many of them on the autism spectrum, to be responsible for providing administrative relief.
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Online tools and platforms can help increase accessibility to public engagement initiatives for those facing barriers. However, it is important to remain mindful of barriers that can impede people from learning about, accessing or participating in a digital engagement event of any kind. Tipsheet created by the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
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This procurement strategy developed by YVR gives preference to vendors who practice corporate social responsibility in a variety of areas that are important to YVR including accessibility.
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Here’s what Port of Vancouver and BCLC learned by conducting a physical accessibility workplace assessment.
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This toolkit by the Mental Health Commission of Canada is meant to help human resources (HR) professionals and those with HR, wellness and diversity responsibilities increase accessibility and inclusiveness and address the needs of workers living with mental illness.
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Data and measurement are valuable tools for employers. If you are an employer looking to improve your employment of people with disabilities, the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) is the best source of external data we have. Here’s how to use it to understand how your company is doing, and in comparison to others in your sector.
Best Practices
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Learn how Vancity amended their interview process to be more inclusive of neurodiverse candidates.
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An advanced checklist on how to to ensure your online job applications or website meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
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An intermediate checklist to ensure your online job applications or website meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
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A basic checklist to ensure your online job applications or website meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
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Learn how Gabi & Jules found success as a small business by working with an untapped talent pool.
Adapting the Workplace
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As businesses of all sizes begin to reopen and recall employees to the physical workplace, it’s important to ensure this is done in a safe and inclusive manner. This document highlights evidence-based key tips for employers to consider in the workplace during COVID-19.
Organizational Culture
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This business to business resource aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises easily adapt hiring and retention practices to become a more inclusive and supportive employer. Features case studies, inclusion tips, and the fundamental of HR practices.
Employee Supports & Accommodations
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As an employer, you have a legal obligation to adjust policies and practices so employees can participate fully in the workplace, up to the point of undue hardship. If an employee is acting differently, you have a duty to inquire if something is having an impact on them at work.
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Customers or colleagues in the workplace may become angry or experience a mental health crisis that requires us to respond in an empathetic manner in order to diffuse the situation. Learn how to respond appropriately to de-escalate the situation quickly, ensure everyone is safe, and effectively support your employee or customer.
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If an employer believes that an employee has a substance addiction, or if an employee has self-disclosed that they have a disability due to addiction, the employer has a responsibility to approach the issue in a supportive, respectful and collaborative way.
Here are four steps to accommodate addiction in the workplace. Hiring
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You’ve interviewed applicants, conducted the pre-employment checks and are ready to make an offer of employment. Learn what successful inclusive businesses do next to make the hiring and onboarding process as smooth as possible.
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There are different types of interviews and assessments with varying forms of accessibility. Learn about the various forms of these, along with your legal obligations, and suggestions for reference checks before employment.
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As you go through the hiring process, keep in mind that declining an applicant is also part of your employer brand. Whenever possible, give the applicant feedback and suggestions for future applications.
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These interview guidelines will help you adapt your interview process to be inclusive for a variety of candidates.
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A written offer of employment constitutes an employment contract and outlines the employee and employer rights and obligations. It should be offered and accepted prior to the employee commencing work.
Funding
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Learn about the Employment Program of BC, funding, training and other resources available for employers through WorkBC’s web portal.
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GO Group is a multi-venture social enterprise strategy focuses on providing relevant vocational skills building and tangible work experience customizable to individual interests and needs.
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The training tax credit provides refundable income tax credits for employers who employ apprentices enrolled in apprenticeship programs administered through the Industry Training Authority.
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An $8 million/year fund focused on increasing employment opportunities for unemployed British Columbians, including people with disabilities.
Reports
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A report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
Resource
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In celebration of Mental Health Week, we have created this infographic that covers quick wins and next steps for addressing mental health in the workplace.
