EnableLink: Employment: Articles

April 2^nd, 2008

Employment: Articles

Abilities Magazine Archive

Healthy Farm Communities Resource Kit: The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (CCDS) has broken new ground in rural Manitoba with a project concerning farmers with ...
73 Winter, 2007
Work-related Learning & Labour Market Inclusion: By Alex Stephens

This article is the third in a series commissioned by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) on issues related to disabilities and to the themes of its five Knowledge Centres: Aboriginal Learning; ...
73 Winter, 2007
Take Two Turning Disability Into a Business Opportunity: By Linda Pepin-Ingram

The author talks about how multiple sclerosis influenced her career path and led to her new ...
66 Spring, 2006
Opportunity Knocks: By Cindy Rehberg

One of the newest opportunities for people with disabilities who are thinking about self-employment is the online Business Abilities Program started by the Canadian Society for Social ...
65 Winter, 2005
Honda Canada penalized for discrimination toward employee with chronic fatigue syndrome: In March 2005, an Ontario Court ordered Honda Canada Inc. to pay the highest penalty ever imposed for an employment case in ...
63 Summer, 2005
Exploring Opportunities CIBC Hosts Career Symposium for People with Disabilities: By Dauna Jones-Simmonds

On Tuesday, October 12, 2004, CIBC hosted a highly successful career symposium for people with disabilities at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. Close to 300 people from across the greater Toronto ...
61 Winter, 2004
Best Practices Re-Inventing Employment Services: By Alar Prost, David Redmond

After decades of effort and a myriad of government-sponsored activities, people with disabilities are taking small steps toward full socio-economic integration. In this article, the third in a ...
61 Winter, 2004
Pursuing a Paycheque Job Seekers Reveal What Worked for Them: By David Redmond, Alar Prost

This is the second installment in a series about a new study exploring why so many employers fail to tap into the wealth of human potential in people with disabilities. In this issue, successful job ...
60 Fall, 2004
Inclusion and Business The Power of Leveraging Differences: By the Canadian Abilities Foundation

In high-performance workplaces, leveraging the power of diversity means maximizing capacity and fully utilizing raw materials, including the value added by people. Diversity and inclusion have ...
60 Fall, 2004
From Joblessness to a Career An Innovative Program Helps to Overcome Challenges to Employment: By Miguel Aguayo

While changing your career is no small feat, relocating to a new country with a disability is even more challenging. Welcome to Peninah Mutinda’s ...
59 Summer, 2004
Neglected or Hidden Connecting Employers and People with Disabilities: By Alar Prost, David Redmond

Why are so many employers failing to tap into the wealth of human potential in people with disabilities? After all, as a group they make up some 13 per cent of the working age population. Neglected ...
59 Summer, 2004
A Creative Employment Solution: By the Canadian Abilities Foundation

Canadians with disabilities have a new opportunity to become their own boss, thanks to the Internet Business Development for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (IBDE) ...
58 Spring, 2004
A Job Site with a Difference The NEADS Online Work System (NOWS): By Jennifer Asuncion

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) has created a job site with a difference. The NEADS Online Work System (NOWS) is the organization’s ...
58 Spring, 2004
Aftershock Support for Survivors of Electrical Burns: Meet an electrical burn survivor who lives with significant disabilities, and finds it hardest to deal with the attitudes of others – those who won’t or can’t believe in the extent of his invisible ...
56 Fall, 2003
Post-Secondary Education First Phase of School-to-Work Transition Study Completed: Many studies have confirmed that people with disabilities experience considerable barriers to obtaining post-secondary education and employment. Researchers have also found that people with ...
56 Fall, 2003
Odd Jobs Dream Careers Don’t Have To Be Conventional: By Anna Quon

Your disability shouldn’t pigeonhole you into a specific job type. What counts are your talent and your dreams. Anything is possible! In this feature, successful people with disabilities in a variety ...
56 Fall, 2003
The Federal Public Service Opportunities for all Canadians: By Nurjehan Mawani

On December 3, 2002, Commissioner Nurjehan Mawani, CM, of the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Canada was invited by the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres to commemorate the United ...
55 Summer, 2003
Office Politics Employment Prospects are Coloured by Ethnocultural Background: By Anna Quon

It’s difficult enough to find a job these days, and we know those difficulties are amplified when you have a disability. Add a non-mainstream ethnocultural background to the mix, and you have many ...
54 Spring, 2003
The Quest for Equity Breathing in New Life: By Nicole Chénier-Cullen

Federal employment equity legislation has helped to make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities (as well as those of three other designated groups: women, Aboriginal peoples and ...
54 Spring, 2003
Celebrating Gadgets and Gizmos Tetra Ontarioâ€™s First Gizmo Awards: On May 31, 2002, a group of 130 people gathered at the CNE Banquet Hall in Toronto to attend the Gizmo Awards 2002, celebrating the work of outstanding Tetra volunteers. The awards luncheon, ...
52 Fall, 2002
Working Towards Employment Leveling the Playing Field: By Carter Hammett

The mission statement could not be more clear: "To be the best employment service for people with disabilities in the Greater Toronto Area." And, after assisting thousands to re-enter the ...
52 Fall, 2002
Drug and Alcohol Testing Human Rights in the Workplace: By Kerry Buck

In their quest to ensure a safe working environment, a growing number of employers are turning to random drug and alcohol testing to identify employees who are impaired while on the job. Sounds ...
52 Fall, 2002
A Higher Quality of Life Initiatives Supported by the Sam Sullivan Disability Foundation: The Sam Sullivan Disability Foundation supports initiatives that help people with significant disabilities achieve a higher quality of life. The following are some organizations that exist because of ...
51 Summer, 2002
The Employment Equity Report The Report Yields Mixed Results: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

