First of all, I would like to congratulate the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities on the many excellent events it hosted last week for Disabilities Awareness Week. The theme was "Accessibility is your Right ... Your right to Learn, Your right to Participate, Your right to Play, Your right to Work, Your right to Live!" Each day of the week focused on a different one of these rights.

I was pleased to represent the Northern Territories Federation of Labour on Thursday at the public library for a presentation by the NWT Human Rights Commission on the right to work. As a labour activist for many years, it was interesting to learn the most common types of complaints received by the commission are complaints of discrimination in employment based on disability.

It became even more obvious to me that employers have a lot to learn about how to deal with workers with disabilities.

The International Labour Organization estimates Canada's Gross Domestic Product suffers over a 40-billion dollar loss each year due to disability - that's 7 per cent of our national GDP. It is no wonder given that every year 1 in 15 Canadian workers is injured on the job. According to the National Institute of Disability Management and Research, "at any given time 8 to 12 per cent of the Canadian workforce is absent due to disability." They also estimate that "Canadian employers pay between $10 (to) 20 billion dollars in disability related costs, and this cost continues to rise."

What is really important for employers to understand is that accommodating workers with a disability is a win-win situation for all.

The Job Accommodation Network in the United States reports that 50 per cent of the accommodation requests they receive cost between $1 and $500. An additional 19 per cent cost nothing, and only 3 per cent cost more than $5,000. Also, the average return for every $1 spent on accommodation is $28.69! With this rate of return, it is surprising how few employers spend the time and effort to bring injured and ill workers back to work.

The Ontario Disability Response Team (ODRT) has proven early and safe return to work is the most effective. There is only a 50 per cent chance a person will return to work after six months. This declines to 25 per cent after one year and only 1 per cent after two years.

Given the overwhelming statistics, it is clear that early and safe return to work is in the best interest of all workplace parties. The problem for many is how. How do we safely bring injured and ill workers back to work?

The Northern Territories Federation of Labour offers a series of courses to deal with exactly this issue. Our curriculum has been prepared by the ODRT, and our certified facilitators offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field of return to work. We have partnered with the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission to provide this valuable training at no cost to participants. Please visit our website at www.NTFL.YK.com for more information.

Remember that people with disabilities have a "right to work!"

• Mary Lou Cherwaty is president of the Northern Territories Federation of Labour