Business Events, Articles, Community Info, and how LDE can support Employers.
Upcoming Events!
ODEN Conference: Nov 4-6, this conference has many different in-person talks regarding Disabilities in the Workplace for Employers. If you would like to attend their 1-day Disability Awareness and Confidence Training but you have financial barriers, please connect with us!
For more information, please see our Events Calendar and Blog!
See the changes we're making to better help you achieve your goals.
Staffing Change: Randy Schoch has moved on from LDE - we want to thank Randy for all of the time and expertise he put into Life Directions Employment to help us grow, both internally and externally. Monica Singh Soares is now our sole Business Engagement Specialist - please connect with her at LDBusiness@LifeDirections.ca! She has been with us in Business Engagement since June 2024 and has amazing ideas. Without a doubt, she can help businesses understand Disabilities in the Workplace and give great out-of-the-box solutions to problems you may be experiencing.
We want to give a huge Thank You to everyone who participated in Light It Up! For NDEAM! To celebrate our businesses, we have created a video and blog post with everyone linked in the blog for your websites' SEO to continue to show our appreciation.
We also want to congratulate Kimberly Lewis of Markdale Flowers again for winning the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Award at the Chamber Gala Awards! We were the Keynote Speakers of the event and hope that it was a celebratory and educational evening for all.
Business Engagement is pivoting to 1-on-1 conversations with businesses to support your unique needs. We will still offer training, and we'd love to hear your feedback on what we've offered so far including what topics and information within Disability Supports in Employment you'd like to know more about and the amount of time you can invest into training.
There are 3 main types of Diabetes - Type 1 (autoimmune disease), Type 2 (insulin resistance or insufficient natural insulin production), and Gestational Diabetes (diabetes developed during pregnancy).
This is an opportunity to break down stigma surrounding Diabetes, especially Type 2, as this is typically developed later in life. Type 2 Diabetes has various causes such as illnesses affecting hormones (like PCOS), not enough exercise, lack of access to nutritious food, obesity, and genetics. Many of these causes oftentimes are related to poverty or another disability - in 2022, 8.9% of Canadians lived with Diabetes. This is a great article by the Public Health Organization of Canada that discusses Diabetes within Canada on a systemic level. As November is also Indigenous Disability Awareness Month, it is especially worth noting that Indigenous people are more likely to develop Diabetes due to systemic barriers such as poverty, racism, and intergenerational trauma.
Some common accommodations for people with Diabetes are:
Allowing for more frequent breaks - People with Diabetes may need to monitor their blood sugar and eat more frequently throughout the day. They may also need to use the restroom more frequently than those without Diabetes.
Flexible Scheduling - People with Diabetes may have frequent doctor's appointments or sick days depending on their experience with Diabetes. If possible, allowing for more flexible schedules for all staff can improve morale and retention, as many live with undiagnosed and undisclosed disabilities.
Ensuring there are quiet/private areas for staff to test their blood sugar. As safety can be an issue with this, we'd be happy to help you find solutions if this accommodation is requested.
If you have any questions about accommodation requests and your obligations as employers, please reach out to us!
MentorAbility Initiative
This is a national initiative by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) that aims to connect job seekers and employers. The purpose of this is to help with networking, find a better employment fit for both employers and job seekers, and serve as a learning experience for both parties.
In preparation for the mentorship, we like to speak with employers/mentors to answer any questions they have at this time around not just the job seeker, but anything regarding disability employment. We welcome any and all questions, including questions regarding "touchy" subjects, as we want to make sure that both the employer and the job seeker are comfortable and supported through this process. No question is unacceptable if it is asked with good intentions 🙂
Job offers are NOT expected or required to participate
We hold the insurance for the job seeker
The job seeker can have a support person present (their career advisor or another support staff) if requested by the job seeker or employer
Mentorships can last as short or long as the job seeker and employer need them to. If employers only have an hour to sit down with a job seeker, then this can still work!