Overcoming obstacles is something that Canadians with disabilities do on a daily basis. From encountering doorways that are too narrow or thresholds that are too high to cross with a wheelchair, to ...
51 Summer, 2002
Meet Carole J. Barron CCRWâ€™s New Executive Director: On April 1, 2002, Carole J. Barron assumed the position of Executive Director with the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW). Carole brings a wealth of experience to this position, and ...
51 Summer, 2002
Making It Work Dispelling Disability Myths in a Job Interview: By Wayne Forster

When a job candidate is a person with a disability, an employer may hold concerns - whether legitimate or imagined. In this article, learn how to respond to employers’ questions and alleviate their ...
50 Spring, 2002
Accommodation is Not a Courtesy ...Itâ€™s the Law: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin once said: "The essence of equality is to be treated according to one’s own merit, capabilities and circumstances. True equality requires that differences be ...
50 Spring, 2002
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks Turning the Wheels, Moving Forward: By Joan Westland

A few months ago, my granddaughter and I were discussing the challenge of training our dog, Rex. Rex moved in with us a few years ago when his owners sold their house and moved away, leaving the ...
50 Spring, 2002
Best Practices Home-Based Employment Handbook Published: By Robb Nickel

The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (CCDS) recently published a handbook, Best Practices in the Home-Based Employment of People with Disabilities, based on a study that examined the ...
50 Spring, 2002
Dr. Charles Laszlo Receives Gold Medal: On May 26, the Canadian engineering profession’s top honour, the Gold Medal, was conferred on Dr. Charles Laszlo of Vancouver, B.C. Dr. Laszlo, who has a profound hearing loss, was honoured for his ...
48 Fall, 2001
Unique Employment Opportunities: Unique Employment Opportunities (UEO) in Victoria is committed to connecting people with disabilities with employers. The non-profit program is funded by the B.C. Ministry of Social Development and ...
48 Fall, 2001
A World of Opportunities Let Us Be Your Gateway!: By Suzee Cameron

What’s new with the Neil Squire Foundation in the 21st century? We have a new look. We have a new employment training program. Our Research and Development Group has moved into a new lab at the ...
48 Fall, 2001
Results of the Employer Audits More Progress Needed to Achieve Employment Equity: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

"People with disabilities are too often denied access to the workforce..." -- Canadian Human Rights Commission 2000 Annual Report The above statement sums up the challenge that ...
47 Summer, 2001
Here We Go Again! CCRW Continues to Struggle for Funds: By Joan Westland

Last year around this time, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and just about every other organization that receives money from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) were ...
47 Summer, 2001
Is It a Mess? Is It a Barrier? ...Yes, and Itâ€™s Also HRDC: By Laurie Beachell

Since 1993, the federal department designated to maintain the lead on disability issues has been Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). As everyone now knows, HRDC’s grant practices were called ...
47 Summer, 2001
Adventures in Entrepreneurship Is Starting Your Own Business Right for You?: By Deborah Debord

Have you always dreamed of being your own boss, but not been sure it’s right for you? This article will take you through the steps of assessing your skills and passions and learning if you have what ...
46 Spring, 2001
Habits that Work Keep Attention Deficit Disorder from Creating Workplace Disorder: By Jean Marie Cousins

With a few creative tricks and some strategic planning, the worker with attention deficit disorder can equal -- even outshine -- the performance of non-disabled peers. Find out ...
45 Winter, 2000
Ability Edge An Extra Edge for Youth with Disabilities and Employers: By Sandra MacInnis

Although todayâ€™s university, college and high school graduates are facing significant obstacles in securing meaningful, career-related employment, Canadaâ€™s youth with disabilities are ...
45 Winter, 2000
Paving the Road to Opportunity CCRW Seeks National Support: By Carolyn MacDiarmid

Since 1976, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work has been paving the road to opportunity for Canadian work seekers with disabilities. Through its projects and services, CCRW has made great ...
45 Winter, 2000
Improved Access for Injured Workers: A new link to Injured Workersâ€™ Resources makes it even easier for users of the EnableLink website to find information on events, articles, organizations, support groups and chats that are ...
44 Fall, 2000
Ensuring Equal Opportunity Addressing Systemic Accommodation: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

"Accommodation of differences... is the true essence of equality." -- John Sopinka, 1997 The duty to accommodate peopleâ€™s different needs resulting from factors such as ...
44 Fall, 2000
Where Do We Go from Here? CCRW in Crisis: By 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 ...
44 Fall, 2000
Self-Employment as a Career Option Assistance for Entrepreneurs: This is the story of three very determined people with disabilities who have participated in the Self Employment Assistance (SEA) program in Toronto. The program is funded by Human Resources ...
44 Fall, 2000
Career Development An Edge for Employers of Choice: Canadaâ€™s cultural diversity, the future leadership of the federal Public Service and career development are closely interlinked. Active participation of employment equity designated group ...
44 Fall, 2000
Be a Smart Shopper! Choosing Back-to-Work Services: By Louise Desmarais

Youâ€™ve decided that you want to return to work. Now what? You probably know that a few refresher courses are in order, and if youâ€™ve been out of the work force for a while, you may need ...
44 Fall, 2000
WORKink A Tool for Job Seekers with Disabilities: By Miguel Aguayo

Your friend just handed you an advertisement for a job. The responsibilities for the position look attractive, and you can live with the salary. Your excitement builds as many of the listed ...
43 Summer, 2000
Take a Look The New and Improved CCRW Website: By Joan Westland

