Announcements
Abilities Magazine
| March 17th, 2004 | |
The ForumCanadian Council On Rehabilitation And WorkFall 2000. Issue 44: p. 54 Forumby Joan Westland Over the past four years, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) has discussed funding with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). The vision of the organization is to enter into a partnership with HRDC that would ensure sustained funding and mutual benefit from the organization and the department’s expertise. The approach would ensure that governments and communities gain maximum benefits from the programs and services developed by CCRW. At the same time, the financial security would provide CCRW with the capacity to implement long-term strategies with employers, labour, governments and agencies that would result in significant employment for people with disabilities. The Skills Training Partnership (STP) model is an example of a Canadian success story. Its development with employers across Canada has secured meaningful employment of people with disabilities -- real jobs for real people that are not wage subsidized or part of a pilot project! The STP has demonstrated access to work, as well as retention and removal of barriers within the workplace itself. The Internet service, WORKink, has given CCRW the opportunity to partner with governments and organizations across the country. Typical to information technology, WORKink continues to evolve. It also has brought international attention to the work and services provided across Canada by national organizations and community agencies. There has been significant investment of tax dollars by HRDC in CCRW over the years. The return on the investment currently sits in jeopardy, as bureaucrats struggle to identify the funding resources that CCRW may access. There is no doubt that the current negotiations between CCRW and HRDC are based on good will and the best of intentions. There is some doubt, however, that the outcome of the negotiations will satisfy the financial needs of CCRW. There are many reasons why the current crisis of the CCRW is underway. Some of the reasons are obvious, and others are more obscure. It’s ironic that an organization with the exclusive mandate to promote the employment of people with disabilities is faced with laying off people with disabilities. It seems strange that CCRW is identified as an example of "best practices" within the "In Unison" document and cited in the government national strategy, yet, at the same time, is shutting down. It is frustrating that, after 30 years of work and when employers are finally starting to participate in effective hiring programs, CCRW is threatened with closure of its doors. The question -- why? -- remains unanswered. The other question that remains unanswered is: Where do we go from here? (Joan Westland is Executive Director of CCRW. For more information, call (416) 260-3060.)
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