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Learn More About MentorAbility Canada
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About MentorAbility Canada
MentorAbility Canada is an initiative coordinated by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) that is funded through the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. It is implemented across the country in collaboration with employment organizations called MentorAbility Hubs.
About MentorAbility
MentorAbility Canada is an initiative coordinated by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) that is funded through the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. It is implemented across the country in collaboration with employment organizations called MentorAbility Hubs.
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Meet MentorAbility Canada
MentorAbility facilitates unique, short-term (from 1 hour to 1 day) mentoring opportunities between employers and job seekers experiencing disability. The initiative is built on a supported employment foundation that promotes the recruitment, employment, and retention for persons experiencing disability. It provides opportunities and celebrates in-person and virtual mentoring experiences, networking and learning events, social media campaigns, as well as research activities.
How MentorAbility Began
A graphic constaining an icon of a coffee cup with the MentorAbility logo inside. The text beside it reads: "The Power of Presence: How MentorAbility Began. MentorAbility started with the simple concept of the power of conversation and connection." Logos for CASE and the Government of Canada appear beneath the text.
The founding idea was to create opportunities for conversation, connection, and collaboration between mentors, mentees, and employment professionals. Since its inception in 2019, MentorAbility Canada has evolved on a national scale to address the ongoing barriers faced by persons experiencing disability when entering the labour market or accessing career advancement opportunities.
What is MentorAbility?
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The MentorAbility Model
While mentoring is the core component of MentorAbility, the initiative also involves hosting networking and learning events, raising awareness through social media, and sharing evidence-based practices from the research it funds.
MentorAbility Participants
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There are three key members who engage in MentorAbility mentoring experiences:
Mentees are individuals who experience disability who have signed up to participate in the MentorAbility initiative. They can be anywhere in their career journey and interested in exploring specific industries, jobs, and career pathways.
Mentors are individuals who have signed up to participate in the MentorAbility initiative. They are employers, entrepreneurs, or professionals who want to participate in facilitated mentorships with a facilitator (you) and a mentee.
A Mentorship Facilitator is an individual who facilitates a mentorship between a Mentee and a Mentor. They may be a MentorAbility Hub Coordinator or an individual from a MentorAbility partner organization.
Mentees are individuals who experience disability who have signed up to participate in the MentorAbility initiative. They can be anywhere in their career journey and interested in exploring specific industries, jobs, and career pathways.
Mentors are individuals who have signed up to participate in the MentorAbility initiative. They are employers, entrepreneurs, or professionals who want to participate in facilitated mentorships with a facilitator (you) and a mentee.
A Mentorship Facilitator is an individual who facilitates a mentorship between a Mentee and a Mentor. They may be a MentorAbility Hub Coordinator or an individual from a MentorAbility partner organization.
Community Partners
A MentorAbility Partner is an organization that would like to partner with MentorAbility to:
- share information about the MentorAbility initiative with their network,
- engage their staff to become Mentorship Facilitators to facilitate mentorships for job seekers,
- engage their staff to become MentorAbility Mentors to participate in mentorship matches, and/or
- engage in research around inclusive employment for persons who experience disability, effective mentorship models, and more!
MentorAbility Hubs and Hub Coordinators
MentorAbility Canada is coordinated by CASE in collaboration with implementing partner organizations called “MentorAbility Hubs” that are located across the country.
A MentorAbility Hub Coordinator works from each Hub Organization and is the individual who facilitates or supports the facilitation of mentorships. The Hub Coordinators also organize and host learning and networking events and share MentorAbility success stories through social media.
A MentorAbility Hub Coordinator works from each Hub Organization and is the individual who facilitates or supports the facilitation of mentorships. The Hub Coordinators also organize and host learning and networking events and share MentorAbility success stories through social media.
Based on a Supported Employment Model
Supported employment starts with the belief that everyone who wants paid employment can attain it, when the proper supports are in place. It is a successful and flexible model for assisting individuals experiencing disability to obtain meaningful and fairly compensated work.
The model works through a partnership between job seeker, support person and employer. It takes a person-centred, individualized approach where job seekers receive support tailored to their specific skills and career goals. Employers are supported with advice and resources to help meet their unique labour needs.
MentorAbility adapts the supported employment model by having a support person, in this case a MentorAbility Facilitator, to support inclusive and meaningful mentorships for all involved. MentorAbility mentorships are short-term (1-hour to 1-day) activities that can support job seekers in their career journeys. While there are no expectations of an employment offer from a mentorship, all partners recognize its value in career progression and skill-building.
To learn more about supported employment click on the button below.
The model works through a partnership between job seeker, support person and employer. It takes a person-centred, individualized approach where job seekers receive support tailored to their specific skills and career goals. Employers are supported with advice and resources to help meet their unique labour needs.
MentorAbility adapts the supported employment model by having a support person, in this case a MentorAbility Facilitator, to support inclusive and meaningful mentorships for all involved. MentorAbility mentorships are short-term (1-hour to 1-day) activities that can support job seekers in their career journeys. While there are no expectations of an employment offer from a mentorship, all partners recognize its value in career progression and skill-building.
To learn more about supported employment click on the button below.
9 Guiding Principles
All projects and activities at CASE are driven by 9 guiding principles that based on research-based supported employment values.
The MentorAbility initiative emphasizes the following principles in particular:
Click on the button below to learn more about all 9 Guiding Principles of supported employment which can support your facilitation practices.
The MentorAbility initiative emphasizes the following principles in particular:
- Choice and Control: To provide employment support guided by the job seeker's choices.
- Partnership and Mentoring: To inspire employers and job seekers experiencing disability to mutually benefit from an inclusive workplace.
- Long-Term Support: To promote employment stability and career enhancement.
- Full Inclusion: To support the full social and economic inclusion for job seekers experiencing disability.
Click on the button below to learn more about all 9 Guiding Principles of supported employment which can support your facilitation practices.
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Experience Stories
MentorAbility Experiences are stories shared by mentees, mentors, or facilitators that highlight the impact of the initiative. Each MentorAbility Experience shows how a mentor and a mentee come together through a mentorship experience offered via a local supported employment service provider that’s part of the MentorAbility Canada network.
To read about MentorAbility mentorships, please review our collection of shared experience stories.
To read about MentorAbility mentorships, please review our collection of shared experience stories.
Who We Are
MentorAbiity Canada is a government-funded initiative coordinated by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE). It facilitates short mentoring experiences and networking, learning, and research to advance workforce inclusion for persons experiencing disability.
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