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is proud to present our new and improved website. Come and visit us on the web at www.ccrw.org and explore our many features. We also invite your ...
43 Summer, 2000
Achieving Fair Employment A Human Rights Challenge: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

"All too often, persons with disabilities are assumed to be unable to accomplish certain tasks... The thrust of human rights legislation is to eliminate such assumptions and break down the ...
43 Summer, 2000
The HRDC Audit There are No Winners!: By Eric Boyd

"The aftermath of last yearâ€™s audit of some grants and contribution programs at Human Resources Development Canada is an example of a wind from which no good has come. All those involved ...
43 Summer, 2000
Job Postings on the Internet You Can Bank on It!: If you know where to look, the Internet is rich in resources for job seekers. Here, we feature eleven different Internet job banks containing Canadian jobs, and we tell you how you can find and use ...
42 Spring, 2000
Technology Trends Catch the Wave -- At Home and Office… An Interview with Bruce Sinclair: By Andy Shaw

A corporate executive in information and technology, Bruce Sinclair, discusses upcoming employment trends for people with disabilities. Find out how you can catch the ...
42 Spring, 2000
HRDC Opportunities Fund An Excellent Partnership: By Joan Terenisinski

His rehabilitation behind him, Andy geared up to return to work in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. An ODSP (Ontario Disability Supports Program) Employment Support Specialist told Andy about the ...
42 Spring, 2000
The Federal Student Work Experience Program Finding a Workplace of Choice: By Max Brault

“Where can a student with a disability find summer employment in today’s highly competitive market? Where can such a student gain valuable skills and work experience that could lead to meaningful ...
42 Spring, 2000
Employment Supports The Next Success Story Could Be You!: Do you have a disability and want to work? Can’t find work? Then you should take a look at the Ontario Disability Support Program — Employment Supports. If you qualify, Employment Supports ...
42 Spring, 2000
Wellsizing the WorkPlace Towards Inclusive Employment: The Wellsizing the Workplace Conference and Trade Show, the first of its kind in Canada, has been organized by leading Canadian corporations to highlight the importance of integrating people with ...
42 Spring, 2000
Weâ€™re About Work A Full Range of Accessible Services: By Karen Goldenberg

JVS IS ABOUT WORK. Itâ€™s about helping people from all walks of life overcome obstacles to successful employment and reach their economic potential. JVS provides development and delivery in ...
41 Winter, 1999
The Integration of Persons with an Intellectual Disability in our Society: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

The following is an excerpt of a speech pronounced recently by Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay at the 1999 Conference of the Canadian Association for Community Living. Not so long ago, the approach to ...
41 Winter, 1999
Permanently Purple - and Proud Of It Or: I Will Happily Edit if You Give Me Credit!: By Carolyn MacDiarmid

Working in downtown Toronto, I see scores of people every day, many of whom express their individuality by the way they present themselves. For example, a person who colours his or her hair purple ...
41 Winter, 1999
What About Sara? Equal Opportunity to Dream: By Dean Powers

As summer approached, graduates from secondary and post secondary schools were looking towards a career and facing the future of a rapidly changing labour market. At the invitation of close ...
41 Winter, 1999
Making the Connection: EMPLOYERS: Are you frustrated with sorting through hundreds of resumes and deciding which applicants to call? In the last two years, S.O.S. has helped more than 250 employers who hired persons ...
41 Winter, 1999
Want A Job? Take Control!: By Louise Desmarais

Thereâ€™s no doubt about it. Getting back into the workplace after a lengthy hiatus can be difficult. But for people who are discouraged or have given up because of a disability, itâ€™s time ...
40 Fall, 1999
Mentoring… An Ageless Tradition Brings New Skills to Job Seekers with Disabilities: By George MacDonald

Mentoring is not new. In fact, it is one of the oldest forms of influence dating back to Greek mythology. The name mentoring evolved from King Ithaca who asked his friend Mentor to look after his son ...
40 Fall, 1999
The Right Stuff Community-Based Agencies and the Older Entrepreneur with a Disability: By Patrica Brown

Some Canadian, community-based, employment agencies are in the business of helping older people find work; many also work towards finding positions for job seekers with disabilities. The challenges ...
40 Fall, 1999
A Recipe For Employment Preparing Clients for Todayâ€™s Workplace: By Bruce Williams

Take 64 years of training experience, add a friendly and accessiblelearning environment and mix in solid, community partnerships andyou have a recipe for back-to-work success. Goodwill opens its ...
40 Fall, 1999
Peer Involvement In the Employment Process At CPA Ontario Featured Presentation at Neurotrauma Connections â€™99 Symposium: By Sandra Mills

A study by M. Tonack et al. (1998), involving consumers with spinalcord injuries, found that peer mentoring is an effective means ofhelping people find and maintain employment. Clients looking for ...
40 Fall, 1999
Now Iâ€™M Hearing the Facts What I Didnâ€™t Know About Hearing Disability: By Carolyn MacDiarmid

As a person with a visual disability, I know that there are countless eye diseases and conditions that can affect people in various ways. The same disease can progress, stabilize or have different ...
40 Fall, 1999
Safe Return To Work : An Integrated Approach Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors must Lead the Process: By Judy Marshall

A rehabilitation professional must have excellent counseling skills when working in vocational rehabilitation. Counselors must understand individual needs as well as family goals, the physical and ...
40 Fall, 1999
Model In Designer Showcase: On March 23, Randy Upper became the first runway model with a disability to be featured in the Matinee Fashion Foundationâ€™s designer showcase. Upper, 30, displayed two outfits designed by ...
39 Summer, 1999
Down for the Count A Commentary on Employment Data Collection: By Joan Westland

