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• Auditor Generals report on Human Resources Development Canada Grants and Contributions. Of particular interest is the commitment to ensure equal access to programs by year end.

• Barrier-Free Employers - Practical Guide for Job Accommodation for People with Disabilities.

• BC Career and Workforce Development Alliance provides information on the devolution of the Labour Market Development Agreement (click here for reference material)

• Conference Board of Canada in partnership with the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship released the report Tapping the Talents of People with Disabilities. See also the associated news release.

• The Decline in Employment of People with Disabilities - A Policy Puzzle Researchers agree that the employment rate for working-aged people with disabilities declined during the 1990s. What they don't agree on is the main cause for this decline.

• Designing Accessible Web Sites

• Accessibility Online Resource an Australia Universities prospective
• Bobby is a web-based tool that analyzes web pages
• Designing an Accessible Web -This section of the D A A W is dedicated to cooperative efforts linked toward building a more accessible Web.
• Improving Access to Government Web Sites for People with Disabilities
• Soaring Eagle Communications - Creating freedom and power through accessible communications.
• Starling Access Services - Access A World Of Possibility
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

• The Disability Supports for Employment Fund (DSEF) will disburse approximately $1 million annually to assist British Columbians with disabilities to obtain the employment disability supports they need to participate in the workplace. The Government of British Columbia established this $20 million endowment fund to be managed by the Vancouver Foundation.

• Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities Agreement signed between Canada and British Columbia (see also Multilateral Framework on Employability for People with Disabilities)

• Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment

• Abilities Fund is targeted to advancing entrepreneurial opportunities for Americans with disabilities
• A.B.L.E.D. - Advice and Business Loans for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities at Coast Capital Savings and VanCity
• Alberta Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Enhanced Support Services
• Basic Navigation: A guide for people with disabilities to Self Employment, Entrepreneurship and Business Start-up Programs in the Greater Vancouver Area
• Blueprint for Creating and Supporting Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
• BOLD Business Consultants - (Businesspersons Overcoming Limitations from Disabilities) various entrepreneurial resources and services
• BC Ministry of Human Resources has introduced Self-Employment Services
• Business planning - 'White paper' describing some possible approaches to the identification and development of new product or service ideas for a business.
• Canadian Initiative in Supporting Self-Employment
• Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disability
• Disabled Businesspersons Association
• Donors Activities in Enterprise Development
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities: A New Element Of Diversity in Small Business
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program - Western Diversification
• Equity Self Employment Skills Training Program
• Internet Business Development Program for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities and their Virtual Mall Canada
• Network for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
• No More Job Interviews - Self-employment Strategies for People with Disabilities by Alice Weiss Doyel is a new book on self-employment
• Resource Guide to Working with Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
• Self Employment Development Initiatives
• Study of supported employment and self-employment initiatives in Canada

• Esmerel's Collection of Disability Resources on the Internet

• Future Directions to Address Disability Issues for the Government of Canada: Working Together for Full Citizenship

• General Small Business Resources:
  • http://smallbusinessbc.ca - Canada BC Business Service Centre - complete details on starting a business in BC - legal, business planning, financing, etc. Call toll free at: 1-800-667-2272
  • http://smallbusinessbc.ca/seminars- List of upcoming learning events at the Canada BC Business Service Centre including Export, E-Business and Business Research for small business
  • http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_indps/ebiz/engdoc/homepage.php - Industry Canada's guide to doing business on the Internet
  • http://www.vancity.ca - Van City's site for resources for small business
  • http://www.wd.gc.ca/eng/business.htm - Western Economic Diversification's business development page - tools and guides, export resources, etc.
  • http://www.beyourownboss.org/index.html - Small Business Resources on the Web, including events
  • http://www.homebiz.ca/ - Website of the Canadian Home & Micro Business Federation
  • http://www.soho.ca - Website for the "Small-Office-Home-Office" Business Organisation
  • http://www.cba.ca/en/viewPub.asp?fl=6&sl=23&docid=40&pg=1 - Canadian Bankers' Association outline for creating a viable business plan
  • http://www.bplans.com Free sample plans for all types of businesses
  • http://www.e-bc.ca/home.asp BC's one-stop e-business information resource for small and medium-sized enterprises.

• GLADNET - Global Applied Disability and Information Network on Employment and Training

• The Labour Demand Analysis (Summary of Demand Report) estimates the B.C. economy will generate more than one million job openings between 2003 and 2015. The Labour Supply and Gap Analysis (Summary of Supply Report) projects BC population growth during this period will average 1.34 per cent per year. While this growth rate will be adequate to meet the estimated job demand, there may be skills gaps.

• Labour Market Development Agreements Formative Evaluations (Click on the province of your choice):

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador Phase 1 Phase 2 Support Measures
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Québec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon Territories

• Labour Market Outcomes of Persons with Disabilities in British Columbia 2009 provides statistical information on both demographics and outcomes

• Multilateral Framework on Employability for People with Disabilities - this is the "replacement" for VRDP Act

• National Organization on Disability/Louis Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities The vast majority of Americans support the key elements of the Americans with Disabilities Act 13 years after its passage, a new Harris Poll study for the National Organization on Disability finds.

• Neglected or Hidden is a study based on a survey of 1,245 people with disabilities and interviews with over 100 employers and disability service organizations from across Canada. Employers, community organizations, and people with disabilities have found common ground on how to address an unemployment rate for Canadians with disabilities that is 70% higher than the national average.

• New employment services worth $1.8 million annually are now available for people with learning, developmental, mental health and other neurological disabilities throughout the province.

• Ontario Paths to Equal Opportunity presents the Gateway to Diversity and the Gateway to Accessibility with resources for business and service providers that will help them create inclusive workplaces and to remove the barriers which prevent full independence and opportunity for people with disabilities.

• Participation and Activity Limitation Survey of 2006: Labour Force Experience of People with Disabilities in Canada presents changes in the labour market for persons with disabilities with related tables.

• President Bush declares October to be National Disability Employment Awareness Month and announces New Freedom Initiative

• The Public Service Employment Program (PSEP) for Persons with Disabilities is a provincial program designed to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to develop and increase work skills through on the job training in provincial government employment settings. These employment opportunities are provided to clients of the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance. BC Provincial Government Managers wishing to participate may contact an EPPD Service Provider in their region, who will work with the ministry to identify a suitable participant and to develop a detailed training plan that will meet the objectives and parameters of the PSEP for Persons with Disabilities.

• Social Union
  • Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
  • In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues (See also a copy of the Ministers' press release)
  • In Unison 2000: Persons with Disability in Canada (See also a copy of the Ministers' press release)

• The Business Case for Accessibility: How Accessibility-Awareness Strengthens Your Company's Bottom Line shows how business can better utilize people with disabilities, both as employees and customers

• The Federal Government Youth Employment Strategy has one program, Skills Link that will provide funding for community organizations to help youth with disabilities facing barriers to employment

• WorkAble Solutions contains a Job Centre that allows employers to post openings and provides employers and HR professionals with tools to support recruitment and retention. These include· An Employer Handbook: Recruiting and Retaining Persons with Disabilities in B.C, Research Report on Recruiting and Retaining Persons with Disabilities in B.C. and The WorkAble Solutions Corporate Video. WorkAble Solutions is sponsored by the Minister’s Council on Employment for Persons with Disabilities and BC Human Resources Management Association (HRMA)

• Workink British Columbia: The Virtual Employment Resource Centre On Disability

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