To identify some of the specific barriers persons with disabilities face when seeking employment, I conducted two interviews. I also consulted secondary sources and obtained published literature on barriers to employment.

Interviews

Of the two people I interviewed, one is hard of hearing and the other has multiple disabilities (blind, learning disabled and cerebral palsied). Although their individual needs are unique to their respective disabilities, some of the similar concerns they raised were: lack of awareness by employment counselors, lack of privacy, lack of access to information, and lack of appropriate accommodation.

Lack of Awareness

In discussing their experiences in seeking employment, both interviewee felt that the assistance they received from Canada Employment Centers (CEC) and disability agencies was inadequate. Employment counsellors are not necessarily aware of how to best assist persons with disabilities. For example, they often do not allow for extra time in counselling. Extra time is needed if information has to be read aloud or conveyed through a sign language interpreter. The hard of hearing interviewee commented, "I think they [CEC] have some good training programs, but they're not accessible to deaf and bard of hearing people. ... They don't have the counsellors available to explain to these individuals about the training programs."

The other interviewee, with multiple disabilities, was told that she needed to be retrained but was not given any guidance by CEC how to acquire this training. She says, "They keep telling me that this world is becoming more technological and I need to be able to use technology. I was back to square one. And no, Canada Employment Centre didn't find work for me." Both interviewees also indicated with frustration that they were continuously referred back and forth between Canada Employment Centers and disability agencies.

Lack of Privacy

Not having privacy when seeking employment was considered a barrier by the hard of hearing participant. Since most companies do not have a Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD), people who are deaf or hard of hearing are required to use a relay operator to reach employers. This was found to be a problem: "Going through a relay system means that there's a third party involved. I think that deaf people should have the right to a direct conversation with somebody. Because as we know, messages could get mixed up from one person to another." Blind and visually impaired people also require assistance with filling out applications and other forms. Confidentiality cannot therefore be ensured.

Lack of Access to Information

Persons with disabilities are not able to keep up to date with information on available services. When seeking. employment, they are often not aware of existing services and they are not aware of the meanings of acronyms considered common knowledge to most others. The hard of hearing interviewee explained: "A lot of hard of hearing and deaf people have no idea that they can apply for UIC. They have no idea what UIC means! They also don't know about the welfare system and what resources are available for them." If persons with disabilities are uninformed, they cannot compete for jobs in the same way as others.

Lack of Appropriate Accommodation

Both interviewees indicated that they were not appropriately accommodated by employment agencies. The interviewee with multiple disabilities remarked: "I think they don't quite know what to do with a person like me because I'm not so clear cut and straight. ... If you've got all kinds of other complications, they can't think and they can't be creative in helping you."

This individual is extremely frustrated with her job hunt since she is uncertain about which disability agency is likely to respond to her needs. She contends that, because of her multiple disabilities, the respective agencies are shifting their responsibility by referring her back and forth between them. She reveals their evasive approach: "We think your main disability is blindness. And then somebody else says 'We think your main disability is C.P.' People are not always willing to accommodate my real situation." Such attitudes show that disability agencies are not role models for employers but rather perpetuate employers' discomfort and reluctance in accommodating persons with disabilities.