In the past few months, there has been an epidemic sweeping the nation called "data collectitis." Organizations are counting people, people are counting organizations, governments are ...
39 Summer, 1999
Described Video A Career Opportunity Worth Talking About!: By Terry Costaris

Anyone who has tried just to "listen" to a movie knows that there are missing visual gaps that need to be filled in order to maximize the film experience. National Broadcast Reading ...
39 Summer, 1999
If you provide Employment Services 10 Tips for Surviving Ontario’s New Employment Support Regulations: By Nancy Moulsdale

Do you belong to an organization that provides employment services to people who have a disability? Get ready for some big changes. Say goodbye to the agency that provides a myriad of employment ...
39 Summer, 1999
Access-Ability Day Event Highlights Abilities of Employees with Disabilities: By Joanne Dibenedetto, Diane Packer

On June 16, 1999, TD Bank Financial Group and Cadillac Fairview will host the 11th annual Access-Ability Day in the TD Centre Courtyard. The event highlights the abilities of persons with ...
39 Summer, 1999
Would they Shoot Lassie? The Opportunity Works Conference: By Mel Graham

Human Resources Development Canadaâ€™s Opportunities Fund is currently being reviewed in anticipation of its March 31, 2000, expiry date. A highly visible component of this review was a March ...
39 Summer, 1999
Opportunities 45+ Championing the Cause of the Worker with Disabilities: By Patricia Brown

October 1998 saw the launch of an awareness initiative known as Opportunities 45+, created to help older workers with disabilities find and maintain employment. One Voice, the Canadian Seniors ...
39 Summer, 1999
Employment Barriers still Exist Canadians with Disabilities Still at the Losing End of Work Force Statistics: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsey

Last fall, the federal government introduced a strategy to help integrate people with disabilities into Canadian society. "In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disabilities Issues" was ...
39 Summer, 1999
Train for a New Career A New Start for a New Millennium: By Alar Prost

When most of us make a new resolution, start a new project or promise to take a new direction in life, we often do so on symbolic days. Like the first day of the week, or the first day of the year. ...
38 Spring, 1999
Internet Opportunities Hereâ€™s a Website That Will Put You to Work!: By Patricia Brown

If youâ€™ve spent any time on the Internet recently, youâ€™ll know that websites proliferate, covering as many interests as there are individuals. Some are sober and sophisticated in content, ...
38 Spring, 1999
The Employment Equity Act One Year Later: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

In the Spring 1998 issue of ABILITIES, I wrote that the new proactive Employment Equity Act is a major step to help us deal with the systemic barriers that Canadians with disabilities currently ...
38 Spring, 1999
Want To Create Job Opportunities? Partnerships the Focal Word in CCRW Workshops: By Carolyn MacDiarmid

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is promoting a new direction for disability agencies, through a workshop entitled Calling on Corporate Canada. This workshop focuses on the ...
38 Spring, 1999
A Unique Approach for Job Seekers Multi-Agency Consortium on Employment Services: Early in 1994, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) approached the Training Coordinating Group for Persons with Disabilities (TCG) to work with the greater Toronto community to develop a new ...
37 Winter, 1998
Older Workers with Disabilities Opportunities 45+: In July, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and One Voice, the Canadian Seniors Network, launched a national project to help workers aged 45 and over with disabilities find meaningful work. ...
37 Winter, 1998
The HRDC Website Information You Need -- When You Need It: The Internet is quickly changing the way we communicate with others and the way we seek information. Its impact on our society probably outweighs that of the Industrial Revolution. However, have you ...
37 Winter, 1998
Breaking Down Barriers Programs Assist Workplace Integration: By Andy Scott

The Government of Canada proclaimed a new and stronger Employment Equity Act in 1996 to guarantee protection and equal opportunities for qualified but disadvantaged groups, including persons with ...
37 Winter, 1998
Work Wires Telecommuting Can Be a Workable Option: By Keltie Creed

Times are changing. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to commute to work with a modem, instead of using a motorway or public transit. A growing number of people with disabilities are thinking ...
37 Winter, 1998
Employment Services A Return-to-Work Program that Works: By Lorris Herenda

Ontario March of Dimes’ Employment Services program is just one of many programs the organization has developed since its inception to assist people with physical disabilities in achieving ...
36 Fall, 1998
Technology at Work Assistive Technology Removes Workplace Barriers: By Mary J. Dufton

Today, a wide range of products and special training are removing employment barriers for those of us with disabilities. Whether the disability is visual, hearing, cognitive or speech or mobility ...
36 Fall, 1998
The HRDC Website Information you need -- when you need it: The Internet is quickly changing the way we communicate with others and the way we seek information. Its impact on our society probably outweighs that of the Industrial Revolution. However, have you ...
36 Fall, 1998
Re-entering the Work Force VRS Program Provides Assistance and Security: The Canada Pension Plan has established a Vocational Rehabilitation Program, delivered across the country through Human Resources Development Canada offices. This program offers selected Canada ...
36 Fall, 1998
Guaranteed Employment Answering the Call: Ana Araujo is a graduate of Goodwill Toronto’s new Call Centre Training Program for persons with disabilities. What made Ana’s training experience so different is that, upon graduation, she was ...
36 Fall, 1998
Duty to Accommodate The Key to Employment Rights: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

Of all the employment issues facing people with disabilities, few are as important as the duty to accommodate. Many of the discrimination complaints our Commission receives relate directly to the ...
36 Fall, 1998
Calling All Employers Skills Training Partnership to be Delivered Locally: By Pat Crozier

