ORW is a non-profit, independently funded resource base, serving organizations, business and government involved in the employment of persons with disabilities. The organization provides consultation services and collects and distributes employment related information and material. Specifically ORW seeks out new and innovative approaches to increasing the employment of people with disabilities.
ORW is the name we use for our organization - it is not an acronym. Our full legal name is ORW Opportunities through Rehabilitation and Work Society. The name ORW was chosen to reflect our past and at the same time not stereotype individuals by applying labels that are trendy or timely.
The agency’s roots go back to a province wide study done in 1963 that recommended the creation of a vocational rehabilitation workshop to serve people with a disability in British Columbia. An initial merger with the Vancouver Training Workshop for the Handicapped was followed three years later by the purchase of Welfare Industries from the First United Church. This agency was Opportunity Rehabilitation Workshop and became known as ORW. The focus of the agency was the provision of vocational assessment, skill training and job placement service to residents of British Columbia with all types of disabilities. To support these activities the agency operated 12 thrift stores and a processing plant that collected and refurbished donated items. ORW became the first organization in Canada to be accredited by Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
Throughout all aspects of the organization there has always been an attempt to be at the leading edge with progressive and innovative approaches. This belief lead to the organization undertaking a major review in 1980. There was an underlying belief that the resources of the organization could be better used in promoting inclusion and access to generic services. After more than a year of research, the Board of Directors concluded that the "workshop" model would be terminated and the organization would no longer provide direct service to individuals. Instead it would become an independent neutral resource that would advocate for systemic changes that would increase training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This would be done by:
- examining, analyzing and influencing policies, programs and services which have an impact on the employment of persons with disabilities
- acquiring and making available relevant data and information on the employment of persons with disabilities
The Source, a Guide to Programs and Services for People with Disabilities in B.C. which is part of this Web Site and our initiation and participation in numerous consultations and task forces demonstrate but two of our ongoing commitments to these objectives.
ORW is a non-profit society registered in the Province of British Columbia and is a registered charitable organization with the Government of Canada. ORW operates on a "foundation model" without government grants or solicited charitable donation.