4to40 Press Conference: National Disability Employment Awareness Month recognized at the University of Regina

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The University of Regina hosted a Press Conference on October 28th, 2016 in celebration of 4to40 and the National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The event was attended by over 100 employers, community leaders, partners and 4to40 job seekers.

We are proud to have Dr. Vianne Timmons, President of the University of Regina, Michael Hoffart, President & CEO of Farm Credit Canada, and Hon. Laura Ross, MLA for Regina Rochdale, support our efforts to increase employment opportunities for all those we serve.

You are true champions of inclusion!

4to40 Press Conference Vianne Timmons4to40 Press Conference4to40 Press Conference 24to40 Press Conference FCC

4to40 News ReleaseLink to the UofR Article: Celebrating Campus For All

Link to CKRM Article: University of Regina celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month

For more information on Inclusive Employment, visit: www.4to40.ca

 

4to40 Interview with Patrick, SaskTel and RHSAA Employee — Celebrating Inclusive Employers!

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Patrick Flaman is well versed in the working world and is a seasoned member of the Sasktel crew, rockin’ employment there for around two years now. His job provides him with security, friendship and that ever important paycheck; but Patrick was given an opportunity that was hard to refuse. Patrick got a second job. Now one might think: How is more work an opportunity that is hard to refuse?

getting-to-work-with-my-friend

Patrick was offered a job with RHSAA as a line judge and first down official; but most importantly, he was offered that opportunity to work alongside his best friend Rene. If working with your best friend isn’t enough, Patrick also gets to stay fit running up and down the sidelines, as well as out onto the field with his alma mater, the Campbell Tartans.

When asked about what his favorite thing at his new job was, Patrick got excited and exclaimed, ‘getting to work with my friend, and running out with my boys the Campbell Tartans! They love it when I come out with them and high five me as I leave the field.’

Being a guy who loves physical activity and is involved in any sport he can be a part of, this is a great opportunity! Patrick’s connectedness to ‘the boys’ and his comradery from that group of young athletes is special and can’t really be achieved in many lines of work. How many of you can say that you have torn out onto the grid-iron and ripped through a banner touting your colours and company name on any given Monday morning? What a rush!

In addition to Patrick’s dedication to his work, he is also extremely responsible with his extra cash. Finally, when asked what he planned on doing with his extra paycheck, Patrick said nonchalantly, ‘Probably add it to my RDSP’s. Save it. Save it for a day when I get hospitalized or need it for an emergency.’

Wow!

Employment can be all that and a bag of chips. You just have to find the right job!

Thanks Patrick!

To learn more about Inclusive Employment, visit: www.4to40.ca.

 

Ben Morris,

Community Education and Outreach

 

4to40 Interview with Austin, SARCAN Employee — Celebrating Inclusive Employers

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Austin has been passionate about recycling for as long as he can remember. In his spare time he cleans up his neighborhood and is always looking for ways to help out the environment. If there is a will there is a way, and Austin’s will is what pushes him to research all the different ways to reduce waste and maintain a healthy planet! That is why a job in recycling could not be better suited for him!

At age 17, Austin has done what so many people fail to do in a lifetime. Find a job which they can care passionately about and make a solid living while doing it. His partnership and employment at Sarcan Recycling is his avenue for success, but Austin’s deep well of knowledge on the subject of recycling helps him in his everyday work.

Austin’s attention to detail helps him with sorting and knowing the exact right way to care for all recyclables. Have you ever noticed that every plastic vessel that you buy has a number attached to its recycling instructions? Austin knows! He also knows what that plastic is made of and where you properly dispose of that vessel.

When asked about his favorite part of his job, Austin simply said, “the fact that I am recycling. Well, and helping the environment.” Austin also took some time to elaborate on his perfect dream job to which he said, “If I could work anywhere I think it would be where I am working — at Sarcan. Or Crown Shred. That would be cool.”

In addition to being a great worker and citizen, Austin is humbly responsible. To be fair, at 17 one doesn’t have a lot of expenses, but he manages to save most of his paychecks every two weeks. “It’s nice to have money. Especially when I want to buy something big.” He does however splurge with twenty dollars every pay day to celebrate his hard work.

more-people-recycling-is-better-for-the-planet

Finally, when asked what his favorite part of being on a team is, Austin said, “that we are all recycling together and making a bigger difference. More people recycling is better for the planet.”

