You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D

Hosted by Ontario Disability Employment Network

Business

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

About the show

You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D is a podcast produced by the Ontario Disability Employment Network that looks at the power of inclusion, disability and employment, and the business benefits of diversity and inclusion — including disability-inclusive hiring — from all the angles.

Listen to episodes

44 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 431 hr 6 min

Ep. 43: The Intersection of Disability and Rural & Remote Communities

About eight million Canadians 15 and older have at least one disability. But there aren’t any statistics on exactly how many of them live in rural and remote parts of the country. Almost two-thirds of the 5,123 municipalities in Canada are consider moderately remote, more remote or most remote by Statistics Canada. In remote communities there are some distinctly different challenges compared to experiencing urban life with disability. For this discussion, we wanted perspectives from some of the most remote parts of Canada. So we picked the far northwest, and the remotest part of down east in The Maritimes. The Northwest Territories covers 1.1 million square kilometres, and much of it is remote. Down east, over 80 per cent of the province of New Brunswick is forest. It’s the most rural province of the three Maritime provinces — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island — that have coastlines on the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. Be sure to catch this conversation with: Denise McKee, Executive Director of the Northwest Territories Disability Council Shelly Petit, Chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons With Disabilities SHOW NOTES Episode 43 transcript (PDF) Government of Canada report, Age-Friendly Remote and Rural Communities: A Guide (HTML version | PDF version) Canadian Association of Supported Employment report by Janet Morris-Reade for ASPECT BC, Building Fair Employment Services in Rural and Remote Communities in Canada Website — Northwest Territories Disability Council Website — The New Brunswick Coalition of Persons With Disabilities

May 19, 2026Episode 421 hr 23 min

Ep. 42: Making Mega Sporting Events Accessible

Twenty twenty-six is a big year for big sporting events. In February, there were the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, in Italy. Then — the geopolitical climate aside — there’s the 2026 FIFA World Cup with matches being played in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada from June 11 to 19. And then there’s the twenty-third Commonwealth Games happening in Glasgow, Scotland from July 24 to August 2. Glasgow 2026 will be the biggest sporting event of the year in the U.K. All of these events happen in numerous venues in their host cities. With thousands of athletes competing. And thousands of people attending — and working at — the events. But there’s a huge issue with mega-sporting events such as the World Cup, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. Accessibility. From how they’re promoted to the built environment of venues they’re held in, how accessible are these kinds of mega sporting events? And what’s the lasting social impact of making them accessible and inclusive? That’s what we’re exploring in Episode 42. And we’re doing that with two guests who are two of the most authoritative voices on sporting events accessibility in Canada. Don’t miss this engaging conversation with Brad McCannell and Jenn Bruce, PhD! SHOW NOTES Episode 42 transcript (PDF) Read this article on The Conversation.com about how more Canadians are watching the Paralympics Read this article on sirc.ca by Paula Baker about the lasting social impact of inclusive creating mega-sporting events Sporting Information Resource Centre (SIRC) website Read the new SIRC blog Rick Hansen Foundation and becoming accessible

April 7, 2026Episode 4159 min

Episode 41: Making Tourism Accessible

In the first episode of our seventh season, we’re kicking things off on a “touristy” note, with a conversation about making tourism in Canada — and globally — more accessible. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Canadian economy. And the global one. In Canada, it directly employs more than 700,000 people. Globally, more than 357 million people. And tourism is almost two per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Globally, it’s 10 per cent of GDP — US$10.9 trillion in 2024. Against the geopolitical backdrop in 2026, the number of people internationally making Canada a tourism destination, keeps rising. In the 2025 summer tourism season, there was record revenue for Canada’s tourism businesses. In all, $58.96 billion. Destination Canada predicts annual revenue in the tourism sector will hit $160 billion by 2029. People from all over the world are coming to see Canada — and that includes people who have a disability. Which begs these questions: How accessible is tourism in this country? What are best practices in making tourism, and tourist attracts and businesses, more accessible? What are businesses and attractions in the tourism sector missing out on if they’re not accessible to both tourists and job seekers who have a disability? In Episode 41, a compelling national conversation about all this with these three guests providing their perspectives: Jasmine Qi, Workforce Development Director at Tourism HR Canada (Ottawa, ON) Shelley Petit, Chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons With Disabilities (Fredericton, NB) Jamie Millar-Dixon, principal consultant at MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners (Vancouver, BC) SHOW NOTES Episode 41 transcript (PDF) Learn more about Tourism HR Canada, the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities and MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners UN Tourism, Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility report (November 2025), Accessibility Guidelines for Tourism Businesses

November 25, 2025Episode 4056 min

Ep. 40: The Intersection of Disability and Poverty — Intersectionality Series Pt. 2

