Our specialization also includes partnering, because we believe providing educational opportunities for clients, employers, professionals, and government is good business. We understand that employers and co-workers have concerns around employing persons with disabilities, and we address them through shareholder initiatives, such as disability awareness training.
First-hand understanding is key to our success. We understand the employment challenges of persons with disabilities because we seek feedback not just from service providers and professionals, but from the persons with disabilities themselves. We search out best practices.
We are here today because we have a viable workforce. Nearly 200,000 Nova Scotians between the age of 15 and 64, or 20%, self-identify as living with disability, and that's just those who are self-identified. In the Halifax Regional Municipality alone, over 54% of those aged 15 to 64 who self-identified are still not attached to the labour force.
With the current skills shortage, we have to ask why the employment rate for persons with disabilities remains so high. The fact is that interventions and resources are not readily available for those unattached—and when I say unattached, I mean those unable to access EI. In fact, 70% of persons with disabilities who want to work are unattached.