In 2006 CCEDNet undertook a research initiative designed to identify areas for policy improvement related to social enterprises which employ persons in receipt of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). A recent policy forum sponsored by Ontario‟s Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) (Randolph Group, 2006) indicates that there is increased interest in the province to explore public policy options for supporting social enterprises. Thus this research may be particularly significant at this time.
Four goals were established for the research:
- To expand the knowledge of policy challenges facing social enterprises which employ ODSP recipients
- To strengthen models of employment and training service delivery to recipients of ODSP
- To facilitate peer learning of social enterprise practitioners, and ODSP employment service delivery agents
- To improve income security programs across Canada through conducting high-quality research on services and programs delivered to low-income people with disabilities living in the province of Ontario.
The research began in the fall of 2006, but due to a number of factors, including some staffing changes, was not completed until the late fall of 2007. CCEDNet partnered with NORDIK and the Community Economic and Social Development program at Algoma University College to complete the research.
Download Social Entreprises and the Ontario Disability Support Program: A Policy Perspective on Employing Persons with Disabilities
Table of Contents
| Glossary of Terms | ||
| 1.0 Background | ||
| 2.0 Methodology | ||
| 3.0 Ontario Disability Support Program and Employment Policy | ||
| 3.1 Research Findings | ||
| 3.2 Neoliberal Context | ||
| 3.2.1 ODSP and the Neoliberal Agenda | ||
| 3.3 Social Enterprises as Employers of Persons with Disabilities | ||
| 3.4 Both Social and Economic Benefits Accrue to Employment of Disabled | ||
| 4.0 Policy Recommendations | ||
| 4.1 Creating a Supportive Culture | ||
| 4.2 Building Support through Collectivist Approaches | ||
| 4.3 Support Required to Overcome Barriers to Employment | ||
| 4.4 Supporting the Development and Extension of Social Enterprises | ||
| 5.0 Conclusions | ||
| References | ||
| Appendix A – Out of This World Café (Toronto) | ||
| Appendix B – Jarrett Value 2 Cooperative (Sudbury) | ||
| Appendix C – Charles Printing (Prescott-Russell) | ||
| Appendix D – COIN Food Services (Peterborough) | ||
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