Transition Program Graduation 2010 - Press Release
ANTIGONISH – September 17, 2010. A graduation ceremony for the East Novability Society for Persons With Disabilities Transition to Employment Project was held at St. Ninian’s Center. Ten successful and skilled individuals received certificates of completion for the 33 week program that included a 24-week subsidized work placement. Among others, Antigonish MLA, Maurice Smith addressed the approximately 40 attendees and brought greetings and congratulations from the Government of Nova Scotia to the class. Mr. Smith ensured all in attendance that the Government is “strongly committed to diversity and equality” and that the Government realizes that persons with disabilities “are committed people who simply want the opportunity to use their skills and talents to provide for their families and make Nova Scotia a stronger and more productive place.” Mr. Smith further spoke to the fact that this past spring the Government of Nova Scotia was one of the first to support Canada’s ratification of the United Nation’s treaty on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He challenged all levels of government and business to make a real difference in the lives of disabled Nova Scotians.
Those in attendance were treated by having Mr. Dan MacNeil, Sydney entrepreneaur and a person with a disability, address them as the guest speaker. Mr. MacNeil (Mayor of OurTownEarth.com) recounted the many challenges that stood in his way of reaching his dreams and goals. As a person with cerebral palsy he has successfully been a member of Canada’s Armed Forces militia, completing two tours of duty, a member of a volunteer fire department, and a successful institutional correctional officer. He stated “If the door you knock on doesn’t open for you the first time, knock harder.”
Class valedictorian, Marian Kelly reminded those assembled that “everybody has a talent” that is waiting to be found. She stated that in order to find that talent sometimes in life we have to try many different things in various workplaces. She said “We will find our niche and with that we will find contentment.”
The project was expertly facilitated by Kalysa Archibald who during her moving address thanked each of the participants themselves. She stated, “You have overcome much, you have persevered beyond what many people could endure, you have risen to challenges that many in our society do not appreciate or understand, and I have learned so much from you every day.”
Finally, Chris Cook, Executive Director of East Novability thanked the funding partners, Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development and the Department of Community Services. He thanked program partners such as the Antigonish Career Resource Center for their professionalism and tremendous support along with the employers who hosted the participants work placements. Cook was delighted to announce that the participants “have demonstrated to themselves, their family and friends, their employers, and to the other support people in their lives, that they can work and be productive.” Speaking directly to the class, he stated “you proved many people wrong today and that makes me very very happy for you.”
24 Sep 2010 by Gerard
We don’t need to be Babysat
At present, persons with a wide array of disabilities are working regular hours alongside their peers in jobs right across the four Strait Area Counties. How can I be so certain of this? Well, numbers don’t lie. It is a documented fact, that Nova Scotia has the highest per capita rate of disabled population in the country. One in five people in Nova Scotia have a disability. I also know this to be true because each day staff here at East Novability are working to fill employment needs in the Strait area with our clients. In Antigonish at this moment, a successful Transition to Employment program for 10 persons with disabilities is running; and the placements are going very well. However, it surprised me to learn that some employers still maintained significant bias when it came to considering hiring a person with a disability. More than once I was asked by employers if the clients for which I was trying to secure a work placement had to be “babysat.” The other question I was asked regularly was“Can they be productive?” When presented with these sort of questions, I knew the placement would not likely be successful as the employer was pre-judging the potential employee, but my answer I would provide would be quite standard.
Persons with disabilities can and do work. They are as productive as other employees, and employers regularly rate the performance of disabled workers the same as non-disabled employees. Persons with disabilities, like everyone else, are individuals with different skills and capabilities – some will be right for an employer, others will not. Changing policies and practices at a workplace to accommodate disabled workers is not about charity. It is about being more flexible and inclusive of people with diverse needs, and doing what the law dictates.
Many of the barriers facing person with disabilities looking for work, and employers seeking to hire them, are structural problems affecting the employment system. Employed disabled persons aged 16-64 in Nova Scotia, increased from 36% of labour market inclusion to 47% between 1999 and 2006. This is further proof that persons with disabilities value employment and want to contribute to the economic and community prosperity of the province. Moreover, it shows the great value of organizations like East Novability and its nine sister agencies across the province; as workforce participation for persons with disabilities increased greater than for any other group over the same time period.
Employers need to plan ahead in response to Nova Scotia’s rapidly changing demographics. The population is aging and shrinking, and by the end of next year the working age population will begin to quickly decline. The NS Department of Labour and Workforce Development has estimated that 55,000 jobs will open up in the province by 2014. Hiring persons with disabilities is a productive way to respond to this looming labour force challenge. Employers can engage their colleagues and explain the need for action. They can find out more about how to effectively promote change and seek answers to common misconceptions about disabilities by contacting the appropriate organizations. Disability should be understood and accepted alongside other varied and complex issues in society.
