There’s a common misconception that disabled people don’t work, or worse, that we can’t. The reality? Many of us do. And those who don’t are often shut out not by choice, but by an inaccessible job market and a system designed to work against us.
In Canada and around the world, disabled people face significant employment barriers. From job postings with vague or unrealistic physical requirements, to interview panels that silently judge mobility aids, speech patterns, or eye contact, the hiring process alone can be exclusionary. And for those who do land a job? The struggle doesn’t stop there.
Still Able, Still Devalued
Disabled employees are often held to higher standards while receiving less accommodation. We’re expected to be “inspirational” just for showing up. We’re praised for our “positive attitude” until we ask for access, flexibility, or fairness.
We deal with:
- Unpaid emotional labour: constantly explaining our needs or advocating for basic accommodations
- Microaggressions: being told we’re “so brave” for doing our jobs
- Unjust scrutiny: being questioned about our productivity, schedule, or needs in ways our peers aren’t
- Glass ceilings: limited opportunities for advancement, especially in traditional or high-demand workplaces
And let’s not forget disabled workers who become disabled on the job, whether through injury, illness, or progressive conditions. Too often, instead of receiving support, these employees are sidelined, pushed out, or treated as burdens.
The Cost of Disclosure
Many disabled people don’t disclose their disability during the hiring process out of fear of discrimination. That fear isn’t unfounded, disability is still one of the most under-reported and under-protected identities in employment spaces.
Even when protections exist on paper (like the Canadian Human Rights Act or provincial regulations), they’re only useful if enforced. And they rarely account for the mental and physical cost of self-advocacy.
Working While on Disability Support
In many Canadian provinces, disabled people who rely on financial support programs face additional barriers if they try to work. Programs like ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) allow recipients to earn income, but only up to a point.
For example:
- As of the latest ODSP directive, recipients can earn up to $1,000/month without penalty.
- Any amount above that threshold results in a 75% deduction from the ODSP monthly payment.
- For every $1 earned beyond $1,000, 75 cents is clawed back.
This means a disabled person working part-time or freelancing might find their monthly ODSP cheque dramatically reduced, or even eliminated, leaving only access to prescription drug coverage and certain other benefits.
Other provinces have different thresholds and deduction formulas. Some allow higher earning exemptions, while others offer fewer supports or no standalone disability income programs at all. Even CPP-D (Canada Pension Plan Disability) has strict limits: recipients can earn up to a specified annual amount (indexed yearly), after which they risk suspension of benefits.
This punitive approach creates a dangerous cycle: people are discouraged from working too much, but also penalised for trying to stay afloat.
It’s not just disincentivizing. it’s destabilising.
Freelancing, Gig Work, and Self-Employment: A “Solution” or a Survival Tactic?
For many of us, traditional employment isn’t sustainable. That’s why disabled people are overrepresented in freelance, gig, and contract work. It offers flexibility, but often at the cost of:
- Financial stability
- Health benefits
- Job protections
We’re trading security for autonomy, not because we want to, but because we have to.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
According to Statistics Canada:
- In 2022, the employment rate for Canadians with disabilities was 59%, compared to 80% for those without disabilities
- People with more severe disabilities were more than twice as likely to be unemployed or out of the labour force
- Disabled workers were more likely to work part-time involuntarily due to health-related constraints
These numbers don’t reflect lack of will. They reflect lack of access, support, and inclusive practices.
What Needs to Change
True disability inclusion in the workplace requires more than a hiring quota or an accessibility statement on a website. It requires:
- Universal design principles applied across workspaces
- Flexible scheduling and remote work options
- Cultural change: understanding that productivity can look different and still be valuable
- Accessible communication and clear, simple language
- Paid accommodations and proper funding for assistive devices and tools
- Reform to income support programs, so disabled people are not punished for trying to contribute
And most importantly, it requires listening to disabled voices, not just in DEI statements, but in hiring panels, management roles, and leadership positions.
To be disabled and employed is to constantly navigate a system that wasn’t built with you in mind. And yet, we do it. We push. We adapt. We work.
We’re not your inspiration. We’re your colleagues. And it’s time the workplace, and the system, reflected that.