Combating Employment Stigma
Combating employment stigma that surrounds people with disabilities is a big job! It’s a long-standing problem, one I know well myself. Which is why a refreshing spark of hope emanated from Carol Goar’s column in The Star . If you have a disability and you want to land a job, then you will know all too well that stigma is alive and well.
Employers, the majority of them, still view disability as a deterrent
Well, MAGNET a not-for-profit initiative by Ryerson University is working to bust down barriers. Its mission is to connect employers with educated and highly motivated job seeks who happen to also have a disability.
Goars’s heartwarming story profiles Tom Rose, the new leader of Magnet’s diversity program. The program and site is off to a good start with early sign ups of 70K job seekers with disabilities and 6K potential employers. The platform provides an oasis for connections, but Rose admits it will take some time to tackle the real problem of stigma.
