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When Lisa Butler joined the Ontario Public Service (OPS) in 2003, accessibility looked very different from what it does today. Over two decades later, she has experienced that shift from multiple vantage points, first as a new hire and now as a manager. Those experiences have given her a clear view of how inclusive employment systems function in day-to-day work and continue to shape how she approaches leadership, accommodation and team management.
Butler is a manager in the Metrolinx and Agencies Oversight Branch within Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. Her team’s work centres on coordinating public appointments across agencies, boards and commissions, and leading policy initiatives that strengthen the ministry’s oversight of its provincial transportation agencies. She has worked in the Ontario Public Service for over 20 years, which includes nine years in management roles and eight years earlier in social services, with experience across five different ministries.
She also has a visible disability, a fact she mentions without hesitation. “I have a visible disability,” she said. “I was born missing parts of my arms.”
When Butler entered the Ontario Public Service in 2003, there was the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, but the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act had not yet come into force. Accommodation practices existed, but they were inconsistent and often dependent on individual initiative. Disclosure also carried uncertainty, particularly for employees on contract.
When Butler applied for her first policy role, the interview included a timed writing task. At school, she had been given extra time because typing takes her longer. During the interview, she did not ask for the same support. “I was about to graduate with a Master’s in public policy and really wanted a chance to get into government on contract,” she said. That same hesitation followed her into the job. Even with a visible disability, no one started a conversation with her about accommodation. She was given a standard desk setup and waited for support to be offered, but it never was. At that point in her career, she did not feel confident enough to speak up.
The help she needed was already available at work, but she just did not know how to get it. After moving into a new role, Butler learned that the Ontario Public Service could arrange ergonomic assessments with physiotherapists. That led to her obtaining equipment she still uses today, including a chair she has relied on for 15 years. In later roles, she was also provided with a specialized keyboard, foot pedals and a desk that moved up and down, which she used for eight years.
None of this equipment was unusual. The real challenge was knowing it existed and how to get it. Butler has explained that full-time office workplaces different demands on the body than student life. Long hours of sitting, constant computer use and staying in the same position can create issues over time, especially when accommodation is not discussed early on.
Looking at the Ontario Public Service today, Butler sees tangible change. Accommodation is now expected to be discussed throughout the employment process, including applications, interviews and onboarding. Human resources now use clearer guides and offer training programs for managers to support accommodation conversations. There is also a central fund to help cover the cost of adaptive equipment, rather than leaving individual managers or departments to pay for it.
Moving between jobs within the OPS has also become easier. Earlier in her career, Butler often had to start over and explain her needs again each time she changed roles. Now, there is more understanding that equipment should go with employees when they change ministries.
Her leadership practice reflects these shifts. Butler emphasizes regular one-on-one conversations, direct questions and ongoing check-ins. Accommodation is treated as fluid rather than fixed. She encourages joint problem-solving and does not assume employees or managers arrive with immediate solutions. In her own experience, effective supports sometimes emerged only after open discussion. “Sometimes you do not know what exists,” she said.
Mentorship has helped counter some of her uncertainty over the years. Butler participated in a leadership development program that paired her with a director who had a child with cerebral palsy. That relationship began in 2014 and continues today, offering practical guidance during career transitions and personal changes, including becoming a parent during the pandemic.
Recruitment practices still have issues. Butler pointed out that potential candidates of underrepresented groups may not be monitoring government job boards, and there is little proactive guidance offered to managers to post job ads in areas that could attract talent within these groups .. When recruiting internally, she shares job postings with internal employee network groups and has noticed that efforts to create a more formal network for employees with disabilities are only starting to take shape.
Hiring processes too have evolved in significant ways. Interviews now take place virtually, and candidates often submit written assignments ahead of time, rather than completing timed, in-person tasks. Butler sees these changes as a way to expand opportunities and remove barriers. She also highlighted initiatives allowing hiring managers to include diverse panel members, including those with lived experience. Since 2020, the Ontario Internship Program has extended the educational eligibility to a 5-year post-graduation period for persons with disabilities, among other underrepresented groups.
However, despite these advancements, Butler recognizes a continued gap in visible disability representation at the leadership level. She pointed out that in her twenty year career, she has
only met two senior leaders with visible disabilities within the Ontario Public Service, an issue she hopes to address as she progresses in her career. This lack of representation, Butler notes, is also reflected in workplace culture. While policy and procedures can set the foundation, in-person interactions still carry an element of uncertainty. People may hesitate, unsure of how to engage, even at the most executive levels of the organization. Virtual work has slightly shifted that dynamic. In online spaces, visibility becomes optional, and technology has expanded access across hiring and daily operations.
Inclusive employment, in Butler’s experience, depends on follow-through. Policies and training exist, but outcomes are determined by how consistently systems respond once someone with a disability enters the workplace. Her career reflects what can happen when those systems work. As she looks ahead, Butler continues to lead with the expectation that access, accommodation and opportunity are built into daily practice and not treated as exceptions. Inclusion does not live at the policy level alone. It is reinforced as part of team culture, and brought to life in everyday interactions and decisions with her team. Butler continues to lead by example, setting the bar for a more inclusive workplace, each and every day.