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Abilities Magazine
| March 17th, 2004 | |
The ForumHuman Resources Development CanadaWinter 1994. Issue 21: p. 37 Forumby Audrey McIraith Imagine someone earning a master�s degree in Social Work and gaining 12 years of employment experience as a counsellor and administrator in clinical and community-based settings. Then imagine this person being laid off and facing the "what now?" dilemma. What if this person happened to be legally blind? What kinds of employment options are available to this person? Unemployment insurance will assist financially, but what happens after the benefits run out? Now imagine someone who uses a wheelchair and would like to work, but has had limited opportunity for employment. What if this person receives social assistance, is Aboriginal and resides on a reserve? Even if this person considers self-employment, the potential for accessing a small-business loan is not promising. Fortunately for both Ernie Masiowski of Winnipeg and Clifford Twigg of the Blood tribe in southern Alberta, there was a viable alternative. They were both informed of a new initiative by Human Resource Development (HRD) Canada. The initiative is called the Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) Pilot Program for People with Disabilities. HRD had been running a regular SEA program across Canada that provided financial assistance to people with and without disabilities in receipt of unemployment insurance (UI) who wanted to start their own businesses. People who receive UI benefits normally lose those benefits when they start a business. The SEA program, however, provides people with the greater of their regular UI benefits or a basic allowance while accessing self-employment training and support through community organizations. This regular SEA program, however, had reported only a two per cent participation rate of people with disabilities, while the labour market availability of people with disabilities was 6.5 per cent (1991). The discrepancy between these rates demonstrated the need for HRD to take steps to improve the SEA participation of people with disabilities. Hence, the SEA pilot initiative was launched specifically for people with disabilities. Funds have been distributed to four pilot sites across Canada, including St. John�s, Newfoundland; Montreal, Quebec; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Calgary, Alberta. The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) has been contracted to provide assistance and consultative support for the project within each pilot site. Approximately 10 people with disabilities in each site who are receiving unemployment insurance (in some provinces), social assistance, or other forms of income will be accepted into the project. They must have the interest, skill and motivation to be self-employed in order to access the training, counselling and technical support offered through the existing regular, nation-wide SEA program for people in receipt of unemployment insurance. Within this pilot project, income support will be paid for a maximum of 52 weeks while a person is starting and running a business. Supplementary allowances are available for expenses such as commuting, dependant care, travel, disability management and child care for this same time period. A fund is available for any disability-related accommodation needs for the training. A loans fund also has been designated to assist participants with business start-up expenses, although other credit sources and lending models will be explored during the pilot project. While all this financial support is available, participants must work full-time on their businesses and are responsible for the complete administration of self-employment projects. Within each of the four pilot sites there are unique needs, and so the project is developing in a way that reflects some of those needs. For example, Calgary is working specifically with five Treaty Seven reserves in southern Alberta. St. John�s, Newfoundland is opening its pilot project to the entire province, while both Winnipeg and Montreal are limiting the pilot to their greater metropolitan areas. The recruitment strategy involves the promotion of the project to the community by way of an orientation session to local job developers, employment counsellors, vocational rehabilitation specialists and organizations of/for people with disabilities. Referrals will be made to a designated Canada Employment Centre or other contact which conducts the initial eligibility screening. HRD offers an initial orientation session to potential participants, through a designated organization, to provide a realistic understanding of the risks and opportunities involved in becoming self-employed. If still interested, individuals will complete an application and must be assessed and accepted by a local business development centre (BDC). The BDC delivers the training and provides the counselling and technical assistance over the 52-week period. Self-employment is one of the fastest growing sectors of new jobs in Canada. Although self-employment is not for everyone, it is a viable option for many, including people with disabilities. For Ernie and Clifford, the risks of self-employment are worth their efforts. Ernie plans to run a private counselling practice and Clifford plans to operate a wheelchair repair shop and a counselling service for five bands within the Treaty Seven area. The SEA pilot project is providing the support necessary to make their self-employment goals become a reality. For more information about the SEA project in one of the pilot sites, contact: Wins Briffett in St. John�s Newfoundland, (709) 772-2211; Stephane Dufour in Montreal, Quebec, (514) 283-4653; Christine Petkeau in Winnipeg, Manitoba, (204) 983-3912; or Keith MacDonald in Tsuu T�ina, Alberta, (403) 251-9242. (Audrey McIlraith works with CCRW as National Consultant, SEA Pilot Project.)
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