'I want to work': New hub connects people with Down syndrome to jobs – CTV News Toronto

Canada has roughly one million jobs unfulfilled, and a new tool is looking to connect employers with candidates they may not have expected to hire—which is part of the problem, according to disability advocates. Inployable is the first-ever employment network created in Canada on LinkedIn, an initiative of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS). “[These candidates] are reliable, they have low absenteeism,” said Executive Director Laura LaChance. “These are all business cases—where there is data to support this—that people with down syndrome contribute as much or more than other team members.” LaChance cited figures from a 2018 Accenture study for the American Association of People with Disabilities, which investigated the financial performance of 140 companies, finding those which hired and supported workers with disabilities saw 28 per cent higher revenue and twice the net income. Yet in Canada, according to CDSS, over half of those living with Down Syndrome in Canada are either not employed or volunteering their time and labour. Jessica Rotolo says she was surprised and elated to discover she was being paid at her most recent job. She works three days a week as a classroom assistant at Centennial Infant and Child Centre, where she herself went to
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