How many times have we heard employers say, "How do we reach job seekers with disabilities?" Conversely, how often have we heard job seekers with disabilities ask, "Where are the ...
36 Fall, 1998
Working Assets On the Job with Autism: By Ing Wong

Every day, Hartley Sigal makes the 30-minute trek from his home in northwest Toronto to the hustle and bustle of the downtown’s financial district. His destination: the Royal Bank Plaza, an imposing ...
35 Summer, 1998
The World of Work Helping You Make Informed Decisions: Are you a student trying to decide on a career? Would you like to know where the work is? Are you looking for wage information? As we move closer to the 21st Century, it is apparent that the ...
35 Summer, 1998
Navigating the Waters A National Research, Demonstration and Action Pilot on Employment: By Traci Walters

People with disabilities still face the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the country. We also know a great deal of government funding goes into employment services, both mainstream and ...
35 Summer, 1998
When do I Tell? Disclosure Strategies for Job Seekers: By Keltie Creed

How and when you talk to an employer about your disability may be the single most important, most personal and perhaps most difficult part of your job search. There are hundreds of books telling ...
35 Summer, 1998
Look for a Job? Get Your Résumé on the WAEN: By Stan Delaney

The Wide Area Employment Network (WAEN) is entering its sixth month on the Internet. The switch to the Internet allowed CCRW to make improvements to ensure that this service works better for both job ...
35 Summer, 1998
Training for High-Tech New Skills Training Partnership Programs for Persons with Disabilities: The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) has launched two Skills Training Partnership programs in Toronto that will train a total of 32 persons with a disability for high-demand jobs in ...
34 Spring, 1998
Putting Equity into Practice Symposium Gives Opportunity to Share Experiences: The National Workplace Equity Symposium for Persons with Disabilities took place at the Chƒteau Laurier in Ottawa from January 25 to 27, 1998. It was organized by the Labour Program, Human Resources ...
34 Spring, 1998
Modelling M.O.R.E. Peel/Halton/Dufferin Region Service Centre Matches Skills and Needs: The Centre for Worklife and Assessment (CWLA) was launched in December, 1997 -- as "employment specialists for persons with disabilities, matching highly skilled clients with the exacting needs ...
34 Spring, 1998
Get Connected Business Communication through Interactive Online Tools: By Keltie Creed

Many people use the Internet only passively. But interactive online features are very effective tools for business communication, including job search. Making use of electronic message boards, ...
34 Spring, 1998
Enforcing the Act Making Employment Equity Work: By Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay

"Equality demands enforcement. It is not enough to be able to claim equal rights unless those rights are somehow enforceable. Unenforceable rights are no more satisfactory than unavailable ...
34 Spring, 1998
Design Intervention Tetra Oakville is Open for Business: By Pat Atkinson

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a thingamajig? Or have you always wanted a whatchamacallit? If you’ve been hunting for a special product or device that would make your life easier or add to your ...
34 Spring, 1998
Succeeding in the Workplace Three Employees with Spina Bifida Share Job Tips: By Mary J. Dufton

Having a job gives us a sense of purpose, an identity and an opportunity to contribute to society. However, according to the Federal Task Force on Disability Issues, 44 per cent of Canadians with ...
34 Spring, 1998
Give Us Some Credit Alternative Financing for Small Businesses: By Hélèna Katz

According to Statistics Canada, small businesses account for about 75 per cent of all job creation in this country. Yet one of the biggest challenges of setting up a business is getting a loan. ...
33 Winter, 1997
An Emerging Framework Doings on the Labour Market Front: By Cameron Crawford

The new Employment Insurance framework has replaced the federal system of programs that once operated under the Labour Force Development Strategy. The Vocational Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons ...
33 Winter, 1997
Working Solutions CPAâ€™s Work Force Survey: By Cliff Bridges

How many national disability organizations can claim they have always focused on return-to-work solutions? The Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA) can. Since CPA was formed more than 50 years ...
33 Winter, 1997
Looking for Work? Here Are Some Letters of Introduction... www.worksearch.gc.ca: Looking for work takes energy, perseverance and current information from a reliable source. WorkSearch is just that source. WorkSearch -- a new, easy-to-use Internet site designed to guide ...
33 Winter, 1997
Linking People to Jobs Employment Projects Use the Latest in Internet Technology: By Matthew Growden

It s a Thursday afternoon. Twenty to thirty people have logged onto the chat forum at the Gateway to Diversity, the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation’s website, to discuss how ...
33 Winter, 1997
Effective Partnerships in Action Remarks from Honourable Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of HRDC: By Pierre S. Pettigrew

In Ottawa on October 20, 1997, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada Pierre S. Pettigrew addressed the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and guests at the CCRW Board of ...
33 Winter, 1997
Disabling Barriers, Enabling Practices Enhancing Workplace Equity and Effectiveness: An illuminating national workplace equity symposium on disability will be offered from January 25 to 27, 1998, in Ottawa, Ontario. The symposium, entitled "Disabling Barriers, Enabling ...
33 Winter, 1997
CCRW Moves Into the Future ABILITIESâ€™ Raymond Cohen in Conversation with Joan Westland, CCRW Executive Director: RC: The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work has been undergoing some recent changes. Can you outline some of them? JW: First, at the board meeting in October, we welcomed two new board ...
33 Winter, 1997
Job Hunting On the â€™Net Where to Surf in Your Employment Search: By Veronica Leonard

