Nova ScotiaL’Arche Homefires is implementing an inclusive employment initiative that will match individuals with businesses they want to work for.’It’s extremely important for individuals to feel like they belong in the community’Josh Hoffman · CBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesAnna MacDonald, 21, says she’s excited about having a job because she can meet more people in her community. (Brian MacKay/CBC)An organization that supports adults with developmental disabilities in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley wants to make it easier for them to join the workforce.L’Arche Homefires has been working to implement an inclusive employment initiative that will match individuals with businesses they want to work for.“It’s extremely important for individuals to feel like they belong in the community,” said Ryan Oxner, development and communications co-ordinator at L’Arche’s Wolfville branch. “I think there can sometimes be barriers for my friends to be able to work in different businesses in town,” he said. The initiative will be led by L’Arche with support from the Town of Wolfville and the Wolfville Business Development Corporation. A community support worker will be hired to co-ordinate with the different stakeholders and make sure staff at participating businesses are properly trained to hire employees with disabilities, Oxner said. He said if everyone involved doesn’t know what to expect beforehand, the program won’t be sustainable. “We’re looking to empower individuals in the community, but also to change the culture of the way business is done in Wolfville,” he said. Initiative started as idea for inclusive caféOxner said the idea for the initiative came after they initially considered partnering with a local business to open an inclusive café where all of the staff were people with disabilities.Ryan Oxner, development and communications coordinator at L’Arche Homefires, said giving adults with disabilities opportunities to join the workforce shows them they belong in the community. (Brian MacKay/CBC)But many of the people who would be working at the café want to have more options when it comes to work, Oxner said.”Besides working here, I’ve wanted to do social media,” said 21-year old Anna MacDonald. MacDonald, who has Down syndrome, said having a job would be exciting because she’d be able to meet more people. “Seeing people and saying like, ‘Oh, hi, my name is Anna,’ and trying to get to know [more] people,” she said.Town aims ‘to make everyone feel welcome,’ says mayorWolfville’s mayor said the initiative falls in line with the town’s core values of being an inclusive and accessible community for everyone. “This initiative is just a new way to do it,” said Jodi MacKay. “We’re not perfect yet, but we hope to continue to always move in strides to make everyone feel welcome.”Oxner said he’s pleased to see the town take those steps and believes Wolfville can become a model for other municipalities in the province.He said giving people with disabilities opportunities can show themselves and others in the community what they’re really capable of.“It can really make a difference for how they see themselves in the world,” he said. MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORJosh Hoffman is a reporter for CBC Nova Scotia. Josh worked as a local radio reporter all over Canada before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018.
Wolfville organization working to make it easier for adults with disabilities to get jobs
