{"id":1359,"date":"2018-08-10T14:45:14","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T18:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/?page_id=1359"},"modified":"2025-04-22T08:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T12:59:10","slug":"onley-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/projects\/completed-projects\/onley-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development<\/strong>, led by Carleton University and funded by the Government of Ontario, is a partnership of four postsecondary institutions in Ottawa to develop knowledge, resources, and tools to support students with disabilities in their employment readiness and career aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"final-report-release\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Report Release<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The DCOI team\u2019s efforts have culminated in the creation of a comprehensive final report that outlines how to actively foster the growth and opportunities for students with disabilities in the context of career preparation and development of employability skills. <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/DCOI-Final-Report.pdf\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Read our report here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"background\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background<strong><br>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2012, Carleton\u2019s <strong>READ Initiative<\/strong> (<strong>R<\/strong>esearch, <strong>E<\/strong>ducation, <strong>A<\/strong>ccessibility, and <strong>D<\/strong>esign) has worked with campus and community partners to support accessibility and disability related activities at the University and beyond. The READ Initiative and the Paul Menton Centre proposed the David C. Onley Initiative to promote knowledge building and program development related to employability of postsecondary students with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mandate of the David C. Onley Initiative is to conduct applied research, and develop supports for postsecondary students with disabilities to advance their employability, with the following objectives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Building capacity for ongoing student employment supports with dedicated staff and collaboration between Postsecondary Education (PSE) disability service offices and career offices, demonstrated through a partnership of four PSE institutions in Ottawa, as part of the Education City: Carleton University (project lead), University of Ottawa, La Cit\u00e9 Coll\u00e9giale, and Algonquin College.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Commitment to advancing employment outcomes for students with disabilities (SWD) through applied research and program development, with the focus on outcomes, quality, and student success.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>System-wide knowledge transfer of best practices to support SWD employment, through the dissemination of research, and sharing of evidence based tools, resources and knowledge by employers and postsecondary institutions across the province.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increase in public awareness and visibility of issues related to employment of SWD by promoting the benefits and addressing barriers to influence a cultural change in PSE and employment sectors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Development of strategic regional partnerships and collaborations between employers, agencies, as well secondary and postsecondary institutions to advance employment outcomes for SWD.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sustainability for the Initiative\u2019s goals beyond the end of the project through continued services in PSE institutions, employer and business supports, partnerships to sustain long-term programming, funding strategies, and ongoing research and program evaluation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"highlights\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hiring of Research &amp; Development Officers within Disability and Career Services at the four partner institutions, including two dedicated to employability of students on the Autism Spectrum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Direct delivery of programs and services to increase the numbers of SWDs prepared for employment and connected with employers and job seeking services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Applied research and program development undertaken at partner institutions and coordinated by Carleton to define and impact best practices for employment and enterprise development of SWDs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Development and transfer of knowledge resources generated through applied research and project activities to local employers and PSE institutions across Ontario<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Awareness building to address employment sector barriers to employment of SWDs and promote employability with direct services for secondary and postsecondary SWDs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coordinated media campaign through multiple communication and media channels, featuring highly visible public figures and advocates for employment of SWDs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outreach to the business sector and community employment services, and collaboration to support employability of SWDs post-graduation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inter-ministerial government meetings and development of relationships to support employability of postsecondary SWDs prior to, during, and post-graduation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Development of strategies to support long-term programing and funding sustainability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"for-more-information-on-the-onley-initiativevisit-us-at-onleyinitiative-ca\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">For more information on the Onley Initiative,<br>\nvisit us at <a href=\"http:\/\/OnleyInitiative.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OnleyInitiative.ca<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-ableto-campaign\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>The AbleTo Campaign<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2.png\" alt=\"a man and a woman in an office environment chatting with the Able To Logo and the heading \" class=\"wp-image-2670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2.png 1200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2-160x84.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2-240x126.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2-400x209.png 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/141\/AbleTo_Make_Inclusion_Inclusive_banner-v2-360x188.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Onley Initiative has recently launched a media campaign that is a movement to lead employers toward accessible hiring practices and a diverse workforce. The #AbleTo campaign is about closing the employment gap and helping every student and graduate find meaningful work. It\u2019s about strengthening local businesses while supporting students and graduates with disabilities. Not just because it\u2019s the right thing to do, but because it\u2019s good for our community and good for local businesses who are currently struggling to find and retain the talent they need. So join us\u2014as we work to weave disability awareness and inclusiveness into the fabric of employment in our city. We are #AbleTo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"join-the-movement-by-visiting-the-campaign-websiteat-ableto-ca\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join the movement by visiting the campaign website<br>\nat <a href=\"https:\/\/ableto.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AbleTo.ca<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development, led by Carleton University and funded by the Government of Ontario, is a partnership of four postsecondary institutions in Ottawa to develop knowledge, resources, and tools to support students with disabilities in their employment readiness and career aspirations. Final Report Release The DCOI team\u2019s efforts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":157,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[123],"class_list":["post-1359","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-general"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1359"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9476,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1359\/revisions\/9476"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/accessibility-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=1359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}