For many job seekers, finding employment is only the beginning. The bigger challenge can be finding work that is sustainable, work where the employee feels supported, the employer understands their needs, and both sides have the opportunity to build a long-term relationship.
That is the idea behind Supportability, a Calgary-based employment program from CBI Health that provides free, comprehensive employment support for people living with mental health challenges or neurodivergence.
Sam Schofield, CBI Health’s Manager of Community Relations and part of the national marketing and communications team, has been with the organization for two years. In that time, he has seen Supportability continue to grow while also becoming part of a broader network of employment programs across the country.
While the Calgary program has its own name and identity, it is part of a larger national effort. Similar programs operate in other Alberta communities, including Workability in Fort McMurray and a program in Edmonton supporting people interested in entering the health-care sector. The national team helps connect and support these individual programs, while allowing each community to respond to its own culture, language, industries, and workforce. For Calgary, that local focus is particularly important.
When Sam talks to a potential job seeker about Supportability, one of the first things he emphasizes is that the service is free and comprehensive.
Anyone in the Calgary area who meets the program’s eligibility requirements and is living with a disability, mental health challenge or neurodivergence can access support. That support can include resume development, interview preparation, job searching and help navigating the workplace. But perhaps the most significant difference is what happens after someone gets hired.
Supportability does not put a time limit on its employment support. The goal is not simply to help someone secure a job and then step away. Support can continue for as long as it is needed—even across a person’s career. That long-term approach is central to the program’s philosophy.
Supportability draws from the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, an evidence-based approach to supported employment that has been extensively studied and developed over time. One of the principles of that model is providing ongoing, individualized support rather than treating employment as a short-term intervention. The program’s support workers live and work in the community, and while there is a hybrid option available, building relationships face-to-face remains an important part of the work.
“The support workers are super passionate,” Sam says, noting that they are given opportunities to research, learn and build meaningful relationships with the people they support. In fact, some clients have been connected to the program since its early days, a reflection of just how important those relationships can become.
Employer Relationships
The same philosophy applies when Supportability works with employers.
Historically, much of the program’s employer work has involved one-on-one representation and advocacy on behalf of individual clients. As the program has evolved, Sam’s business background has helped bring an increased focus on developing relationships with employers and strengthening the program’s business strategy. But Sam is careful about how he describes that work.
“What we do is quite tailored to specific situations.”
And perhaps more importantly:
“We’re not selling Supportability, we are selling relationships, long-term sustainable relationships with an employee, and each one of the employees is different.”
That individualized approach is also what allows Supportability to work with employers on removing barriers. The program sees an opportunity to connect employers with a significant portion of the labour market that can be overlooked because of unnecessary or removable barriers. That might mean working directly with an HR team to make an interview process more accessible, helping an employer better understand a candidate’s strengths, or providing an employer with a profile of a potential employee.
Disclosure is always the job seeker’s choice, and finding the right fit between an employee and an employer remains fundamental.The goal isn’t to convince an employer to hire someone simply because they are participating in a supported employment program. Instead, it is about finding a genuine match and creating conditions for both the employee and employer to succeed.
Job Seeker Support
One of the program’s strengths is the range of practical supports available to job seekers. Supportability takes a two-pronged approach: helping people develop the skills and confidence to navigate the job market while also helping them build connections within the community.
That can include attending job fairs, learning how to network and developing more nuanced strategies for getting a resume in front of the right people. Networking, Sam emphasizes, is critical.
“Across the board, networking is one of the most important things to find a job.”
The program also helps clients understand tools that can otherwise be difficult to navigate, including applicant tracking systems – the software many employers use to screen resumes. Computer courses are another popular offering, giving participants an opportunity to quickly build practical skills that can strengthen their employability.
For people looking to enter the health-care sector, the supports can become even more hands-on.
Participants can access up to three volunteer placements, mentorship and on-the-job experience. Peer mentors help guide participants through their volunteer placements, creating another layer of connection and support. The program also offers opportunities such as fitness training and certifications through its clinical environment, as well as financial literacy training.
Importantly, participants can be paid while completing their volunteer experience. For someone who has been out of work for an extended period, that can help make the transition back into employment more manageable. Together, these opportunities create what Sam describes as a vibrant environment—one where participants aren’t simply preparing for a job, but building relationships, confidence and experience along the way.
