Champions For Employment

It has been a remarkable year for LiveWorkPlay as champions of employment for people with intellectual disabilities, and this advocacy has been extended more broadly as we encourage inclusion of all persons with disabilities in workplaces across the country.

Thanks to the Canadian Association for Community Living and People First of Canada, LiveWorkPlay took part in a special event at the Parliament of Canada “Breakfast with MPs: Building an Inclusive Labour Market.” This November 27 event included a short speech by member Emily Menard (pictured here on the left with colleage Ryan McBride, MP Shelly Glover, and volunteer Andrew Waye.

The following day in a related event LiveWorkPlay co-leader Keenan Wellar presented at the 2012 Federal Policy Forum. With this year’s theme being employment and disability, the Employment Supports staff team of Jen Bosworth and Ali Sochasky were pleased to attend with colleagues like Joe Dale from the Ontario Disability Employment Network.

Congratulations to Ali who joins her LiveWorkPlay colleagues Keenan Wellar (initiate member) and Jennifer Bosworth (full member) as a Rotary Club of West Ottawa Rotarian! Ali and Jen will work with other Rotary at Work advocates like Ken Sparks to spread the word through local, area, regional, national, and international clubs and gatherings!

For Keenan, the occasion of December 3rd United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities brought many exciting media opportunities organized by United Way Ottawa in support of his role as a Focus Area Champion. Keenan appeared twice on 580 CFRA (Rabbi Bulka and Madely in the Morning) and twice on Rogers (Talk Ottawa and Daytime). We asked him to choose his favourite appearance from all of the above, and Keenan recommends starting with the Daytime interview (below) by Derick Fage and Lois Lee (it is the shortest and has links to additional information).