"There ainâ€™t no jobs out there anymore for white, able-bodied men in their 30s. You gotta be disabled or a visible minority to get a job these days." Itâ€™s 4:15 p.m. on a ...
32 Fall, 1997
Is It Going to Work? Thatâ€™s the Question for Injured Workers in Ontario: In the last issue of ABILITIES, we featured an interview with Glen Wright, the newly appointed chairperson of the Workersâ€™ Compensation Board (WCB) of Ontario. By Mr. Wrightâ€™s own open ...
32 Fall, 1997
Partnerships for Progress In Removing Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities: The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work has launched a new partnership with the Ontario Government’s Equal Opportunity Program, to promote and expand the use of the Wide Area Employment ...
32 Fall, 1997
Back on Track Returning to Work after a Brain Injury: By Mary McLagan

Frank Muraca s life changed dramatically in February, 1988, when he was involved in a car accident. The significant brain injury he sustained caused serious impairments in many areas of his life. As ...
32 Fall, 1997
Ability Works! Employment Centre Opens Its Doors: Now, people with disabilities in eastern Canada have a valuable helping hand when it comes to finding their places in the work force. Ability Works is the result of a partnership initiative of ...
32 Fall, 1997
What Will I Be? Envisioning Life as a Grown-Up: By Catherine Steele

Everyone dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. Even after some are "grown up," they still dream of what they would like to be! But for young people, your decision of what to be ...
31 Summer, 1997
The Wright Stuff? Will the New Chair of the Ontario Workersâ€™ Compensation Board Have the Stuff?: By Patrick Watson

If you believe in the sincerity of Glen Wright, you might describe him as a visionary. If you are more cynical -- as many injured workers and employers in Ontario are - you might withhold judgment, ...
31 Summer, 1997
The Job Interview Where Does Your Disability Figure In?: By Veronica Leonard

A job interview is like an old-fashioned courtship: one party offers a name, financial security and fringe benefits, and the other offers abilities, personality and loyalty. If the chemistry is ...
31 Summer, 1997
Costs of Work Injuries Guest Editorial Column: By Patrick Watson

Most people injured in the workplace are in their productive years. Often they are the newly educated; they may have young families; they may be providers for older families. They are professionals, ...
31 Summer, 1997
Business Not as Usual Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Work for Themselves in Their Home-Based Businesses: By Lynne Swanson

"Wow! Entrepreneurship!" Pam Langille of Dartmouth remembers that reaction to the Network of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities booth at the People in Motion Show in Toronto. Several Ontario ...
31 Summer, 1997
The Opportunities Fund Integration into the Workplace: Announced in the 1997 federal budget, the Opportunities Fund helps persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain and keep employment or self-employment. The Opportunities Fund supports a broad ...
31 Summer, 1997
Support in the Job Hunt New Job Club for OMOD Central Region: By Rhonda Malomet

It’s official! The Toronto office of Ontario March of Dimes Central Region will be hosting metro Toronto’s first three-week Job Club for adults with employment barriers. The Job Club is a highly ...
31 Summer, 1997
New Doors Education Technology Offers New Opportunities: By Beverley Nagel

In the not-too-distant future, virtually all of us will be using computers and other technology to communicate from our homes. This exciting new technology is available today to those who are not ...
31 Summer, 1997
Into the Mainstream People with Disabilities and Broadcasting: By Hélèna Katz

Susanne Pettit-Crossman couldn’t talk just then. She had to finish transcribing an interview with Canadian author Pierre Berton. She writes a column on famous people and their pets for a Collie ...
31 Summer, 1997
Discoverability Makes Transitions Easier: By Danielle Svec

DiscoverAbility is an organization in the Toronto area that provides career planning programs and services for people with physical disabilities between the ages of 16 and 29. In my last year of ...
31 Summer, 1997
Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Experts in the Fields: By Lynne Swanson

Many urban dwellers imagine farming and rural life as tranquil and idyllic. But realities are very different. Day-to-day operations are tough and demanding. World financial factors greatly ...
30 Spring, 1997
Workers with Disabilities Accommodation and Partnership Program: By Teresa Andreychuk

CAILC and the Victoria Labour Council (Workers with Disabilities Project), with the assistance of the ILRC of Winnipeg and with funding from Employability and Social Partnerships, Human Resources ...
30 Spring, 1997
Work in Progress Looking Back at History, Looking to the Future: By Joan Westland

Looking back at history, looking to the future. (The 10 years since ABILITIES magazine has been reaching people with disabilities, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) has been a ...
30 Spring, 1997
Taking Action on Youth Employment New employment strategy will give young people the experience they need.: More than 110,000 young Canadians will get work experience from the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy. This announcement was made on February 12 by Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister ...
30 Spring, 1997
Discoverability A Stepping Stone to the Work Force: Higher education, job skills training, employment, independent living... These are the concerns of all young people as they complete their years in high school. Planning for the future is a major ...
30 Spring, 1997
Opening the Gateway to Diversity An equal opportunity website rich in resources for employers, employees and job seekers.: As of November 19, new Ontario Equal Opportunity services are available, thanks to a partnership initiative with employers and employees, facilitated by the Government of Ontario Ministry of ...
29 Winter, 1996
Problem-Solving for Return-To-Work Success A Unique Ergonomic Approach from an Occupational Therapy Perspective: By Darlene Toal-Sullivan

Ergonomics is the science of designing the physical environments and task to fit the worker. Ergonomic principles are applied in the workplace to assist employees in returning to work after ...
29 Winter, 1996
Partnetships in Action Retail Customer Service Youth Internship Program Provides Young People with Real Job Experience: By Ing Wong

It’s common knowledge. Finding a job in the 90s is a difficult task. Corporations are downsizing, and the public sector is shrinking. Young people with disabilities are finding it even harder to ...
29 Winter, 1996
Job Search Skills for Todayâ€™s Reality: By Pat Hague

