VRA Canada

The Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada (VRA Canada) is the leading national organization representing and advocating for vocational rehabilitation professionals. Since 1970, VRA Canada, the College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals and VRA members have worked to remove barriers for individuals to return to work and achieve the best possible outcomes following a work-related injury. VRA Canada is the oldest and most successful professional organization in the vocational rehabilitation field. VRA Canada members are part of a unique interdisciplinary profession, with specific experience in vocational rehabilitation and disability management, supported by expertise spanning the fields of counselling, psychology, industrial psychology, assessment, rehabilitation, human resources and labour relations. Approximately 800,000 people with disabilities in Canada are unemployed despite being able and willing to work. Many barriers keep this group out of the workforce. They include not only discrimination and bias, but concerns about cost and productivity and lack of knowledge about how to accommodate them. More than 80% of all disabilities are acquired during an individual’s working life. Vocational rehabilitation professionals specialize in helping Canadians with disabilities return to the workforce. Disabled employees, who are motivated to work but unable to do so because of the limitations of their disabilities, may lead productive lives in the workplace through the assistance of trained staff of return-to-work programs. Research has shown that the average person treated with psychological and vocational counseling does better than 79% of untreated persons, and individuals who receive labour market training see more benefits than those who receive none. Approximately 26% of all employment counselors in Canada work in VR services. All told, there are more than 1,250 Vocational Rehabilitation companies in Canada.