Disabled persons offer a significant and untapped talent pool to public and private sector employers. Creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can contribute expands the possibilities for greater achievement and success, not only for the disabled employee, but for the business that openly and visibly includes all of society; and who doesn’t ignore the other 20% of the population. Not only are persons with disabilities potential employees, they are always potential customers. We must keep in mind at all times, that the disabled population is the only minority group in society that we all have the potential to join at any time in our life.
If you are a person with a disability seeking employment or wishing to return to school please contact our office to discuss with a Case Manager the options available to you. Also, if you are a business owner or someone in charge of hiring at your place of work, please contact our office to learn about the supports and services that are available to your business when hiring persons with disabilities.
13 Sep 2010 by Chris
Annual Open House and Employer / Client Partnership Awards
Port Hawkesbury, December 1, 2009……East Novability Society for Persons with Disabilities, held its annual Open House and Employer / Client Partnership Awards at St. Mark’s United Church Hall, Tuesday, December 1st in Port Hawkesbury. 35 employers and four clients were specially recognized at the celebration. East Novability provides employment support services for persons with disabilities within the counties of Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, and Richmond. Cyril MacDonald, Board Chair of East Novability welcomed all those in attendance from across the service area, and Executive Director, Chris Cook, further expressed his gratitude for the support shown by the funders of the programs that East Novability delivers including: Employment Nova Scotia, Service Canada, and the Department of Community Services. Addressing the employers in attendance, Cook stated “These businesses, whether they realize it or not, helped to change the lives of the many skilled people that myself and my staff have had the privilege to work with each day. Having a job is a fundamental right of all citizens of our province, and having a job contributes greatly to one’s overall mental and physical well being.” Cook also had encouraging words for the clients East Novability. He stated, “Finding a job is a huge milestone for all our clients, but there are some people that just stick in your mind because of their tenacity, determination, life experience and situation, place of residence, or other immediate factors that make finding a job even more of a challenge and therefore even a greater accomplishment.”
Jim Boudreau, MLA for Guysborough – Sheet Harbour, assisted in the award presentations, and brought greetings on behalf of Premier Darrell Dexter. MLA Boudreau stated “As we prepare to celebrate International Day of the Disabled Person later this week, I would like to take a moment to thank East Novability staff and volunteers for their dedication and commitment to persons with disabilities. Each and every day, you provide Nova Scotians with the tools they need to conquer any project, big or small, all while contributing to a strong community.”
The four clients singled out at the awards ceremony for their significant accomplishments this past year were: Robert Breau, of Louisdale, currently employed as a driver with Strait Area Transit; MacKenzie MacLean of Port Hawkesbury, currently employed with Harbourview Construction of Arichat, Stephanie Myatt of Port Hawkesbury and formerly Harve Boucher, currently employed with WalMart Port Hawkesbury, and Joan Reid of Canso, currently employed at the Canso Seaside Manor.
05 Dec 2009 by Chris
East Novability: Connecting Strait Area Businesses to the Right Employees
Since 2001, East Novability Society for Persons with Disabilities has been working to connect business to the talented employees of the Strait area. Since 2001, East Novability Society for Persons with Disabilities has been working to connect business to the talented employees of the Strait area. East Novability is there to serve business’ needs for accessing potential employees, to provide job coaching follow up addressing work place issues; liaising between employee and employer to ensure job maintenance and success, and East Novability can advise business on proper accommodation and sensitivity for disabled staff; where necessary.
Once contacted, East Novability will work to connect your business with the best possible employee. East Novability can facilitate incentives such as wage subsidies and job coaching to help in the success of full time employment. All of East Novability’s services are free to the business community. The experienced and professional staff will assist you in all steps of the process; as they are dedicated to ensuring success for their clients.
Ken Macdonald works in Antigonish and Guysborough Counties as Job Developer; with outreach offices in Antigonish, Guysborough, Sherbrooke, Canso, and is in Port Hawkesbury regularly to meet with businesses clients from the Mulgrave area. Darrell Landry is the Job Developer for Inverness and Richmond Counties and has outreach offices in Petit De Grat, St. Peter’s, Inverness, Cheticamp, and is in Port Hawkesbury regularly to serve businesses and clients. Andrea MacEachern can work in all four Strait area Counties to provide hands-on job coaching for employees.
At present our available employees include: auto service helper, group home residence counselor, cabinet maker, carpenter, labourer, bookkeeper, stockroom worker, woodworker, laundry worker, housekeeper, truck driver, prep cook, heavy equipment operator, medical laboratory assistant, personal care worker, welder, social worker, business administrator, security guard, painter, child care worker, waiter, recreation director, office administrator, bus driver, retail clerk, LPN, mechanic, dog groomer, hotel night auditor, janitor, or flagman.