In our season six closer episode, we’re delving into the intersection of Disability and poverty. Both are on the rise in Canada. The Canadian 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability showed, 27% of Canadians 15 and older have at least one disability. That’s eight million people. And that’s up 5% from the previous survey in 2017. And, 2022 and 2023 figures from Statistics Canada show, over one million people who have a disability, are Canadians with low income. And that’s even higher for people without disabilities — almost two million people. So what’s going on in this country? And does it depend on where you live in Canada? It wasn’t until 2003 that Human Resources and Development Canada introduced what’s called, the Market Basket Measure (MBM). It’s basically calculated by adding up the cost of one basket of goods and services that a family of four needs for a basic standard of living…and establishing how much income they need for that one basket. But disability advocates say the MBM leaves out a big thing — additional costs, such as mobility aids, that people who have a disability, have every year. They’ve given the federal government a failing “F” when it comes to addressing the issues involved in the intersection of disability and poverty. Find out why…what needs to change…..and what motivates our two guests to advocate for change…in this compelling conversation with: Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty Fabio Crespin, Senior Manager of Inclusive Employment at United Way Greater Toronto SHOW NOTES Episode 40 transcript (PDF) Disability Without Poverty website Disability Without Poverty’s 2024 Report Card Statistics Canada — Poverty and low-income statistics by disability status Statistics Canada — A demographic, employment and income profile of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over in Canada, 2022

October 28, 2025Episode 3954 min

Episode 39: The Intersection of Disability, Blackness and Gender — Intersectionality Series Pt. 1

Again this year, we’re delving into disability and intersectionality to close out the show for our 2025 season. It’s a broad topic — there are many directions to approach it from. In part one of our two-part season ending series, we’re exploring the intersection of disability, Blackness and gender. It’s a convergence that makes for a compelling conversation. One published report said, “little is known about the experiences of Black Canadians with disabilities who will experience disparities in education, employment and entrepreneurship based on the intersection of anti-Black racism and ableism.” Then there’s their experiences within the Black community itself. When you role all of these things together, what are the main challenges, or barriers to inclusion, faced by Black Canadians who have a disability? And how significant is the gender aspect in all of that? How much does access to employment supports depend on whether you’re a Black man, or a Black woman, who has a disability? And how much does history and colonialism play in all of this? What needs to change? These are just some of the questions we explore with our guest Ingrid Palmer. Ingrid is a passionate human rights advocate, an inspirational speaker on diversity, equity and inclusion, and the Principal IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility Leading to belonging) Advocate for Realize Canada. Catch this compelling conversation with Ingrid! SHOW NOTES Episode 39 transcript (PDF) Realize Canada website Ingrid Palmer’s speaker website Report — The Intersection of Blackness and Disability in Canada: A Brief Overview and a Call to Action Prioritizing Black Canadians with Disabilities in Bill C-22, Canada Disability Benefit Act — Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology

October 14, 2025Episode 3851 min

Ep. 38: The Self-Employment Journey for People Who Have a Disability

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Or NDEAM, as it's known for short. This month across Canada, NDEAM campaigns are focusing on raising awareness about disability-inclusive hiring…disability inclusion throughout the employment cycle…breaking down barriers to employment for people who have a disability…and creating a disability-inclusive workplace and culture. So every season, we like to tie our October episode to NDEAM. This episode, we’re delving into an aspect of disability and employment that seems to be not talked about a whole lot in the conversation about disability and employment. We’re exploring the self-employment journey for people who have a disability. There isn’t a lot of research or statistics about it. And there isn’t a lot of data on why people who have a disability go the self-employment route. Are there unique challenges faced by people who have a disability, who opt for self-employment? What supports are out there compared to supports for traditional job seekers? Some of the questions we’re exploring with our two guests as they share their self-employment journeys and experiences with us in this episode. Catch this conversation with Margaux Wosk and Jeff Tiessen. SHOW NOTES Episode 38 transcript (PDF) Find Margaux Wosk on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: @retrophiliac Margaux Wosk’s websites: Etsy Store | Shop Retrophiliac Get in touch with Jeff Tiessen by email Disability Today Magazine Jeff’s LinkedIn profile Margaux’s LinkedIn profile

September 23, 2025Episode 3736 min

Ep. 37: One Year Later: Funding Inclusion for Ontario Youth with Disabilities — A Cost-Benefit Model

