Return-to-work and disability resources

Return-to-work and disability management assessment tools

A business’ disability management program is an important part in the recovery and return to work of employees who experience a workplace injury or illness.

The Disability Management Self Assessment (DMSA) is a tool that helps organizations review their return-to-work and disability management programs. The National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) created the DSMA with support from leading experts across many sectors. The International Disability Management Standards Council (IDMSC) manages the DMSA worldwide, and many organizations in Canada and around the world use it.

Organizations can use the DMSA to assess their current return-to-work and disability management efforts and receive a report on their performance. The report highlights best practices, helping businesses identify which areas of their program require review or improvement.

On the modified work suggestions page, businesses can find industry-specific duties or tasks for employees who can't do their regular work because of an injury or illness.

The approach to job accommodations page explains the main ideas for making job accommodations work well. It also describes how everyone in the workplace can work together to help people return to work in a safe, suitable and lasting way.

Find modified work for your employee

See what duties are available

https://www.wsib.ca/en/modified-work-suggestions

Resources

On top of the valuable help and services we provide, many organizations also offer resources to support a successful return to work.

  • The Institute for Work and Health is an independent, not-for-profit research organization that conducts and shares research to protect and improve the health of working people. They are one of the top five occupational health and safety research centres globally and are primarily funded by the WSIB.
  • NIDMAR (National Institute of Disability Management and Research) is an internationally recognized organization committed to reducing the human, social and economic costs of disability through education, training, and research. We support the NIDMAR approach and standards.

Return-to-work and disability legislation

  • Occupational Health and Safety Act: The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers and supervisors to take every reasonable precaution to keep people safe in the workplace. Employees must report any defective equipment or hazards they notice.
  • Ontario Human Rights Code: The Ontario Human Rights Code is the overarching legislation that requires employers to accommodate employees with disabilities, unless doing so causes undue hardship.
  • Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act sets mandatory accessibility standards to identify, remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities in the areas of employment, information and communication, and transportation. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act uses the broad definition of disability from the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Organizations that offer return-to-work and disability resources

  • Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work: A non-profit Canadian cross-disability organization supporting people with disabilities, businesses, and community agencies in advancing employment.
  • Canadian Helen Keller Centre: A resource for people who are Deafblind, their families, service providers, volunteers, supporters, and the general public. It provides valuable information about the needs, concerns, and challenges of people living with both vision and hearing loss.
  • Job Accommodation Network: This network offers information on job accommodations and disability. Although it is an American website, the job accommodation concepts can be applied to jobs in the Canadian market.

Better at work study

The better at work principle guides how we manage cases. You can see it in many of our policies and programs.

We support this approach with four key principles:

  • work is important to overall well-being
  • early intervention is key
  • return to work enhances recovery and is part of the rehabilitation process
  • barriers to return to work are often inappropriately 'medicalized'

Read more about our better at work approach, including its four principles, how it relates to the WSIB and references to other studies on best practices.