Up to the job

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This article was published 14/10/2018 (2543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of Stacey Friesen’s favourite parts of her job is greeting customers, menus in hand and a smile on her face.

“It makes me happy all the time,” Friesen says. “They totally like me.”

The 26-year-old volunteers at L’Arche Tova Café in Transcona. The restaurant has been employing people with developmental disabilities, such as Friesen, since opening its doors in 2012.

The idea came to one of the owners after visiting a similar café in Ireland. L’Arche International — a movement dedicated to providing support for people with disabilities — operates in 38 countries and 152 communities, according to its website.

Diane Truderung, L’Arche Tova Café’s director of fund development and communications, says the restaurant is a social enterprise dedicated to “showing the skills of those with developmental disabilities in a respectful and friendly manner.”

“We are able to provide training at the rate of the person’s ability to learn,” Truderung says. “Some restaurants may not have the ability to do that, but because we’re a social enterprise this is what we’re all about. This is why we’re here.”

L’Arche Tova Café’s mandate is especially important in October: Disability Employment Awareness Month. The federal government has encouraged employers to make their business practices more inclusive and accessible for Canadians of all abilities.

Carley Molnar, a supervisor at the café, believes businesses don’t take into consideration the potential people with developmental disabilities have.

‘There are companies that pay lip service to hiring people with disabilities, but they really don’t. In order for most people with disabilities to succeed, the workplace has to be able to accommodate their disability’– Tilman Goetting, Equal Opportunities West consultant

“Society’s gotten better, but there’s still a taboo,” Molnar says. “I love how here they are our stars. They are front and centre serving customers, not hidden away in the back.”

Both Truderung and Molnar say their customers have been very responsive, and many return because they love the café’s employees and inclusive atmosphere.

“We have great food with heart,” Truderung says. “We’re changing society one cup of coffee at a time.”

“We just need to learn valuable lessons from our members with disabilities. Love and accept everybody,” Molnar adds.

A 2017 poll by CIBC and Angus Reid Institute found only 33 per cent of respondents with a disability held full- or part-time work. Eleven per cent fell into a miscellaneous category, including student or homemaker, and 67 per cent of those unemployed said they were out of work because of their disability.

The survey also found only 23 per cent of respondents felt comfortable disclosing their condition to a potential employer, and 19 per cent had no intention of discussing it out of fear of discrimination.

Dr. Michelle Owen, co-ordinator of the disability studies program at the University of Winnipeg, says Canada has a long history of using people with disabilities in sheltered workshops with little pay.

“Individuals with disabilities are a large group of people who are underutilized,” Owen says. “With a lot of employers, their first assumption is it’ll cost them a lot of money to hire people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and that’s not the case.”

Owen says the barriers people with disabilities encounter when trying to secure employment can be divided into three categories: employer discrimination, labelling and their perceived value to a business or organization.

“The closer you are to the able-bodied norm, the more likely you are to be educated and employed,” Owen says.

There are a number of Winnipeg non-profits working to bridge this gap by helping individuals with disabilities find community-based work. Connect Employment, for instance, has been helping people with developmental and intellectual disabilities secure employment for over 30 years.

Krista Bisset, Connect’s CEO, was first exposed to the field during a work placement in university. Clients were not working in the community, and she recalls being “devastated” by the experience.

“I later went and worked for Child and Family Services and then this opportunity came up and I thought, ‘This is how the experience for somebody should be,’” Bisset says.

Connect offers a variety of services designed to meet certain objectives based on the severity of the disability. They offer transition planning assistance, employment preparation, job search assistance and training.

Followup is also key. Even after a client finds employment, Connect maintains regular contact with them and their employer to provide consultation. They offer managers recruitment assistance, on-site training support and placement monitoring.

Program manager Lori Watson-Sewell says she frequently receives positive feedback from businesses that have hired their clients.

“I’ve talked to so many employers that have said, ‘I’m so glad I found so-and-so from you. He is my best employee,’” Watson-Sewell says. “It’s not just the individuals that are benefitting; the community is benefitting, employers are benefitting.”

Watson-Sewell recalls running into a client on a Winnipeg bus. Both were on their way to work, so they sat together and discussed their weekends before parting ways.

“It was just a normal conversation, but it struck me even being on the bus together is something that wouldn’t have happened 25 years ago. It wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t had assistance to help him find employment,” Watson-Sewell says. “It was very ordinary, but very extraordinary.”

Two other agencies doing similar work are SCE LifeWorks and Equal Opportunities West. While each organization may operate differently, their goal is the same: to see people with disabilities working in the community.

Oly Backstrom, president and CEO of SCE LifeWorks, says there are many services in Winnipeg for people with disabilities, but not enough are geared toward inclusive employment.

Backstrom believes hiring people with disabilities can lead to return business. The agency works to show employers these individuals can be “dependable and loyal employees, if given the chance.”

“People in our community respect businesses with a team that reflects the community they are serving,” Backstrom says. “Fifteen per cent of the community happens to be individuals with disabilities, so a lot of people will take notice and respect that business.”

Equal Opportunities West (EOW) operates an electronic waste and recycling program. The goal is two-fold: to keep Manitoba’s landfills free of e-waste and help individuals with disabilities hold paid work.

“It gives them a kind of work atmosphere,” EOW consultant Robert Fabro says of the 102 people working in the program. “They have to show up on time, do things in a time frame and maintain respectful employment.”

The agency also offers individualized services to find clients work outside of EOW programming. This includes job searches, interview supports and communicating with Winnipeg businesses looking for new employees.

Tilman Goetting, a consultant with EOW’s entrepreneurs with disabilities program, says online hiring has made securing employment more difficult. Goetting says he used to go directly to managers he thought might be a good fit for his client.

“There are companies that pay lip service to hiring people with disabilities, but they really don’t,” Goetting says. “In order for most people with disabilities to succeed, the workplace has to be able to accommodate their disability.”

As for Stacey Friesen, she has no plans to quit her job at L’Arche Tova Café.

“She’s not allowed to leave,” Diane Truderung says with a chuckle. “We just love her too much. She’s our star.”

“Yes, I am. I am a star,” Friesen says, smiling.

Then it’s time for her to make a fresh pot of coffee and organize cutlery.