As published on the BC Centre for Ability website on January 9, 2012

Commitment, skills and individualized approach key to success, team says

He was 70 and almost legally blind when he came to the Employment Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities (ERCPD), recalls Employment Specialist Rod Embree, but the man was engaging, had great work experience in the film industry, and wanted to continue to work. With the ERCPD’s support, the man was able to secure a position in the security field, primarily as a greeter.
 
It’s an example of how the ERCPD, mirroring the BC Centre for Ability’s approach to support, assists people who have a disability.
 
“A big part (of our work) is that it’s person-centred, so we adapt to fit the needs and goals of the individual. We don’t have cookie-cutter ways of addressing someone,” Employment Specialist Jamie Dovedoff says.
 
“We figure out what the person needs, what they have to give, and help them through the process and support them along the way. I think that’s the biggest reason we are as successful as we are, because it’s individualized.”
 
The ERCPD’s success has been unprecedented this year, notes Vocational Program Manager Nicola Oliver. In June, it met its goal of helping 222 clients find full- or part-time employment — the fastest it’s reached its target in six years and a full nine months before its contract with the province to provide vocational services ends.
 
Eager to build on their momentum, ERCPD staff decided to set another goal to assist 60 more people before March, and Nicola reports they are almost there, with only another 15 clients to help.
 
“They have worked really hard,” says Nicola, who credits the team’s commitment to their work and their range of skills, for the ERCPD’s progress.
 
Along with Nicola, Jamie and Rod, clients are assisted by Employment Specialist Ann Miller, Social Worker Shannon Todd and two Program Administrators.
 
Nicola notes that the ERCPD’s work can enhance the lives of people who have a disability in a number of ways, such as boosting their financial means, helping them to increase community attachment through volunteering or recreation, and managing their disability.
 
The ERCPD’s success also stems from the welcoming environment for clients, including a resource area and readily available staff.
 
“Those things help clients to feel they’re not coming to a place where there are many barriers. We can actually try to get to know clients in an informal yet professional way and that really helps.”
 
With British Columbia’s model changing next spring from specialized employment services to one-stop centres for all, Nicola says ERCPD’s team looks forward to partnering with organizations to continue to provide optimal support for people who have a disability.

To learn more about the ERCPD, click here(http://www.centreforability.bc.ca/?page=25).

If you have a story to share or feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.

Open House focuses on possibilities and strengths

As Marco Pasqua and Karen Lai spoke of their vocational success and life experiences, Employment Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities (ERCPD) Social Worker Shannon Todd heard the client sitting next to her say he was inspired.
 
It’s one of the positive outcomes of the ERCPD’s recent open house to mark the UN-declared International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3.
 
“I think it was very powerful in showing (clients and employers) examples . . . that success is possible,” Shannon says of the two guest speakers, both of whom have a disability.
 
The ERCPD’s event “celebrates those successes,” Shannon says. It also shows “how much people with disabilities can achieve and points out how much we don’t necessarily realize that the people succeeding came really far,” she says.
 
Marco, who’s worked in the video gaming industry, is starting his own business as a motivational speaker. Karen is a project co-ordinator, involved with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports and has earned a Master’s of Arts degree in human kinetics.
 
In addition to hearing the speakers, current and new ERCPD clients as well as service providers and local businesses attending the open house could test their knowledge of celebrities who have a disability. Shannon, the quiz creator, says it surprised people and “brought to light the point of how prevalent disability is within what we as a western world consider success.”
 
Eyes were also opened to the diversity of success achieved by people who have a disability as they work in various roles and sectors, Shannon says, adding employers learn that perceived insurmountable barriers in the workplace can be overcome.
 
“We promote that everybody has an ability and strengths . . . And persons with disabilities are no different than anybody else — they bring extremely good strengths and skills to the table, high levels of education, and they should be looked at for what they can offer, not for what they can’t,” Employment Specialist Rod Embree says.
 
