Two of my most favourite disability focused organizations are doing a collab for #InternationalGuideDogDay. 🐶🧑🏾🦯🦮
As somebody with congenital vision loss, I participated with CNIB’s #ComeToWork program and worked with Gateway Association Alberta when I was learning about disability employment services at large (thank you Gene Lachica and Jae Lee).
I learned a lot from them and also found Gateway to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hub Alberta as an indispensable information resource when I was helping build the employment services program for newcomers, immigrants, and refugees with disabilities at the Centre for Newcomers.
Working as a person with disabilities, and with people with disabilities - in the frontline - and not mainly as an academic researcher - taught me so much about how #disabilitypolicy gets operatizonalized on the ground. It is complex and there’s definitely a lot of room for continuous improvement.
There’s the huge funding cuts in the immigrant and refugee settlement sector, the lack of a sustainable health human resource pipeline in the disability sector, and the sheer difficulty of persuading employers to see the gifts and geniuses - and most of all resilience - of people facing #intersectional barriers.
And then there’s how government funded programs are designed with metrics and KPI’s that do not reflect the amount of work performed by job developers, career practitioners and employer relations specialists - required to position a candidate possessing marginalized intersectional identities in the job market.
Have you tried to look for a job lately?
I want to challlenge decisionmakers, policymakers, program and policy analysts to sit in one of the workshops designed for this clientele and help them find a job within 90 days; and witness the amount of expertise on #crossculturalcommunication, #accessibility and #disability required on top of reporting demands - and the emotional labour demanded from frontline staff.
And then - decide if it’s reasonable to put a KPI of 12 job placements a month (per job developer staff) for the sub-population, which includes introducing them individually to employers who have to be educated about #accommodations and our legal rights as people with disabilities.
#Accessibility looks great as a slogan in paper, but very messy in reality.
This last few of years brought me back to the “field” where I used my #ethnographic sensibility and use my #positionality as somebody who is racialized and disabled to make sense of how we can build sustainable programs co-designed with and for us. I’m honestly still reflecting and figuring things out, so if you have any suggestions or insights, let me know?
But the work of organizations like Gateway Association Alberta and CNIB have guided me through this process. So if you have a chance - join Robert Fenton in this event!
#nothingwithoutus
There's still time to register - Join us as we celebrate International Guide Dog Day with our "Guiding Opportunities" Connection Event!
Here's a few highlights from what is sure to be an exciting event:
🐶 Appreciation for Support Animals: Gain and share in stories, hearing from self advocate's lived experience sharing the profound impact guide dogs and support animals have on their lives and in the workplace.
🎤 Special Guest Speaker: We're honoured to welcome Robert Fenton, Chair of The Board of Directors at CNIB who will share insights and experiences on the importance of guide dogs in fostering independence and accessibility.
🤝 Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow guide dog enthusiasts, employers, service providers, advocates, and allies dedicated to promoting accessibility and inclusivity in the workplace.
Sign up today, join us for an unforgettable celebration of the incredible bond between service animals and their humans 🐾
https://lnkd.in/gFSdEvud
#EquityDiversityandInclusion #ProfessionalDevelopment #NetworkingOpportunity #InclusiveWorkplace #GuideDog #ServiceAnimals #CalgaryBusiness #EdmontonBusiness #Alberta #FreeWebinar
Gateway Association Alberta
Alberta Employment First Network
MentorAbility Alberta
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OWNER at THE MALVERN HILLS COMPANY LIMITED
3mo22 years of determination, vision and success - and still the story continues . Massive congratulations.