Austin’s experience in the workplace is still fresh and new, but faced with the temptations of the everyday, he manages to stay true to himself and his strict code. When we work together we can create the greatest change. Great work Austin! Thanks for keeping us all in check brother.

To learn more about Inclusive Employment, visit: www.4to40.ca.

 

Ben Morris,

Community Education and Outreach

 

4to40 Interview with Rene, RHSAA Employee — Celebrating Inclusive Employers!

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Work.

Work pays the bills.

Work helps create identity and gives meaning to our day.

Often overlooked is the less obvious face of work which is connection. Work connects us to people that we often wouldn’t have the opportunity to rub shoulders with, and work is often the soil of which great friendships and relationships are nourished. For Rene, work is opportunity! Not only does he get to earn a fair wage and paycheck, but he gets to be involved in sport. Which is something that Rene also truly values.

Rene is a field judge and yard stick holder for the Regina High School Football League (RHSAA), which not only puts him right in the middle of the action, but it allows him to be active as well. When asked about his favorite part of his job and being part of a team, Rene jovially laughed and said, ‘running back and forth and getting lots of exercise!’

Rene 4to40

In addition to getting exercise and being part of the action, Rene noted that ‘[he is] lucky to get to work with [his best friend] and some new people too.’ Also highlighted here are the social aspects of the job where he gets to eat pizza with his boss, and hang out with new colleagues and friends.

Rene and his best friend Patrick were given the opportunity to face the challenges of a new work place beside one another. Together they are learning to count on each other and together they are teaching each other how to be accountable. These skills are not only great to have in friendship, but they are also foundational in the work place.

I asked Rene what he planned to do with all of the money he was making from his new job, to which he replied, ‘I dunno. Save up for my trip to Calgary, or a new guitar. Even go out on the weekends to meet up with my friends.’

For Rene, working one or two nights a week affords him the ability to dream for himself and write his own life story. Having a steady paycheck changes a trip with friends to Calgary from being a fleeting thought in conversation and empty promise to one’s self, to an attainable goal. Thanks to the equal opportunities provided by the RHSAA, both Rene and the organization have benefited significantly.

To learn more about Inclusive Employment, visit: www.4to40.ca.

 

Ben Morris,

Community Education and Outreach

 

Superheroes Wanted! Introducing a Comic Book Club.

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COR Comic Book Club

4to40 Featured in 2016 Vital Signs Report: Economic Belonging — Building an Inclusive Workforce

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Vital Signs ReleaseVital Signs Executive SummaryClick here to view the full report.

Click here to view CTV News coverage of the report.

 

Groove Your Body — Dance With US!

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Groove Your Body

Giving Patrick Independence – A Video by The Saskatchewanderer

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The Saskatchewanderer spent some time this spring hanging out around COR capturing some footage of Patrick and his friends! Here is what he had to say:

“No two people are the same. That is the philosophy behind Creative Options Regina (COR), an organization that provides personalized support services for people with disabilities. The staff at COR tailor supports for each individual to help them discover their talents and interests and to help them reach their personal goals. COR has helped Patrick find full time work, develop an active social life and live independently in his own home. I first had the pleasure of meeting Patrick during a sports night at the Core Ritchie Community Centre in Regina, and I immediately understood his nickname — Energizer Bunny.”

A special thanks to the Government of Saskatchewan (Ministry of the Economy) and Neil Fisher (The Saskatchewanderer) for making this video possible!

Click here to learn more about The Saskatchewanderer.

-Michael

Studying the sexual barriers faced by people with disabilities

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Check out this intriguing article featuring the research of Michelle Apps, MSW Candidate at the University of Regina. COR is proud to be supporting Michelle in her academic journey!

Article by: Dale Johnson, posted to the UofR website on December 3, 2015

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A University of Regina student is looking into how disabilities affect a person’s sex life.

“I’m conducting research in this area, because it’s often viewed in society as a very taboo subject. It’s important to have conversations with folks experiencing disabilities to see what their experiences are accessing sex, and how they think it could be better facilitated,” explains Michelle Apps, who is conducting the research project as part of her Master of Social Work program. “It’s a very under-researched area, in both disability studies and sexuality studies, so through the intersection of the two I hope to bring a bit more attention to the subject.”

