Accessible Employment Pathways

SMILE Canada is pleased to be part of this upcoming professional development forum focused on strengthening inclusive and accessible employment supports for immigrants and refugees with disabilities.

We’re proud to contribute to important conversations around accessibility, employment, and cross-sector collaboration, alongside professionals and organizations working across the settlement, disability, and employment sectors.

We’re especially pleased to announce that Rwan Muzamil, Education Coordinator at SMILE Canada, will be speaking during the session Understanding Employment Barriers for Newcomers with Disabilities, and Dr. Sukaina Dada, CEO of SMILE Canada, will join the panel on Referral Pathways, Accessibility Systems, and Collaboration.
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We look forward to sharing our experience, learning alongside others in the sector, and continuing to build stronger connections that support newcomers with disabilities and their families.

Overview

Professional Development Session for Employment Service Providers | Séance de formation destinée aux prestataires de services de l'emploi

This full-day hybrid forum is designed to enhance settlement workers’ capacity to support immigrants and refugees with disabilities, chronic illness, trauma-related experiences, mental-health conditions, or other accessibility-related barriers in accessing equitable employment. The forum emphasizes the practical application of knowledge related to employment barriers, human rights obligations, accessible hiring practices, and referral pathways, aligning with priorities in workforce integration, rights and safety, and career development.

By participating, settlement workers will strengthen their ability:

• Identify and respond to intersecting employment barriers affecting immigrants and refugees with disabilities
• Apply human-rights principles, including the duty to accommodate, in employment-related support
• Explore accessible job-search, recruitment, and job-entry processes
• Navigate and utilize referral pathways, employment supports, and accessibility systems
• Strengthen collaboration with employment, accessibility, and community partners to improve outcomes

The forum combines policy context, systems navigation, and practice-based strategies to support improved labour-market participation and inclusive employment outcomes for immigrants and refugees.

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