After 30 years championing disability inclusion across Canada, Ottawa-based LiveWorkPlay has joined The BUSY Group. The two organisations share a long-standing commitment to inclusive employment, so the fit is a natural one.
Today we are proud to welcome LiveWorkPlay to The BUSY Group.
Founded in 1995 by current Co-Leaders Keenan Wellar and Julie Kingstone, LiveWorkPlay provides employment supports to more than 300 jobseekers and workers per year, and about 100 individuals with Supported Independent Living. This work is accomplished thanks to a massive partnership network that includes more than 200 employers, over 100 community organizations, and about 150 individual volunteers.
Why the fit works
Both organisations were started by people who saw the gap between what the system was offering and what their community needed and built something better in response. Both believe meaningful employment is transformative, that inclusion is a right for all community members, and that the real measure of impact is whether people are living the lives that provide social and economic inclusion with jobs, housing and authentic community relationships.
LiveWorkPlay’s mission sits comfortably alongside The BUSY Group. Their service delivery approach, which they call Just Enough Support, is grounded in dignity, autonomy and citizenship. It is the kind of person-centred practice The BUSY Group already champion through BUSY Ability, and there is a lot that both organisations can learn from one another.
Why now
Ontario’s Employment Services Transformation is reshaping how disability employment services are funded and delivered, and specialised providers across the province are facing a difficult environment. LiveWorkPlay’s leadership went looking for a values-aligned partner who could help them weather that change without compromising on the quality of service delivery. The BUSY Group’s experience with large-scale employment services contracting was a key part of the conversation.
What it means in practice
In the short term, very little changes with Julie and Keenan remaining at the helm, and the LiveWorkPlay name, brand and identity will remain. The team in Ottawa continues to support the people they have always served, championing inclusive employment and supported independent living. Two BUSY Group representatives will join the LiveWorkPlay Board to support the next chapter.
Over time, we will work together to grow LiveWorkPlay’s reach into other parts of Ontario, and where the need is there, across Canada. That includes inclusive employment, Supported Independent Living, advocacy, workforce development and the kind of system-change work LiveWorkPlay is already known for.
What it means for our Australian teams
It means we have new colleagues in Ottawa doing extraordinary work that we can learn from. LiveWorkPlay is internationally respected for its Just Enough Support model and for its work placing people with intellectual disabilities into the Canadian federal public service. There is plenty for all of us to share.
A warm welcome to Julie, Keenan and everyone at LiveWorkPlay. We are very glad you are with us.
Learn More about LiveWorkPlay