“I’m hoping my research will lead to people with disabilities feeling as if they have a voice in this area and are being heard. I’m hoping to add to the small but growing body of literature supporting people with disabilities accessing sex as a right, and to help dispel the myth that people with disabilities are asexual beings,” she says.

Her faculty supervisor, Dr. Randy Johner, says: “Although many people with disabilities, and those who support people with disabilities, believe that accessing an erotic life is very important and needs to be openly discussed in both private and public spheres, there is a great reluctance to share such sensitive and sometimes very hurtful issues concerning sexuality with someone outside of one’s care circle.”

Apps’ research is supported by Creative Options Regina, an organization that supports people with developmental disabilities through housing and programming.

“They have been instrumental in helping me get in touch with potential research participants, and I’m assisting them with some policy and programming development,” she says.

Apps is looking for people with disabilities, physical or intellectual, to share their experiences with her about accessing an erotic life (defined as any sexually-charged touch and can include cuddling, hugging, kissing on so on), what barriers they have faced, and how they think it could be best facilitated.

“I am hoping to have initial results before Christmas, or early in the New Year. I am aiming to submit my findings to the Review of Disability Studies in the spring,” she adds. “I am hoping that through knowledge translation through publishing and presenting at conferences, that I can help support policy changes at higher levels.”

Click here for the full article on the UofR website.

Click here for the Regina LeaderPost Article: University of Regina student researching sex for the disabled

Click here for the Global Regina Story: People with disabilities still want sex, according to U of R research

 

Dispelling Myths About People with Disabilities

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COR partnered with four AWESOME UofR Kin Students on a project for the International Day for Persons With Disabilities (IDPD 2015). Check out this great story about the project posted to the UofR webpage on December 2, 2015. Be sure to watch the video too!!

Article by: Costa Maragos

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Some myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities are being explored in a compelling and thoughtful video produced by four Kinesiology students.

The video production is titled; Inclusion Matters: Debunking Common Myths Around Disability.

“We hope to generate some critical thinking and open-ended discussions about the current myths and stereotypes many people have about people with disabilities,” says Jordan Wirachowsky, one of four students involved in the production. “The overall message is we hope it can change  attitudes towards people with disabilities and create a more inclusive society.”

Wirachowsky, along with Matthew Pacholko, Jason Mo and Jordan Wyonzek, came up with the idea as part of a project in their Kinesiology 342 class, Developmental Disabilities & Well-Being, taught by professor Brenda Rossow-Kimball.

The video has been produced to coincide with International Day of Persons With Disabilities, December 3. That day, the video will be shown to a class at Campbell Collegiate in Regina.

In the video, students, faculty and staff on campus are asked to respond, sometimes with little or no warning, to various statements relating to myths about people with disabilities, including:

  • people with disabilities only like to spend time with others who have disabilities;
  • people with disabilities are more likely to be injured in the workplace;
  • people with disabilities are not independent and are unable to perform tasks of daily living.

“A few individuals gave some real thought to the questions and strived to dig deeper and find true meaning in the questions,” says Pacholko. “Some students appeared at a loss of explanation. Perhaps it was because they’ve never thought of the topic in such a way before or because they were put on the spot.”

Watch Inclusion Matters: Debunking Common Myths Around Disability, produced jointly by Brandon Wu of Strategy Lab and Creative Options Regina.

As part of the assignment, the students were asked to connect with a community organization and create a project that recognizes this year’s theme for International Day of Persons With Disabilities.

The students connected with Creative Options Regina, a non-profit organization in Regina that develops personalized support services for people with disability.

“Participating in class projects such as this helps raise awareness of our organization, while further contributing to the development of a more inclusive community for all,” says Michael Lavis, Executive Director of Creative Options Regina.

The video’s overall message, say the students, is the hope it can change peoples’ attitudes towards those with disabilities and create a more inclusive society.

“A more inclusive society helps build relationships and allows people with different abilities to be valued and shown dignity,” says Pacholko.

 

Click here for the full story on the UofR webpage.