Disability inclusion learning solutions that work.
I am VERY excited to announce the launch of a brand new e-course from the Work Wellness Institute (WWi), How to Continue to Support Employees who Return to Work after Recovering from Illness/Injury.
This project was a fantastic experience. I am so pleased with the results, and I know you will be, too!
I am VERY excited to announce the launch of a brand new e-course from the Work Wellness Institute, Creating a Supportive Work Environment for Employees who Work from Home and for Remote Workers. This project was a fantastic experience. I am so pleased with the results, and I know you will be, too!
According to the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO)*, when compared to students without disabilities, students with disabilities do not get the same benefits from postsecondary education (PSE): They are less likely to pursue PSE in the first place. They must transition from a system with built-in supports to one where they must self-identify and register for supports. They are less likely to graduate. And those who do graduate experience worse labour market outcomes from the outset: They are more likely to be unemployed, to be low income, and to work in jobs without benefits.
HEQCO’s recommendations for the PSE sector – aside from better data collection and further research – include incorporating principles of Universal Design in Learning (UDL) into course materials, embedding general principles of accessibility and equity in teaching and learning, and supporting the school-to-work transition for PSE grads with disabilities.
What are your thoughts? Even better, what’s been your experience here?
What do you think?
* Source: K. Chatoor. (02-Jun-2021). Postsecondary Credential Attainment and Labour Market Outcomes for Ontario Students with Disabilities. HEQCO.
A piece in the Financial Post last month provides a glimpse of the impact the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has on disability insurance (Rolfe, K., 17-Aug-2021, ‘A pandemic after the pandemic’: Insurers brace for disability claims ‘deluge’ from mental, physical strain of crisis). In short, disability claims are not only more numerous, they are also prolonged.
Yes, insurers are seeing coronavirus-related claims, including for Long COVID. But to add, the strain placed on hospitals by the pandemic has resulted in delayed access to non-urgent medical treatments for thousands of people off work for disability. This translates to prolonged disability.
And that’s just for non-mental health claims. Claims for mental health supports increased 24% last year, and Sun Life Canada reports that over 30% of its disability claims are for mental health conditions and represent 45% of disability claims costs. What’s more, numerous people disability for non-mental health conditions have been experiencing levels of anxiety and depression, that are prolonging their disability, and thus their return to work.
And let’s not forget that group disability insurance is not the only space affected in this way: These same factors can affect the experience of people having disability claims with workers’ compensation, motor vehicle injuries, CPP disability, Veterans, and disabled persons accessing disability support programs.
Is COVID-19 impacting anyone you know with a disability claim? And in what ways?
What do you think?