Changing the Conversation with Employers
While Supportability has seen strong engagement from employers, Sam says there is still work to do when it comes to changing perceptions around disability and employment. One of the biggest challenges he continues to encounter is the assumption that someone who fits within CBI Health’s client population may somehow be misaligned with the workplace. Employer education can help challenge that assumption.
Part of that education involves changing the way employers think about accommodations. Something as simple as having a quiet space available for an employee can have a significant impact, yet these conversations can still feel new or even revolutionary in some workplaces. At the same time, the expectations of workers are changing more broadly.
Younger Calgarians, for example, are increasingly looking for meaningful work, vibrant workplace cultures and employment packages that align with their values. People want to feel proud of what they do and see meaning in their work. Those expectations create an opportunity to broaden the conversation about workplace inclusion. Sam believes some of the most powerful examples are the ones that challenge people’s assumptions about what disability looks like.
The strongest examples often involve people who are highly educated or working in positions that others might not expect. Seeing someone with a disability become an executive, for example, can shift expectations about what people imagine disability to be. Stories like these matter because they make inclusion tangible. Sam also sees an opportunity for the sector to share more of them.
“There’s a need for more reports and stories.”
he says, pointing to the importance of combining statistics with anecdotal experiences and individual success stories.
A changing understanding of disability
Sam has worked with nonprofits and in the disability sector for years, and one of the biggest shifts he has observed is the growing recognition of mental health and neurodivergence in conversations about disability and employment. Historically, these were among the groups that received the least support.
That is changing.
The growing visibility of mental health and neurodivergence is influencing how organizations understand disability and how they think about workplace support. Traditional supported employment models continue to work, Sam says, but they can be labour-intensive and heavily dependent on one-on-one support. The sector is now exploring how those models can evolve as the understanding of disability continues to grow.
For CBI Health, that evolution also connects with the organization’s broader work in disability and inclusion. Supportability can draw on expertise across the organization, while CBI Health’s broader employer services can provide businesses with access to clinical professionals such as occupational therapists and psychologists.
That creates the potential for more wraparound support—not only when an employee is entering the workplace, but when someone experiences an injury, acquires a disability at work, or needs transitional support. Getting started with Supportability is intentionally straightforward.
Rather than requiring a lengthy written application, prospective participants can choose a day and time to connect with a support worker. The initial conversation is approximately 15 minutes and helps determine whether the program is a good fit. There are then typically two conversations, including a face-to-face component, to determine eligibility and needs. Importantly, the severity of a person’s barrier is not intended to be the deciding factor in whether they deserve support. The program can work with people at different stages of readiness, including individuals who may not yet feel ready to enter the workforce. And if someone isn’t a fit for Supportability, the team doesn’t simply send them away. They can connect that person with other community partners who may be better positioned to help.
Employers can also reach out directly. Their process is more involved from an HR perspective, but employers can receive resources and support as they explore inclusive hiring practices. The program also regularly participates in community-based events and offers free workshops with community partners, creating feedback loops that help the team understand what job seekers and employers actually need. An upcoming series of employer-focused workshops will continue that work.
The importance of DEAM
For Sam, the broader movement toward disability employment awareness is an important part of changing workplace culture.
He describes DEAM as much more than an event.
“DEAM is by far the most important event and movement that is happening in Alberta right now. It’s a cultural movement.”
For him, one of the most important parts of DEAM is simply getting the word out: making people aware that employment supports exist and helping employers understand what inclusive employment can look like.
Organizations such as CBI Health and AEFN play an important role in that work by promoting awareness, sharing information and educating both employers and the broader community. Ultimately, the goal is bigger than placing someone into a job. It is about creating workplaces where people can contribute, grow and build careers, and where employers recognize the value of removing barriers rather than assuming those barriers define a person’s potential.
Supportability’s approach is rooted in something deceptively simple: relationships.
The relationship between a job seeker and a support worker. The relationship between an employee and an employer. And the relationship between communities and the organizations working to make employment more accessible.
For Sam, those relationships are what make sustainable employment possible.
Visit CBI Health’s Supportability booth at the upcoming DEAM IDEA Conference. CBI Health is a returning sponsor.
