One of the interviewee pointed out an example of the reluctance to provide appropriate accommodation: "Companies buy water coolers and spring water, but they can't buy a Telephone Device for the Deaf-they can't find the budget! There are three different kinds of devices which would help a deaf or hard of hearing person in the office. The cost may range anywhere from ten dollars to four hundred dollars." Although employers are not always aware about the various ways of accommodating persons with disabilities, cost is a significant factor in influencing their decisions.

Literature Review

In September 1990, the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (now called the Council for Canadians with Disabilities) and the National Anti-Poverty Organization received funding from Employment and Immigration Canada to conduct a consumer study group on Employment and Disability.³ The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and problems disabled Canadians face within employment programs and services and to make recommendations to ensure equal access to the Canadian labor force. The most significant of these barriers are discussed below.

Physical Barriers

Not having physical access to buildings remains a barrier for people with disabilities. Architectural barriers prevent free mobility by wheelchair users and people with low vision. Stairs are often the only way in to a building and elevators are seldom voice activated. If those who are blind or visually impaired, for example, can enter a building, it can be impossible for them to locate an office.

Another issue pertaining to physical access involves the location of offices in relation to regular transit routes. Offices are often too far away from the nearest transit stop to make them easily accessible. As well, alternative, transportation may not be reliable or available enough for those whose disabilities prevent them from using the mainstream transit system. A key informant in the study stressed the inaccessibility of prerequisite programs and office locations: "A number of literacy programs are funded with job development money. Our agency checked out five, and found them located in inaccessible premises". If prerequisite programs are inaccessible, how can people with disabilities move on to further training?

Attitudinal Barriers

Participants in the study described attitudinal barriers as overwhelming, especially for people with invisible disabilities. Individuals with learning disabilities indicated that employers and trainers often assume they are unskilled, not very smart, risky participants, and unable to keep up with the regular pace.

Moreover, there is considerable ignorance about different conditions associated with disabilities. Employers and trainers rail to recognize the capabilities and limitations of people with particular disabilities. "You have got to make people aware that people with disabilities are still people, and they have brains and are smart and clever and can do things that normal people can do, sometimes better," said a participant from British Columbia . Another from Quebec explained, "Disability scares people. They don't see our competence or our motivation; they see the wheelchair, the white cane, or the disability it self' .(p.7)

Individuals with invisible disabilities often hesitate to reveal their respective disabilities to employers but are often forced to because they require accommodation. But such disclosure was seen to result in lower level jobs and lower salaries. One focus group commented: "There are low expectations with respect to the employment prospects of disabled persons, even qualified disabled persons".

Inadequate Education/Training

Adults with disabilities who are seeking training or employment often have been in segregated educational institutions. As a result, many do not complete the minimum educational requirements and rail to me et the criteria for upgrading programs which are prerequisites for further training. One interviewee explains: "They won't help people unless they have grade 10. So that leaves me out".

Moreover, the deaf and bard of hearing community are dissatisfied with the education they received. A focus group in Saskatchewan pointed out: "Literacy is a big problem for those who are profoundly deaf. The education system attempts to teach deaf people in English using auditory methods. The end result is that, by and large, deaf people have trouble handling simple forms of English".