The context of employability in Intellectual Disabilities

Planning the transition from school to adult life (TEVA) is a key element in the successful integration and retention of people with intellectual disabilities in employment. This step must begin early in life in order to prepare the individual for the labour market, introduce them to the various possibilities and enable them to acquire skills from an early age.  

In some provinces, such as New Brunswick, the “Employment First” strategy is at the heart of all school-to-work transition efforts. This means that employment is considered the first option from the outset of planning. This approach has yielded encouraging results. 

In Quebec, however, the transition from school to adult life (TEVA) process is not applied uniformly across the province. In some cases, TEVA is well implemented, but in many others, it is absent or limited.  

Historically, the health and social services network has set up stages and sheltered work programs, as well as support services and social and professional skills development services.  

Thus, upon leaving school at around the age of 21, people with intellectual disabilities are often referred to these “stages” or sheltered work programs. These programs are primarily aimed at people who are further removed from the labour market, in order to enable them to acquire new skills and abilities. In theory, once these skills have been developed, participants should leave these programs to benefit from employability services and access “regular” employment.  

In Quebec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), in collaboration with community organizations, is responsible for stages and sheltered work programs. Tens of millions of dollars are invested in these programmes each year. Several community organisations have also drawn inspiration from this collaboration (between the MSSS and the community network) to create their own sheltered work programs, without entering into an agreement with the MSSS.  

However, the results of these programs remain mixed and they are the subject of much criticism.

For more information, see the “Problems” page. 

Many local community organisations offer training programs for people with intellectual disabilities. These programs aim to provide social and work skills to people who need them. These skills enable participants to better navigate social and professional situations and are designed to help them find employment in the future. 

They are mainly aimed at people who are further removed from the job market and need to acquire basic skills before considering employment. 

After acquiring certain skills through stages or sheltered work programs, a person may be referred to an organisation specializing in employment for people with disabilities. 

These organizations are responsible for assessing the person’s abilities and supporting them through all stages of the employment process: preparation (training, soft skills, CV preparation, etc.), job search and support to help them keep their job. People who benefit from these services are often more “fit” for work and closer to the job market. Depending on each person’s abilities, situation and preferences, two main options may be offered: joining an adapted company (step 3a) or taking a regular job (step 3b).  

In Quebec, there are 25 organizations specializing in employment for people with disabilities, some of which are specifically dedicated to intellectual disabilities. The complete list of these specialized organizations is available on the website of the Regroupement des organismes spécialisés pour l’emploi des personnes handicapées  (ROSEPH).

These organizations are community-based organizations that work under contract with the ministry of Employment. The contracts set out objectives to be achieved and specify the services they can offer.  

These employment agencies can also allocate certain government financial measures to facilitate the integration and retention of persons with disabilities in employment. For example, they can recommend a Work Integration Contract (“Contrat d’intégration au travail – CIT“), propose accommodation measures or support workplace adaptation.   

After an assessment by a specialized employment agency, a person may be referred to an adapted company.  

Adapted companies are businesses where people with disabilities work alongside people without disabilities. In these jobs, people are paid at least minimum wage, receive benefits and participate in productive activities.  

The aim of adapted companies is to train people for the labour market, make them more productive and enable them to acquire additional skills. 

Adapted companies are funded partly by the government and partly by contracts they carry out for other companies. Although they are non-profit organisations, they cannot operate at a loss.  

Once a person has been assessed by an organisation specialising in the employability of people with disabilities and has been deemed fit for work, they can be placed in “regular” employment. This means that the person works alongside people without disabilities, is paid the same as others, receives benefits (leave, holidays, insurance, etc.) and is expected to perform like all other employees. 

This model is the most favourable for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and is recommended by SQDI for the vast majority of them.  

Since 2014, SQDI and its partners have been overseeing the Ready, Willing and Able program. This program aims to raise awareness in the workplace in order to increase the participation of autistic individuals, or people with intellectual disabilities in the labour market in regular employment.  The program works with employability organizations to provide financial support for adapted services that facilitate job retention. This includes job coaching services and funding for employee support measures, such as human or material support, when these are not available in the province.