Workshop puts the "I" in ability
Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 02/01) - Gordon Oystrek smiles when explaining all 10 participants in the Train the Trainer workshop have a disability.
Unbeknownst to the interviewer, Oystrek, a department of justice employee, is legally blind.
"People with disabilities have abilities. We are adaptable just like other people," he says.
The seven-day ability awareness workshop wrapping up today focused on debunking assumptions about employability.
Participants, with challenges ranging from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to kidney disease, must now take their message to city workplaces. One day, their message may be heard territorial-wide.
The workshop's goal is simple. Educate employers and employees about what a disability is and isn't. Once people realize being blind doesn't stop someone from answering the phone or teaching a class, and epilepsy doesn't mean a person has seizures everyday, employers might be more willing hire new employees.
Different, many participants said, should not be a detriment.
"Everyone with two legs does not run at the same pace," says Gillian Enright, workshop facilitator.
When asked why only disabled people were invited to the workshop, Enright replies, "who better to talk about disabilities than people with disabilities."
Enright is already planning for a second seminar in September.
"Working is part of adulthood. And if you don't have access to that, you don't feel valuable," she says.
The Disabled Persons Work Strategy organized the workshop. Rae Celotti, strategy program coordinator, calls such gatherings critical.
"A lot of people with disabilities cannot find employment because of barriers," Celotti says.
Those barriers may shrink with the Opportunities Fund from the Human Resources Development of Canada. Celotti's job is to match a disabled person with a potential job. If a suitable pair is found, a wage subsidy may be negotiated between the HRDC and employer.
Celotti is also in the position to set up work experience internships and help a person start their own business.
Not to say all disabled persons require such help. Some people already have jobs on their own. Celotti's program is unique in that it provides employment and self-employment opportunities for people who need a little extra help.
The workshop is one way to facilitate job opportunities. Celotti says the event was made possible by the many financial and in-kind donations.
Already the City of Yellowknife, North Slave Metis Alliance, Government of the Northwest Territories and J.H. Sissons have requested presentations about disability awareness in the workplace.
Such requests are an indication of the workshop's success, she says.
"It's great. I'm more gung-ho than ever."
