We want to spread the important message that a strong workforce is an inclusive one, including people with disabilities. DEAM is an excellent opportunity for Employment Service Providers and Canadian Employers to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to Canadians with disabilities and to help promote employment inclusion in our country.
Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) https://www.supportedemployment.ca/deam is an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October. The purpose of Disability Employment Awareness Month is to promote employment inclusion for people who experience disability and to celebrate the many and varied contributions of workers with disabilities. The employers in the Westman area are well recognized for their inclusive hiring practices but we need to continue to create further awareness through campaigns like DEAM.
At Career Connections www.cciwestman.ca the question “How will my barrier affect my employment possibilities?” is a frequent topic of discussion in their support process. We often utilize the analogy of asking them to imagine they are a pie. We ask them, if you cut a piece of that pie and took it away, do we want to focus on that one piece or do we focus on the rest of that pie? That one piece of pie represents their barrier, but there is still so much left that represents the skills and qualities that could be utilized in an employment opportunity. The staff at Career Connections strive to build employment relationships with their clients and employers in the Westman area based on a foundation of matching skill qualified individuals with employers that have opportunities to match those abilities.
“Disability Employment Awareness Month is a great time for employers to evaluate the benefits of working with organizations like CCI to help fill workforce needs. Here at Progressive Westman, we have been partnered with CCI for the past 5 years to help fill holes in our organization. I honestly cannot explain how beneficial it is both for our business and the individual, you just have to give it a try for yourself.”
Spencer Day
Progressive Westman
Brandon Chamber of Commerce President
Employers that identify with a need for information and hands on resources and Hire For Talent https://hirefortalent.ca/main/toolkit/inclusive-workplaces/173-the-benefits-of-inclusive-workplaces is one of many resources available to employers that want to create and maintain an inclusive workplace. Here are some benefits to creating an inclusive workplace.
“Employers that apply inclusive design principles and take steps to develop more inclusive workplaces will make employment more accessible, leverage the benefits of diversity, create healthier workplace cultures for all employees, boost the value of their human capital and provide opportunities for all employees to learn about inclusiveness and accessibility.”
If you are an employer in Westman looking to support the diversification in your employment team, please contact Tracy Williams, Executive Director at Career Connections www.cciwestman.ca 204-728-9594 or twilliams@cciwestman.ca if you would like to learn more.
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