CKPG Today

Grant supports a culture of accommodation in the workplace

Apr 28, 2021 | 2:45 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Individuals who are dealing with a mental or physical health impairment will be better supported to safely return to work, thanks to new funding for the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR).

The Province is providing NIDMAR with $6 million in a one-time grant to administer a return-to-work and disability management education program and support project over the next four years.

The project has three strategies to support B.C. employers’ capacity to accommodate injured workers to return to work, as well as increase the number of people with disabilities in the provincial workforce:

1. Disability management program assessments and improvements

2. Educational development

3. Professionalization

The disability management program assessment and improvement component offers workplace assessments and supports employers in implementing recommendations to assist injured workers returning to work. It also offers practical tools and resources for employers and a survey of 700 disability management professionals.

The educational development component will provide up to 500 individuals annually with a return-to-work/disability-management program and practice knowledge.

The professional designation component provides full-time and part-time scholarships for a bachelor of disability management at the Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences and supports eligible individuals with registration and examination fees for the disability management professional designation.

The scholarships and educational modules are expected to begin accepting applications in early summer.