We have heard much in recent years about the "information highway" and the shift from a traditional, manufacturing-based economy to an information-based economy. Computers, cell phones, fax ...
29 Winter, 1996
CAILC Employment Project CAILC Starts a National Project on People with Disabilities and Employability: CAILC has received funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) to carry out an 18-month national employment project. The overall goal of the project is to help Canadians with ...
29 Winter, 1996
Just the Cost of Doing Business? New Strategies to Reduce the Number of People with Disabilities Dropping out of the Work Force: By Lisa Bendall

What do fitness rooms, low-fat cafeteria menus and on-site day care centres all have in common when applied to the workplace? They are all creative examples of how an employer can keep staff ...
28 Fall, 1996
Supported Employment Providing the Missisng Link for Success: By Denis Grenier, Jane Quesnel, Tory McTaggart

Supported Employment is considered to be one of the most practical employment options for both employers and individuals with disabilities. It allows employers to save time and money by pre - ...
27 Summer, 1996
Employers Fired Up Over Their Duty to Accommodate: By Rebecca Murdock

Employers often think they can fire anyone whose disability interferes with job performance. This is unfair and illegal. When an employee has difficulty performing certain tasks because of a ...
26 Spring, 1996
Jump-Starting a Grand Vision What Some MPs Think of the Past Five Years: By Mel Graham

We come to one of those proverbial "end-of-an-era" affairs on March 31, 1996. That auspicious date will mark the passing of the five-year, federal initiative called the National Strategy ...
26 Spring, 1996
Re-Writing Murphyâ€™s Law Wendy Murphy challenges the assumptions of the viewing public.: By Kim Miller

The man at the bar is feeling elated. He has been talking for over half an hour with the outgoing, witty, engaging, blue eyed woman with long blond hair. He knows he has seen her somewhere before -- ...
25 Winter, 1995
Anythingâ€™s Possible! Volunteers at Tetra Society have been inventing incredible solutions.: By Lynne Swanson

Sam Sullivan is often mistaken for a paraplegic. "My goal is to be a paraplegic when I grow up, but right now, I’m a quadriplegic." Injured in a skiing accident, Sullivan spent seven ...
25 Winter, 1995
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Workâ€™s Innovative Employment Link: A new computer network will allow people with disabilities to market their skills to potential employers "Build it and they will come" -- this is a statement that one hears from many ...
25 Winter, 1995
Out of Work... Comes an Idea Employer Advisory Council To NEADS Links Graduates To Jobs: By Lisa Bendall

It wasn’t so long ago that when Tom Proszowski applied for a job, employers wouldn’t even consider him for the position once they discovered he had a disability. Times are changing, larger ...
24 Fall, 1995
Discover Your Abilities! Discoverability Gives Students a Chance to Plan for the Future: A student recently heard about "this new career centre that specializes in helping young people with disabilities with career counselling." She decided to check things out, and, after ...
24 Fall, 1995
Shafted Injured Workers Fight Back for Their Rights: By Bonita Clark

George Widomski gave Dofasco 25 years of faithful service. In return, the giant steel company gave George a "no-fault" termination in August, 1994. The company claims it had no other ...
23 Summer, 1995
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work Evolving for Equitable Employment: By Valerie Duffy

From its beginnings in the mid-1960s, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work, or CCRW, has remained consistent about only one thing: its ability to change. Not only has it simply kept up ...
23 Summer, 1995
Employment Options…: The following is a list of non-profit advocacy and employment support groups across Canada for people with various disabilities. Services offered by these groups may include employment assessment ...
23 Summer, 1995
Clothes with a History The Inspiration Behind Re-Wear Fashions: By Barb Horner

I first met Pat Birchall and her unusual wardrobe in Toronto last August, at a conference which brought together family members from across Canada to talk about issues and concerns that affect our ...
23 Summer, 1995
The New, Improved Brand of Employment Equity A Comprehensive Look: By David Baker

On December 12, 1994, the federal government introduced Bill C-64, "An Act Respecting Employment Equity." During the last federal election, the Liberal Party released its "Red ...
22 Spring, 1995
Modified Work Programs Designed with Abilities in Mind: More and more companies are putting the accent on abilities, not disabilities. Whether a sick or injured employee needs a short period of time to ease back into a full work schedule at his or her ...
22 Spring, 1995
Employers Count Themselves In! At a Conference on Employment and Persons with Disabilities: This past year, a group of stakeholder partners from the community directed their attention to the other side of the equation for labour force participation by persons with disabilities this past ...
22 Spring, 1995
A Whole New Meaning to "I Gave at the Office": By Dyanne Ostrander

Ontario March of Dimes prides itself in the wide variety of services and programs it provides for adults with physical disabilities. All of them promote dignity, independence and participation in the ...
21 Winter, 1994
From Concept to Reality Self-Employment Assistance Pilot Project for People with Disabilities: By 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 ...
21 Winter, 1994
From Mail Room to Newsroom: By Joe Coughlin

The response was polite enough -- it just was not what I wanted to hear. "We’d like to use you on television," said the executive producer, "but we just can’t. It’s the immediacy of ...
20 Fall, 1994
Labour and Disability Together for Social Justice: By Mel Graham

"When," asked the middle-aged conference delegate with a disability, "are you people going to start doing something about our employment needs?" The two trade unionist workshop ...
20 Fall, 1994
Apprenticeship Training Fuel for the Future: By Laura J. Pighin

Increased demand for skilled workers is a job market trend for the ’90s and beyond. Gone are the days of unskilled production-related occupations. Enter robotics! Today, technology is necessary for ...
20 Fall, 1994
Manufacturing Backlash: By Eric Schryer

