Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) - a national employment program for job seekers with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum

Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) is a national employment program jointly sponsored by Inclusion Canada and the Autism Alliance of Canada, and their member organizations. This partnership receives funding from the Federal Government of Canada to help connect job seekers with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum with businesses who seek to have an inclusive workplace.

RWA is designed to increase the labour force participation of people with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum. The project does this by sharing job opportunities from businesses who are looking to hire inclusively with employment agency partners and to job seekers that have been added to the job seeker database in 30 communities across Canada. These agencies may also assist in providing post-secondary and/or employment training, help connecting job seekers with competitive employment opportunities and provide additional supports, accommodations, or workplace modifications that may be necessary for the job.

RWA helps provide the employer with knowledge about the benefits of inclusive hiring, hiring support, coordinated access to qualified candidates who have an intellectual disability or ASD and on-the-job supports for both employer and employees hired via RWA.

RWA is active in 30 communities across the country:

Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s Metropolitan area
Prince Edward Island – Queens County region
Nova Scotia – Halifax, Darthmouth and Cape Breton
New Brunswick – Fredericton and Saint John
Quebec – Montreal
Ontario – City of Toronto, Greater Toronto Area and Mississauga
Manitoba – Winnipeg
Saskatchewan – Saskatoon and Regina
Alberta – Calgary and Edmonton
British Columbia – City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver Regional District, Kelowna, Vancouver Island
Yukon – Whitehorse
Northwest Territories – Yellowknife
Nunavut – Iqaluit

For more information, check out the Ready, Willing and Able website: https://readywillingable.ca/about/