NOC 42203: Instructors of persons with disabilities
What instructors of persons with disabilities do
Instructors of persons with disabilities teach children and adults using a variety of techniques to facilitate communication, rehabilitation, social skills and increased independence. They are employed in rehabilitation centres, specialized educational institutes and throughout the school system.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Develop individualized education and intervention plans based on special needs of client to facilitate their readaptation and independence objectives
- Assess individuals in areas such as physical limitations, orientation and mobility skills, and cognitive, social and emotional barriers to establish client rehabilitation or adaptation goals
- Assist individuals with physical, intellectual, visual and hearing disabilities or multiple disorders to develop life skills and provide job training
- Instruct individuals with disabilities and their families in the use of rehabilitative techniques, prosthetic devices, wheelchairs and other equipment designed to maximize clients' independence and potential
- Instruct persons with a visual impairment in reading and writing braille and in the use of special equipment or supports such as human or animal guides, long canes and other adaptive mobility devices
- Instruct persons who are hard of hearing or deaf in lip-reading, finger spelling and sign language according to individual communication needs
- Instruct persons who are hard of hearing or deaf in the formation and development of sounds for speech using hearing aids, and other devices and techniques
- Collaborate with specialists, such as rehabilitation counsellors, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, to develop programs for clients' special needs
Job titles under NOC 42203
41 job titles are classified here, including braille instructor, instructor of persons who are deaf, instructor of persons who are hard of hearing.
- braille instructor
- braille teacher
- deafblind intervenor
- finger-spelling teacher
- instructor of persons who are blind
- instructor of persons who are deaf
- instructor of persons who are hard of hearing
- instructor of persons with a learning disability
- instructor of persons with a mobility impairment
- instructor of persons with a visual impairment
- instructor of persons with developmental disabilities
- instructor of persons with disabilities
- instructor of persons with intellectual disabilities
- instructor of persons with special needs
- job coach for persons with disabilities
- lip-reading instructor
- lip-reading teacher
- orientation and mobility instructor for persons with a visual impairment
- orientation and mobility instructor of persons who are blind
- orientation and mobility instructor
- orientation and mobility teacher for persons who are blind
- orientation and mobility teacher of persons with a visual impairment
- rehabilitation instructor for persons who are blind
- rehabilitation instructor of persons with a visual impairment
Employment requirements
- Completion of a college program in special education, rehabilitation, orientation and mobility, visual impairment, hearing impairment or intellectual disability is required.
- A bachelor's degree in special education or a related field such as social work or psychology may be required.
Instructors of persons with disabilities wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $35.90/hr |
Toronto ON | $20.89/hr | $29.83/hr | $41.68/hr |
Montréal QC | $22.62/hr | $31.33/hr | $38.94/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $20.00/hr | $29.01/hr | $33.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $18.00/hr | $26.52/hr | $37.19/hr |
Edmonton AB | $19.92/hr | $28.63/hr | $39.83/hr |
Ottawa ON | $21.78/hr | $30.36/hr | $41.60/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $25.00/hr | $32.93/hr | $36.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $21.04/hr | $24.95/hr | $34.78/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $22.00/hr | $30.52/hr | $40.23/hr |
Halifax NS | $19.41/hr | $28.01/hr | $38.40/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $20.02/hr | $26.93/hr | $37.99/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $21.89/hr | $29.69/hr | $42.44/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $20.36/hr | $25.66/hr | $34.38/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $18.16/hr | $24.50/hr | $40.44/hr |
Nova Scotia | $19.50/hr | $30.21/hr | $43.50/hr |
New Brunswick | $16.43/hr | $21.60/hr | $29.59/hr |
Quebec | $25.00/hr | $32.93/hr | $36.00/hr |
Ontario | $19.23/hr | $27.50/hr | $35.90/hr |
Saskatchewan | $19.85/hr | $26.43/hr | $39.62/hr |
Alberta | $18.86/hr | $27.91/hr | $41.64/hr |
British Columbia | $20.00/hr | $29.01/hr | $33.00/hr |
Using NOC 42203 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 41 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Occupational therapy rehabilitation consultant (NOC 31203)
- Special education technician - social and community services (NOC 42201)
- Special needs educational assistant (NOC 43100)
- Special needs teacher - elementary school (NOC 41221)
- Special needs teacher - secondary school (NOC 41220)
- Speech and hearing therapist (NOC 31112)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for instructors of persons with disabilities?
Instructors of persons with disabilities are NOC 2021 unit group 42203. Example job titles in this group include braille instructor, instructor of persons who are deaf, instructor of persons who are hard of hearing, instructor of persons with a learning disability.
What TEER is NOC 42203?
NOC 42203 is TEER 2 (College diploma or apprenticeship (2+ years)). Usually requires a 2–3 year college program or a 2–5 year apprenticeship, or the occupation carries supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do instructors of persons with disabilities earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $30.00/hr, about $59,000 a year full-time, with a range of $20.00/hr to $35.90/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.