(Chair of PUSHâ€™s Central Regional Council and serving on a multitude of employment-related committees, Eric Schryer is the coordinator of Disabled People for Employment Equity (DPEE), a ...
18 Spring, 1994
A Challenge and a Promise: By Al Czarnecki

"This project took what was a good idea and what was good intentions and made it into something that really works. I would be less than honest if I didnâ€™t say we had challenges as a part ...
18 Spring, 1994
Being Green and Creating Jobs!: By Doug Dowhos

Over the last 10 years, the Ontario March of Dimes in Thunder Bay has taken a pro-active role in developing and managing affirmative businesses. These are profit-driven, stand-alone ventures with a ...
17 Winter, 1993
Action for Integration Canadaâ€™s Competitive Labour Market: The following is excerpted from a summary based on research undertaken by Consult-Action P.M.ENR. and funded by the National Welfare Grants Division and the Disabled Persons Unit of Health and ...
17 Winter, 1993
Video Focuses On Workers with Hearing Disabilities: By Jim Steen

What do you do when you want to improve your efforts to inform Canadians who are deaf and hard of hearing about your programs and services? The federal governmentâ€™s Employment Equity Branch ...
17 Winter, 1993
Skills, Training, Partnerships: Smart companies hire people who fit the way they do business. Equitable, proactive employers are more than prepared to hire individuals who are employment-disadvantaged. People with disabilities ...
16 Fall, 1993
Back to Work: By Len Rosen

Lyndon Scholey is like a lot of business workers today. He works from home. But Lyndon is also not like most business workers. Lyndon is paralyzed from the chest down and works while sitting in a ...
16 Fall, 1993
A Job Accommodation Just A Lot of Common Sense: By Val Duffy

As a Human Resources Representative with Bull HN Information Systems Limited, part of my role is to assist managers with their recruitment and hiring efforts. For Kurt Gengenbachâ€™s manager, my ...
16 Fall, 1993
Doing the Smart Thing at Bank of Montreal: "The fact is," says Johanne Totta, leaning forward to add emphasis to her point, "it makes good business sense for us to hire and promote people with disabilities. "Itâ€™s ...
16 Fall, 1993
Employment Agenda for Persons with Disabilities: By COPOH Elections Committee

The facts are undeniable. Persons with disabilities are excluded from the Canadian labour market. Although 15.5% of the Canadian population has a disability, these individuals are less likely than ...
16 Fall, 1993
From Pain to Power: By Rosemary Adams

Recovery from the psychosis of my illness was not an overnight occurrence. A combination of therapy, medication and goal-setting led to my success. Goal-setting demanded discipline on my part. My ...
15 Summer, 1993
Out of the Workshops, Into the Work Force: By Lory Block

The field of vocational rehabilitation is undergoing substantial change. Consumers of the 90s are demanding that service delivery systems be client-driven and reflect the importance of personal ...
14 Spring, 1993
Getting the Job Done — Single Handed: By Wendy Campbell

Paperwork is the term used for what really is data screen work these days. Many of us are glad we took that "bird course" in high school -- typing class -- because today keyboarding is an ...
14 Spring, 1993
Jancana Job Accommodation Network in Canada: By Len Sawatsky

As I sit here in my office staring at my computer screen, wondering how to communicate the benefits of JANCANA (Job Accommodation Network in Canada) to persons with disabilities, the irony of it all ...
14 Spring, 1993
New Challenges & New Partnerships Employment Initiatives in Independent Living: By Hélèna Katz

This article discusses employment initiatives conducted by Independent Living Resource Centres including a computer training program and a study on employment equity issues faced by employers. ...
14 Spring, 1993
Pushing Training and Labour Development for Ontarians with Disabilities: By Helen Wagle

(PUSH Ontario is COPOHâ€™s Ontario affiliate. For more than a decade, PUSH has advocated for change in every field from transportation to human rights to long-term care. Over the course of the ...
14 Spring, 1993
Catch 22 For Unemployed Disabled Adults: By Deborah Pal

“Who knows what I could have been?” This disturbing comment came from one of the 3,200 persons with disabilities who responded to recent vocational needs studies conducted by the Ontario March of ...
12 Summer, 1992
Surrey Rehabilitation Centre Moves out of the Shelter and into the Open: By Lory Block

The Surrey (BC) Rehabilitation Society is going through what is perhaps the most significant development in its 20-year history. Following a comprehensive review of services, completed by the ...
11 Spring, 1992
What’s the Big Deal?: By Crystal Bolduc

THE CREATIVE OPTIONS PROGRAM OF THE NEIL SQUIRE FOUNDATION EXAMINES SOME OF THE BLOCKS AND BREAKS ASSOCIATED WITH HIRING PEOPLE WITH SEVERE PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND POSES THE ...
9 Fall, 1991
Job Coaching An Innovative Approach to Skills Training: By Heather Ingram

Waterloo County in Southern Ontario has a long tradition of grass roots ingenuity and a strong work ethic. Not surprisingly, this has impacted on local community services over the years. The ...
9 Fall, 1991
The Dynamics of Counselling: By John Gauger, Val Rosenthal

Creative Employment Options is a national employment project of the Neil Squire Foundation designed to maximize economic opportunities and social acceptance for productive and competitive employment ...
7 Spring, 1991
Get Your ACT Together: By Susan D. Wheeler

In terms of employment the only thing more important than ability is opportunity. Without opportunities, abilities cannot be acquired nor exercised. A.C.T., (Alternative Computer Training for the ...
4 Spring/Summer, 1990