Companies in the Saint John region helping to close the gap between people with disabilities looking for work and employers have been awarded by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work.
Some 14-percent of Canadians identify as having a disability, but one three in 10 businesses hired someone with a disability in 2013.
One of the companies that has won an award is Freedom Tours and Travel on Charlotte Street. Tour manager Heather MacKenzie says two years ago she met a specialist with the CCRW and they’ve made five hires within the last year. She has this message to employers who might be thinking about hiring someone with a disability.
“Give it a chance because if you just take a different approach, you could have a wonderful employee who’s dedicated, who’s hardworking, who really wants the job and has the passion for the job,” says MacKenzie. “They can do everything and they do it with heart.”
One of her employees, Debbie Waycott, who has a disability, also received an award and spoke to the audience at the luncheon and awards ceremony. She talked about hear search for a job:
“I’d been trying for a very long time to find work, but never had any success,” says Waycott, who was interviewed to be a greeter at the cruise ship terminal with the help of CCRW and was hired on the spot. “That was one of the best days I can remember…people like me with a disability are just happy to be working.”
The owner award winners include the YMCA, Options Outreach and Fernhill Cemetary.
