MentorAbility Canada
What is MentorAbility?
MentorAbility Canada is a national initiative built on a supported employment foundation that promotes the recruitment, employment, and retention of people experiencing disability. The initiative provides and celebrates in-person and virtual mentoring experiences, networking and learning events, social media campaigns, as well as building a body of evidence through research activities.
With a specific focus on facilitating unique, short-term (from 1 hour to 1 day) mentoring opportunities between employers and people experiencing a disability, this initiative is part of a national effort to promote the employment of Canadians experiencing disability.
700+
Facilitated Mentorships
200+
Employers Engaged
200+
Communities Engaged
1000+
MentorAbility Events
MentorAbility Experience Stories
Get to know the stories of the people involved in facilitated mentorships with MentorAbility Canada. Each story showcases a unique experience between a mentor and mentee, and the local supported employment service provider that facilitated it.
To learn more about the impact that the MentorAbility Canada program is having from coast to coast to coast, read from our collection of shared experience stories:
Who Can Participate?
Employers
Is your organization interested in expanding its workplace diversity and strengthening workplace culture and employee engagement startegies? Become a MentorAbility partner and offer your staff opportunities to become a MentorAbility mentor!
Service Providers
Are you an employment service provider interested in expanding and strengthening your employer engagement while providing valuable career exploration opportunities for your clients who experience a disability? Become a MentorAbility partner today!
Job Seekers
Are you a person with a disability? Do you want to be part of the workforce? Would you like to meet people to learn more about a career that interests you? Participate in a MentorAbility mentorship!
All MentorAbility Participants Benefit:
- Local employment service providers (site partners) connect with a national network, build value added relationships with local employers, and offer unique career development experience to their clients.
- People experiencing a disability who are actively seeking employment (protégés) are matched with a mentor to learn more about careers that interest them.
- Employers and individuals interested in offering mentoring opportunities (employers and mentors), including private businesses, non-profit and public service organizations, learn inclusive employment strategies and connect with a pool of potential future employees.
MentorAbility Hubs
MentorAbility Canada is coordinated by CASE in collaboration with implementing partners, called “MentorAbility Hubs”, that are located across the country. Together we provide information, knowledge, and tools to facilitate beneficial short-term mentoring opportunities for employers, mentors and jobseekers.
Hubs are the first connection point for local employment service providers (site partners), persons experiencing disability (protégés) and employers (mentors ) to connect with the national MentorAbility Canada network.
Ten MentorAbility Canada provincial hubs, along with many site partners, offer resources and information, and/or facilitate mentoring experiences across Canada.
Explore the MentorAbility Hubs below and connect with the Hub in your region today.
Connect With Your Local MentorAbility Hub
Inclusion BC
Contact Person: Jillian Bradley
Email: jbradley@inclusionbc.org
Tel No: 1-604-777-9100 ext. 533
Calgary Alternative Support Services Inc. (CASS)
Contact Person: Cal Schuler
Email: cal.schuler@c-a-s-s.org
Tel No: 1-403-830-6466
Gateway Association
Contact Person: Jasmine Hasiuk
Email: jasmine@gatewayassociation.ca
Tel No: 1-780-454-0701 ext. 129
Work And Social Opportunities (WASO)
Contact Person: Cam Postma
Email: cpostma@waso.ca
Tel No: 1-204-667-9494 ext. 225
Eagle's Nest Youth Ranch
Contact Person: Caralee Halmrast
Email: caralee@supportedemployment.ca
Tel No: 1-306-262-2219
Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN)
Contact Person: Amy Widdows
Email: awiddows@odenetwork.com
Tel No: 1-866-280-6366 ext. 103
March of Dimes
Contact Person: Lisa Livingston
Email: llivingston@marchofdimes.ca
Tel No: 1-519-579-5530 ext. 262
SPHERE
Contact Person: Marussia Paradis
Email: m.paradis@sphere-qc.ca
Tel No: 1-866-239-1177 ext. 106
TEAM Work Cooperative
Contact Person: David Wareing
Email: dwareing@teamworkbridge.org
Tel No: 1-902-422-8900
Avalon Employment Inc.
Contact Person: Shelley Andrews
Email: shelley@avalonemploy.com
Tel No: 1-709-579-4866
Nunavut Hub
Northwest Territories Hub
Yukon Hub
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