So, if you manage or own a local business, and could use someone from this list, please call us at 625-0001 (toll free at 1-800-686-1899) or email to admin@eastnovability.ca. Our main office is conveniently located at 609 Church St., Port Hawkesbury, Suite 102. Visit our website at www.eastnovability.ca Thank you.
31 Jan 2009 by Chris
New software helps locals at East Novability by Adam Cooke of The Reporter
PORT HAWKESBURY - He had no experience at a computer during his first five decades of life, and no eyesight to allow him to absorb the contents of a typical computer screen. But Pat Hearn is now using digital technology to help him in his job as a dispatcher with Superport Marine Services Limited, and a new wave of audio-driven software is partly responsible for this development. The Job Access With Speech (JAWS) program, which uses a voice synthesizer and computer sound card to speak the contents of a computer screen, is compatible with e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, instant messaging and Web browsers. It has enabled Hearn to dispatch work boats, send crews to make deliveries and run shuttles to ships in the Strait of Canso, and keep in touch with the main Superport Marine office - all from the comfort of his Mulgrave home.
Ten Commandments By Chris Cook: East Novability Society for Persons With Disabilities
More and more, we are seeing people with a varied array of disabilities working in almost all job sectors. More and more, employers are realizing that people with disabilities have as many abilities as people without disabilities. Also, more employers are realizing that the adjustments that need to be made to a workplace are very minimal to accommodate a person’s disability. Therefore, as employers, co-workers, and cliental, we need to understand a few basic rules when interacting with people who have disabilities. Most are common sense, and likely we all follow; however it is good to remind ourselves for future situations.
By: Chris Cook East Novability Society for Persons with Disabilities
As a college student, I had numerous friends. John was one of them. He seemed completely healthy, and able to focus and work on his coursework the same as the rest of us. This all changed during one evening class, when he had a seizure. No one knew this intimate detail about his health. He just wanted to feel the same as everyone else. However, after this seizure he had others, as his Epilepsy was not controlled. He had to drop out of the program because he was often fatigued and found he couldn’t focus on his coursework well enough to get the grades he wanted. As well, there was a lack of understanding from teaching staff. Unfortunately, many fellow students began shying away from John, as they didn’t know how to be around him any more. Did he deserve different treatment from others? Not socially at least, but he did deserve different treatment from professors; to accommodate for his hidden disability that affected his work. He still was intelligent and very capable of doing the work, but he often couldn’t do it at the same pace, or within the same time standards. Accommodation and understanding would have served John well.
Accessibility and Awareness By: Chris Cook East Novability Society for Persons with Disabilities
Did you ever walk up to a set of automatic doors, burdened with your parcels of purchase, only to realize at the last second that they don’t work? I know I have, and it is very frustrating, as you end up pushing your way backward through the door, often causing unnecessary discomfort. Thankfully, the majority of us are able-bodied and can do that. Now, just for a moment, imagine if you were someone with a disability. This would be much more difficult or maybe impossible. Many people in our communities have limitations that make the seemingly simple task of opening a door difficult. They rely upon businesses to do everything they can to make sure their “doors are always open.” However, the reality is, not all businesses have an “open door policy.” Most workplaces and businesses are not universally accessible.
Self-esteem is one of those issues that we don’t like to admit we have a problem with, but if you are unemployed and disabled, it is a topic that you likely struggle with on a daily basis. Having healthy self-esteem is not something that you need a rocket scientist to define, but we all have the ability to have healthy self-esteem, even faced with unique and challenging circumstances.
It is something that I have hearing much about over the past six months. Numerous clients of our services have stated that having a job, or knowing that the avenue for help is available, would or have make them feel much better about themselves and greatly increase self-esteem and the feeling of self-worth.
24 Jan 2008 by Chris
Crystal Burke Story
PORT HOOD—A car careens of the road and goes over a bank. The driver suffers a broken back at the T11 and T12 points. The ribs on the left side of her body, her left arm and right hand are all broken and her lung is punctured. She is only 19 years old. For Crystal Burke this could have been the end of the story but she has made a choice. This is her beginning. On a very different path at the time her accident, Burke had always expressed an interest in computers. When her accident left her in a wheelchair she knew she would have to adapt and decided to make computers the focus of her new career. She studied Web design and began working in the field, successfully hosting several Websites upon completing her studies. She then made the move to Vancouver, which is ranked as one of the most wheelchair accessible cities in North America, hoping for more employment opportunities. But she quickly felt herself being pulled back home and returned last October.
There are few certainties in life. For 152,000 Nova Scotians who have a disability, they understand the full meaning of that statement. However, life does not have to drastically change or be different from the rest of society for a person with a disability. People with disabilities maintain most of their abilities, but may face challenges with mobility, stamina, strength, learning, reading, writing, hearing, seeing, speaking, and mental functioning, depending upon their specific disability
