Designing Pathways to Work™
Signature keynote · 45–60 min · Plenary
Speaker kit · Designing Pathways to Work™
Everything an organizer needs — in one place.
A methodology abstract and speaker one-pager for Alison — built for conference organizers, funders, family forums, and media. Read it on this page or download the print-ready PDF.
Methodology abstract
Designing Pathways to Work™
A practical framework for translating lived capacity into viable, income-generating work for individuals with disabilities.
The problem
In Canada, 27% of adults aged 15+ live with one or more disabilities — roughly 8 million people.1 Among working-age adults with disabilities, only 62% are employed, compared with 78% of those without.1 An estimated 740,000 Canadians with disabilities have the potential to work but are not currently employed.2 The gap is not capacity. The gap is the absence of pathways designed around the individual.
The approach
Designing Pathways to Work™ is a structured, human-centered process for designing real work — built from a detailed understanding of the individual (strengths, patterns, variability, conditions for reliable participation) and extended outward into their natural ecosystem of relationships, routines, community spaces, and local businesses.
The resulting pathways take different forms — small entrepreneurial ventures, customized roles, or community-based opportunities. The form is shaped by alignment, not by assumption.
The five-step model
- 01
Identify strengths in everyday life
Begin with the person — what they already do well, what they are drawn to, and the conditions under which they are most reliably themselves.
- 02
Translate strengths into viable opportunities
Move from interest to economic possibility. Identify where strengths intersect with unmet needs in the local environment.
- 03
Design for fit, not predictability
Shape the work around how a life actually operates — schedule, energy, support — instead of forcing the life to fit a fixed role.
- 04
Activate the natural network already there
Engage families, neighbours, employers, and community spaces as the load-bearing structure of the pathway.
- 05
Sustain the pathway
Build in the conditions — relationships, routines, accountability — that allow the work to function over time, not just at launch.
Outcomes
Pathways designed through this approach produce work that reflects the individual, functions in real conditions, and can be sustained over time — contributing to income, stability, participation, and a stronger sense of contribution. Operating examples include Wags Cookies Ltd. (founded by Alison and later acquired with an explicit inclusion mandate; selected for the official GRAMMY Awards® gift bags, 2023) and Sweet Freeze (a mobile, community-integrated venture).
"Work does not need to be found. It can be built."
Speaker one-pager
Alison Ainsworth
Strategist, venture creator, and community builder designing pathways to work for individuals with disabilities.
Bio
Alison Ainsworth is a strategist, venture creator, and community builder whose work sits at the intersection of family, disability, and community. Over more than two decades, she has designed practical, human-centered pathways that translate lived capacity into viable, income-generating work.
She founded Wags Cookies Ltd., a purpose-driven business that grew from a home-based idea into a recognized brand reaching national and international audiences — including selection for the official GRAMMY Awards® gift bags in 2023 — and was later acquired with an explicit inclusion mandate. She is also the founder of Sweet Freeze, a mobile, community-based venture, and continues to develop new concepts (Revive Pick Up Co., Rural DeliverEase) as templates other communities can adapt.
Alison brings extensive experience in community building, fund development, and cross-sector collaboration across municipal, provincial, and federal programs. She has served in nonprofit leadership and contributed to public dialogue on disability and inclusion at local, national, and international levels — including a Larry King Live segment on service dog awareness.
Lived foundation: more than two decades raising an adult daughter living with complex medical and developmental challenges since birth — the source of the methodology.
Start With the Person
Breakout · 30–45 min · Families & service providers
Small Ventures, Big Impact
Breakout or workshop · 45–75 min
Activating the Network Already There
Panel or workshop · 45–90 min
If Capacity Exists, Participation Must Follow
Plenary or fireside · 30–45 min
Audiences
- 01Conferences & sector summits
- 02Family forums & community gatherings
- 03Service providers & organizations
- 04Business & economic development
- 05Funders, policy & government
Logistics
- Length
- 20-min fireside · 45-min keynote · 60–90-min workshop
- Format
- In-person, virtual (Zoom / Teams), and hybrid
- Travel
- Based in Alberta, Canada · available worldwide
- Customization
- Each talk is tailored to your audience, theme, and time
- Accessibility
- Plain-language framing · captioning- and ASL-friendly
- Lead time
- 8–12 weeks preferred · shorter windows considered
References
- [1]Statistics Canada. Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022 (The Daily, Dec 1, 2023). 27% of Canadians 15+ live with one or more disabilities; 62% employment rate among working-age adults with disabilities.
- [2]Statistics Canada / Government of Canada. Estimated 740,000 Canadians with disabilities have the potential to work but are not currently employed (Disability Inclusion Action Plan reporting).
- [3]Statistics Canada. Income of Canadians with and without disabilities, 2017. Persons with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than those without.
- [4]Statistics Canada. Youth (ages 15–24) with disabilities experience higher unemployment than peers without disabilities.
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