Nickel Belt News
Volume 56 Number 43
Friday, October 28, 2016
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
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Juniper Centre hosts disability employment awareness open house BY KACPER ANTOSZEWSKI KACPER@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
As part of Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Juniper Centre hosted an open house Oct.18, where community members had the opportunity to become familiar with the centre and its roles, and to raise awareness surrounding both disability issues and the locally available programs that help individuals overcome their barriers. The Juniper Centre provides employment support to individuals with physical and neurological disabilities, in order to help them lead richer, more independent lives. Executive director Rachel Templeton noted an open house was an ideal opportunity to recognize current community employers that support diverse employment, and encourage others to take advantage of disability employment services available. The Society for Manitobans with Disabilities (SMD) was on site as a regular partner of the Juniper Centre and has provided disability employment services in the community for a number of years: among the services SMD provides are the Vocational Rehabili-
tation Services (for those with physical, neurological, or hearing disabilites) as well as the Thompson Supportive Employment Program, open to individuals with any sort of selfdeclared disability. SMD representative Brenda Davidson noted that multiple employers had expressed interest throughout the day, and that a new intake of participants would be starting in January. Space, however is limited, as the program can only accommodate eight participants at a time. One of those employers was Paul Sellwood, store manager at the Thompson Wal-Mart, who was particularly intrigued by the Thompson Supportive Employment program. “We have a number of jobs at Wal-Mart that cater from advanced to very basic skills,” explained Sellwood. “The biggest thing we struggle with is retention, and one of the best things about their students is that they’re from the community, and they’re going to stay in the community.” Sellwood noted he would not have come across the service had he not attended the open house. Alternatively, Commun-
Nickel Belt News photos by Kacper Antoszewski Local entrepreneur and Elevate client Don Glenn stands next to his crafted wares. ity Futures North Central Development was also on site to promote entrepreneurial opportunities for
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physically disabled individuals through the new Elevate program, which launched in the commun-
ity earlier this year. The Elevate program provides business planning supports, mentorship, and
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even limited funding for disabled individuals seeking self-employment. Continued on Page 2
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