Advocates Hope to Spur More Inclusive Hiring Practices

The Mayor of Sarnia hopes a recent award the city received for its inclusive hiring practices helps inspire other communities to hire people who have a disability.

The City of Sarnia and Mayor Mike Bradley won a 2012 Human Resources Summit Award in the corporate social responsibility category Jan. 31 from The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). Mayor Mike Bradley tells Community Living Leaders he anticipates the recognition will help heighten the merit of making workplaces inclusive.

“It’s really one more step in getting the message out,” says Bradley.

“It’s a powerful one.”

The mayor has already received e-mails from people inquiring about Sarnia’s hiring practices. The city was recognized for its successful summer employment program that provided 19 students with jobs in 2011. Sarnia has a long history of providing diverse employment opportunities.

In 2010 Bradley also issued a dare to all Ontario mayors "to do the right thing" and hire people who have a disability, lending his support behind an initiative organized by Bob Vansickle, co-chairperson of the Ontario Disability Employment Network and Community Living Sarnia-Lambton’s supervisor of community employment options.“I think that the best thing that has come from this award is that it continues to provide Mayor Bradley with another means to move his message forward about hiring, now from a provincial to a national level,” Vansickle tells Community Living Leaders.

“I hope that this award continues to inspire someone with his passion and brilliance to continue to promoting our cause for workplace inclusion.”

Vansickle says the fact the recognition came from the HRPA is also important. The HRPA and its members have “incredible” influence over making hiring decisions in most medium to large workplaces, he explains.

“Convincing this group that the best candidate for the job can be a person with an intellectual or other disability and that there is nothing to fear from doing so, could have the most significant impact on inclusive hiring than anything else I can think of.”

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Axiom News provides Stakeholder News Services to Community Living Ontario. This article was originally published to Community Living Ontario's online news service, Community Living Leaders. If you would like to learn more about our Stakeholder News Services, contact peter@axiomnews.ca.