September is back-to-school time for students at all levels…elementary school, middle school…and college and and university students. It’s a good time to talk about supporting youth who have a disability so they can transition to employment from high school or post-secondary education. Research shows that young people who have a disability…have a better chance of long-term success in the workforce if they have a part-time job while they’re finishing high school. The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability showed that 20% of Canadian youth have a disability. That’s more than 546,000 young people. Then there all the young people who have disability, who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). In Canada, that’s almost 109,000 young people. And almost 84,000 of them have been identified as potential employees. The statistics show there are a lot of youth who have a disability who can, and want to, work. But are we doing enough to support them? A report released in September 2024 suggests not. And it outlines a public funding cost-benefit model of “stable, equitable ‘start-early’ programs” that shows a small public investment per person has a big lifetime return on investment. It’s been a year since the release of Funding Employment Inclusion for Ontario Youth with Disabilities: A Cost-Benefit Model. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital spearheaded this collaborative report. This episode, we find out what’s been happening in the year since the report was released and presented to the Ontario government. Catch this insightful conversation with guests with Holland Bloorview’s Laura Bowman and Carolyn McDougall. SHOW NOTES Episode 37 transcript (PDF) Download and read the report Learn about other Holland Bloorview youth funding advocacy initiatives and resources

August 19, 2025Episode 361 hr 10 min

Ep. 36: Psychological Safety and Belonging in the Workplace

Research shows, only 21% of business leaders put a priority on creating an inclusive culture in the organizations they lead. And they’re not exactly in tune with whether employees really feel safe in their work environment. A 2020 study by Accenture found, 84% of executives believe employees feel safe disclosing a disability. But the reality is, only 65% of them do. The same Accenture study showed, 76% of employees and 80% of executives don’t fully disclose a disability. These statistics say a lot about psychological safety and belonging in the workplace. So what exactly is psychological safety and belonging in the workplace? Why is it the cornerstone of creating the culture of any organization? And what happens when it isn’t there? These are just a few of the questions we explore with our expert guest in this episode. In 2021, Andrea D. Carter did pioneering research on workplace belonging that’s revolutionizing how organizations measure, analyze and implement belonging strategies. She’s established a new global benchmark for creating an inclusive corporate culture. Have a listen to this compelling, insightful conversation with Andrea D. Carter. SHOW NOTES Episode 36 transcript (PDF) Andrea D. Carter: Pioneering the future of workplace belonging Belonging First — Andrea D. Carter is the founder and CEO A culture of belonging starts with psychological safety — post by Britt Andreatta, Ph.D

July 22, 2025Episode 3537 min

Ep. 35: You’re My Hero — Feature Interview With Actor Sean Towgood

Sean Towgood is the creator, star, writer and co-executive producer of You’re My Hero. If you’re not familiar with You’re My Hero, it’s a six-part CBC Gem comedy series about Ian Fletcher. The main character created and played by Sean Towgood. Ian is an angsty 20-something wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, dealing with the pressures of adult life in a physical environment that’s not designed with accessibility in mind. You’re My Hero is in its second season on CBC Gem. In addition to being an actor, writer and producer, Sean Towgood is also an award-winning radio documentary maker. And he’s funny, with a sharp wit. In this feature interview, Sean talks about the importance of You’re My Hero; the challenges he faced getting the show on air; the state of disability inclusion in Canadian film and television; whether he thinks of himself as a disability “mythbuster,” and more. Sean’s sense of humour and sharp wit makes this an entertaining, lively, engaging and insightful conversation you won’t want to miss. SHOW NOTES Episode 35 transcript (PDF) Learn more Read about You’re My Hero and Sean Towgood on cbc.ca Sean’s Instagram: @seantowgood Sean’s press agent — Damien Nelson, Want and Able Arts Consulting: dnwantable@gmail.com

June 17, 2025Episode 3446 min

Ep. 34: IHTR: Championing Disability Inclusion in the Health Care Sector

It’s definitely no secret — there’s a general labour shortage in Canada that’s going to last until about 2030. It’s affecting just about every sector. Perhaps none more than the health care sector. There’s a labour crisis in the sector that’s affecting — among other things in hospitals, wait times in emergency rooms; and often whether some smaller communities even have an open ER or hospital at all. So what’s to be done about the staffing crisis in pretty much every hospital in every province? And how do people who have a disability, and disability-inclusive hiring, fit into this? There’s a new initiative in Ontario aimed at solving the hiring, training and retention crisis in the health care sector. In Ontario, at least. It’s aptly named Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain. Or, IHTR for short. It’s a disability-inclusive hiring “training in the box” solution. It’s a collaborative initiative led by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto. Our two guests for this episode are deeply and intrinsically involved in spearheading the development of IHTR. Catch this dynamic, engaging conversation with: Laura Bowman, Project Manager, Research and Evaluation at Holland Bloorview Lori Riding, Manager of Disability and Absences Management at Halton Healthcare in Oakville, ON SHOW NOTES Episode 34 transcript (PDF) Learn more about the IHTR project Check out the IHTR resources: English version | French version Get in touch with Laura Bowman about IHTR: lbowman@hollandbloorview.ca