He notes that a local tourism and travel school represented at the open house wants to learn more from the guest speakers about the needs of travellers who have a disability.
 
It’s an example of the realization that there is a pool of people with talent, spending power and links to the community waiting to be tapped, Rod says.
 
In addition to spreading awareness and information about the ERCPD, which is a program of the BC Centre for Ability, the open house strengthened ties to the community as clients and employers networked.
 
Vocational program manager Nicola Oliver says the event’s goal was achieved “as attendees left with a message of hope and resilience.”
 
These are key attributes to a valuable mindset for any person looking for work, she notes.
 
Nicola also acknowledges all the local businesses that sponsored the afternoon with generous donations.

Published in the BC Centre for Ability’s Newsletter Ability Express in July 2011

Person-centred approach empowers clients to get employed

The ERCPD Team

Staff at the Employment Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities (ERCPD) in Surrey have achieved an important goal.
 
On June 21, they met their target of helping 222 adults with disabilities find full or part-time work – nine months before the ERCPD program contract ends in March 2012.
 
It’s the quickest that the program has hit its target in its six-year history, Vocational Program Manager Nicola Oliver notes. And it comes during a time marked by a difficult economy and staffing challenges.
 
Nicola cites the capabilities of her staff, including Employment Specialists Rod Embree and Ann Miller and Social Worker Shannon Todd, for the success of the ERCPD, which is a program of the BC Centre for Ability.
 
“The team has a lot of skill and they work well together. We’ve made efficiencies with some of our processes, and we were able to more readily meet the needs of our clients through one-to-one counselling meetings and providing group sessions to allow for clients to connect with staff during busy times,” Nicola says.
 
Rod adds that staff bring much experience to clients who are highly motivated to find work.
 
“When we have that (motivation) to begin with, a lot of other things can fall into place,” Rod says.
 
Of the 222 clients assisted, 55 per cent secured part-time employment – often preferred by clients to supplement income assistance and manage their disability – and 45 per cent found full-time work.
 
One out of five, or 20 per cent, got a job in retail, cashier or customer service. About 17 per cent are working in restaurant food service, followed by the labour and construction trades at 11 per cent.
 
The ERCPD’s success also comes as significant changes in employment service delivery are set to start in British Columbia in April 2012.
 
Until then, the ERCPD program plans “to keep facilitating clients to get employed and to keep doing really great work,” Nicola says.
 
“(Reaching our target) is a really huge outcome for us. It shows that there’s a definite need in this community for programs such as the ERCPD, and it’s a boost to the team because they know they’ve managed to surpass the expectations of the program outcomes ahead of time with limited resources,” she says.
 
Based in one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, the program offers a range of services utilizing the Centre’s mandate of a person-centred approach. This means support to clients is tailored to individual need, based on their unique strengths, and staff view the client as central to making decisions about their future success.
 
Staff take a collaborative approach and provide information and guidance to clients so they are empowered to make their own choices.
 
The ERCPD is a Vocational Program with a social worker on staff in the Surrey area. Shannon provides support to overcome non-employment related barriers. She assists with debt management, stable housing, access to low-cost food and  income assistance, counselling, and health and mental health support.
 
“To be able to even contemplate work, you really need to have those basic needs covered,” Shannon says.
 
In their work, ERCPD staff have seen clients become empowered and progress toward goals, e.g. strengthening community attachment through recreational activities or reaching the ultimate goal of paid employment.
 
Employment has enhanced the client’s lives in many ways, from financially to psychologically, staff say.
 
“Even those who haven’t found work have expressed gratitude for the ERCPD program support,” Nicola says.
 
“We are able to give clients a chance to unpack where they’re at in their lives and discuss their fears about going back to work and their hopes about one day having work,” she says.
 
The team is keen to continue serving the clients in Surrey and surrounding areas, and looks forward to the next few months as they plan to start a small research project and review data for program evaluation.