DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH

On October 5th Prospect’s Studio C welcomed the Government of Alberta as the first employer in our effort to celebrate Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM). The DEAMcanvas project is bringing together 11 leading inclusive employers, employees with a range of disabilities, and Prospect art facilitators to create a spectacular work of art. The Government of Alberta has taken a leadership role with initiatives such as the Employment First Strategy, the Employment First Innovation Fund, and the Employment First Internship Program for Persons with Disabilities. Their collaboration in DEAMcanvas kicked off the month-long effort that will culminate in the October 28th unveiling at Engineered Air Theatre.

While hiring people with disabilities isn’t specifically in our business plan, it is most definitely part of our workplace culture. Our values: excellence, trust, respect, teamwork, and integrity, all contribute to the creation and maintenance of a diverse workplace that offers opportunities for everyone.  As a result of the success our employees have enjoyed at BBB as well as the benefits BBB has received from the talents of our people, we not only maintain an “everybody’s welcome” policy, but we actively seek out diverse applicants by ensuring organizations like Prospect get our job postings.

The Calgary Winter Club has been working with Prospect’s Viable program to improve their organization’s diversity and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Through this relationship, The Calgary Winter Club has secured multiple partnerships with local service providers and is always willing to adopt leading practices to support their diverse employees. The staff have learned that it’s not about focusing on a person’s disability – it’s about capitalizing on the strengths of what a person can bring to the workforce and the overall company culture.

Spectra Energy has been working with Prospect’s Viable program to improve their ability to include persons with disabilities. The organization brought Viable in for a disability and etiquette awareness session to reinforce that diversity and inclusion are strong pillars of their corporate culture. They have worked with Viable to develop inclusion strategies and tactics for hiring persons with disabilities and are working to accommodate employees with disabilities in all possible facets of their business.

On October 19th Prospect’s Studio C welcomed The Fringe – a full-service salon in Calgary’s southwest. (Jo-Anne Dicken, the owner, is a nominee for the Alberta Women Entrepreneurs 2015 Celebration of Achievement Award.) Our job coach has been working with The Fringe for some time, and has noticed how the staff constantly mentor and support each other. They are never too busy to help a colleague. They discuss methods, colour mixing, techniques, and take a genuine interest in each other’s lives. As an organization they will donate their time, expertise or services to support community events, Prospect or a favourite charity. So it was no surprise that they had a great time in their DEAMcanvas session. Thanks for being a DEAMemployer!

Shell Canada has been working with Prospect’s Viable program to improve their inclusivity of persons with disabilities in their workplace. Shell has brought Viable and other service providers in to provide awareness training around disabilities and etiquette best practices. Viable has helped Shell develop strategies to better include persons with disabilities, complete with resource documents for HR and staff. They have recruitment efforts to specifically hire persons with disabilities and an Employee Resource Network for persons with disabilities called “enABLE.”.

The Calgary Airport Authority has worked with Prospect’s Viable program for many years to strengthen and support their diversity and inclusion. It is clear that they have the support of their leadership team to continue learning and educating all levels of their workforce about the benefits of hiring and retaining persons with disabilities. Participants had the following to say about the art collaboration:

“Our YYC Crew worked together to create a masterpiece and in doing so, gained an understanding of everyone’s unique talents and capabilities. This event was a great reminder of how important diversity is to our organization and how we all have something significant to contribute to YYC.”

“At the end our masterpiece was such a surprise! It was amazing. It didn’t matter if you were a great painter or a challenged painter, it was a group that together made it grand. Just like in the work force…some of us are incredibly able in specific areas, and some aren’t but may be stellar in another.  Some of us even have hidden disabilities that we work through, or “paint over” and no one knows.”

Studio C welcomed Habitat for Humanity Restore – a not for profit home improvement store stocked solely through donations. It is staffed by some employees and many volunteers. Habitat has been a Prospect employer for about a year. From senior management to the volunteer network, the atmosphere is one of respect and inclusion. It is the sort of environment where you immediately feel part of something worthwhile. Prospect’s first client with the store was given the opportunity to move from a volunteer position to a part-time position and then to a full-time position in a very short time. The support, respect and inclusion encouraged the client to reach goals that were previously only a dream. After the success of our first client the management team approached Prospect for more placements. They now employ four clients and have another regularly volunteering. The growth in self-esteem, confidence, and work skills has been huge. As a DEAMemployer Habitat for Humanity Restore has changed our client’s lives forever.

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) and Prospect Human Services have a long history of working together to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the workforce. CPS has worked with Prospect’s Viable program to address diversity in a broader sense, and to include people with disabilities within their definition of diversity. Viable helped CPS gain greater awareness and insight into dealing with members of the community with disabilities. Most recently, CPS has partnered with Prospect’s BaseToBusiness program to increase their capacity to attract, recruit, and retain employees with a military background. Prospect is developing a Military Engagement Strategy for the organization that will include not just police officers, but civilian positions. This strategy will provide tools and resources to help CPS recruit, hire and retain a broad range of skills, trades, and experience from transitioning members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Calgary Stampede has been promoting western heritage and values for generations and their catering division is no exception. Stampede Catering has been working closely with Prospect, hiring talented individuals in a number of positions throughout the year and during the ten days of the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”. They continue striving to epitomize diversity and inclusion in Calgary.

Husky Energy has been working closely with Prospect’s BaseToBusiness program to develop a Military Engagement Strategy to increase their capacity to attract and retain employees with a background in the Canadian Armed Forces. Husky’s commitment is outlined in their comprehensive diversity and inclusion mission. As part of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM), Husky Energy participated in an art collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces’ Integrated Personnel Support Centre (IPSC) in Calgary. IPSC is a military unit designed to assist ill and injured soldiers in either returning to work in the military, or transitioning to civilian life upon their release. IPSC works closely with Prospect’s Forces@WORK program to ensure that those individuals ready to enter the civilian workforce are being provided with efficient services to help them connect to competitive employment.