SEPTEMBER IS DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT MONTH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA!

September is Disability Employment month in British Columbia and the Career Centre is celebrating the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, as well as the employers and communities that support their success.

Please join us on Wednesday September 20^th from 4-5 pm when staff from the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society will be coming to Parksville with their workshop ‘Understanding Brain Injury’. This free workshop is designed for people living with brain injury, their family and friends, as well as service providers to have a better understanding of the complex issues and consequences of acquired brain injury. Call 250.248.3205 for more information or to reserve your spot.

More than a half million British Columbians live with some form of disability including physical, mental and emotional. Some barriers people with disabilities may face in the workplace include discrimination during the recruitment process, lack of disability awareness on the part of the employer, and an unwillingness to provide reasonable accommodations.  Employers could hold false beliefs that employees with disabilities are less productive with lower capacity, costly, and harder to dismiss for underperformance. The fact is, people with disabilities represent a highly-skilled yet under-utilized pool of individuals that could supply the workforce demand that exists today. According to the Job Accommodation Network, 57% of employees with disabilities cost their organizations nothing to accommodate, with the majority of requests being for flexible work hours, requests for job redesign and requests for additional training. According to Statistics Canada, the most frequently required workplace accommodation was flexible work schedules in the form of modified hours or days, or reduced work hours.

If you have a disability and are seeking employment, you may be torn on whether to disclose your disability to the prospective employer. You are not legally required to disclose your disability if you do not need accommodations, but consider your strengths and barriers and apply for a position in which you will be successful. The publication, Disclosing Your Disability – A Legal Guide for People with Disabilities in BC  produced by the Disability Alliance of BC, has great information on disclosing your disability and accommodations, including a table on the advantages and disadvantages of disclosure at various stages of your job search. Remember, employers may ask if you are able to meet the requirements of the job, although they legally cannot ask if you have a disability in an interview.

It requires resilience and courage to apply for and sustain employment, as well as fully participate in one’s community when faced with a life-changing disability. By focusing on what you have to offer because of the barriers you overcome, paired with the compassion, understanding and accommodation of employers, we can work together to have an inclusive community.

• Check out our workshops at the Career Centre such as “Branding You”
• Want to develop your personal resilience? Check out these helpful resources
• Other helpful resources to help you succeed

Join us as we celebrate Disability Employment Month!

September is Disability Employment month in British Columbia, and the Career Centre is celebrating the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, as well as the employers and communities that support their success. More than a half million British Columbians live with some form of disability including physical, mental and emotional.

Some barriers people with disabilities may face in the workplace include discrimination during the recruitment process, lack of disability awareness on the part of the employer, and an unwillingness to provide reasonable accommodations.  During the hiring process employers are obligated to avoid inappropriate lines of questioning and to provide reasonable accommodation such as providing written materials in accessible formats and ensuring that all aspects of the application process can be held in accessible locations. Employers could hold false beliefs that employees with disabilities are less productive with lower capacity, costly, and harder to dismiss for underperformance. The fact is that people with disabilities represent a highly-skilled yet under-utilized pool of individuals that could supply the workforce demand that exists today. According to the Job Accommodation Network 57% of employees with disabilities cost their organizations nothing to accommodate with the majority of requests being for flexible work hours, requests for job redesign and requests for additional training.  According to Statistics Canada, the most frequently required workplace accommodation was flexible work schedules in the form of modified hours or days, or reduced work hours.

If you have a disability and are seeking employment, you may be torn on whether to disclose your disability to the prospective employer. You are not legally required to disclose your disability if you do not need accommodations, but consider your strengths and barriers and apply for a position in which you will be successful. The publication, Disclosing Your Disability – A Legal Guide for People with Disabilities in BC  produced by the Disability Alliance of BC, has great information on disclosing your disability and accommodations, including a table on the advantages and disadvantages of disclosure at various stages of your job search.  Remember, employers may ask if you are able to meet the requirements of the job, although they legally cannot ask if you have a disability in an interview.

It requires resilience and courage to apply for and sustain employment, as well as fully participate in one’s community when faced with a life-changing disability.  By focusing on what you have to offer because of the barriers you overcome, paired with the compassion, understanding and accommodation of employers, we can work together to have an inclusive community.

• Check out our workshops at the Career Centre such as “Branding You”
  https://www.careercentre.org/workshops-events/

• Want to develop your personal resilience? Check-out this helpful guide and workbook:
  https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/pdf/From_Surviving_to_Thriving_EN.pdf

• Other helpful resources to help you succeed:
  https://www.workbc.ca/Resources-for/People-with-Disabilities.aspx

 

 

 

 

9 – September 2021 News
IN THIS ISSUE: Gone are the relaxing days of summer!; We’re adding to our team and looking for a superstar! Is that you?: Are your skills a little rusty?; Workshop Schedule; Literacy Month – Sock it to Literacy! Campaign; Our Tutoring Program; Disability Employment Month; Tip of the Month; Making Age an Assetworkshop during Active Aging Week; Get in touch with us! and more…

September is Disability Employment month in British Columbia, and the Career Centre is celebrating our inclusive employers and the important contributions individuals with disabilities are making in the workplace. Watch for our employer panel discussion that will be airing in the second half of September where we speak with three local employers about their experiences with, and the benefits of, having an inclusive and diverse workplace. More than a half million British Columbians live with some form of disability including physical, mental and emotional. Individuals in the workforce may still face discriminatory and/or illegal business practices and/or policies.

Numerous studies indicate hiring strategies that include a diverse and inclusive workforce have proven beneficial. Businesses have seen measured increases in relevance, innovation and adaptability, among other areas, by proactively creating a culture of inclusion, which also extends to workers with disabilities. Companies and organizations that have a diverse workforce are often perceived as better employers and enjoy a more positive reputation in their community.

Employers often have questions around supporting employees with disabilities and what job accommodations look like. Many times there is funding available for select accommodations.

Questions for businesses to consider include:

• What limitations is the employee experiencing?
• How do these limitations affect the employee and the employee’s job performance?
• What specific job tasks are problematic as a result of these limitations?
• What accommodations are available to reduce or eliminate these problems? Are all possible resources being used to determine possible accommodations?
• Has the employee been consulted regarding possible accommodations?
• Once accommodations are in place, would it be useful to meet with the employee to evaluate the effectiveness of the accommodations and to determine whether additional accommodations are needed?
• Do supervisory personnel and employees need training?

(Job Accommodation Network, askjan.org)

Job accommodations can be something as simple as modifying job tasks or work schedules. Sometimes accommodations can include assistive technologies, such as telephone headsets or adjustable height desks. We work with the Neil Squire Society who provides services designed to assist individuals stay or re-enter the workforce with suitable accommodations.

Questions? We can help. If you are an individual with a disability wondering about your options or pathway into the workforce, give us a call. Are you an employer who would like to learn more about programs available to assist you in supporting workers with disabilities? We want to hear from you!