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SECTION
Employri° ent Support Program gets those with
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community ;
learningdisabilities into. c y work p �lace POSTSCRIPT
By Susan Hundertmark
BY PAUL HARTMAN
For most of 'us the week -to -week routine
of going to work and returning to our own
homes at nicht. is lust that — routir.'
But for Goderich residents Dave Tebow
and Violet Keller and others with learning
disabilities, the implementation of such a
routine is 'an accomplishment, a genuine
source of pride and happiness.
"I've never been as happy in my life as I
am now," Dave says of his new-found in-
dependence, And Violet echoes his
sentiments.
Both are former employees at Suncoast
Enterprises in Goderich, a workshop for
the learning disabled. They are now the
proud owners of full-time jobs, thanks in
part to the Employment Support Program
set up by the Goderich and District
. Association for the Mentally Retarded
(GDAMR).
The program, explains Helen Watson of
the GDAMR, is designed to find, in con-
junction with the local Canada Employ-
ment Centre, jobs for people like Dave and
Violet. Provincially funded, it's been in
operation for just over a year.
"So far, there are 26 people working full
or part time in the community under the
program," says Watson. "But we still
have about 40 employed at Sunooast."
"Some that are still there would like jobs
in the community. But others are,
understandably, a bit frightened at the
prospect. It does mean a big change in
life.'
For Dave, now employed at Business Air
Services Ltd., a plane refinishing and
charter firm located at Sky Harbour Air-
port, the experience of starting a job in the
community after being employed at Sun -
coast was a bit disconcerting.
"I was nervous, a bit tense, when I
started out there," admits the 29 -year-old,
"but once I got `into the routine, I was
okay." He's been working with the com-
pany for a year.
Violet had it somewhat easier, starting
out as a volunteer at the Lady Diana
Nursery in Vanastra, and then moving into
a full-time position in mid-February.
Both are enthusiastic about their
employment after getting over some in-
itial concern.
Violet's eyes brighten when asked about
her work. "I love it, I love the children,
and I hope to be staying there for a long
time, she says of the nursery which cares
for children with disablities.
Dave expresses similar feelings. "I real-
ly L...44....
ly enjoy my work and the money's better
too," he remarks, referring to the .below -
minimum wage that he received at
Suncoast.
Dave is a janitor at Business Air. He
works from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a
Week, getting a ride to and from work with
a friend who's employed there. He sweeps
floors, organizes shelves, removes the
masking from planes that have been
painted, and generally' provides help when
any of his co-workers ask for it.
"All the guys have been very good to me.
It's become like a second home for me out
there." .
Dave's employers are happy as well.
"We're rriore than satisfied with the
doing,"' says Keith. Ronde,au,
ager of Business Air. "He's
o whatever we've asked him
to and been %ery enthusiastic about doing
it."
Business Mr is so happy with Dave that
they've hired Russel MacDonald from
Suncoast Enterprises to train under Dave
as his assistant.
Dave is glad to be employed in a full-
time job in the community but he doesn't
begrudge his time at Suncoast Enter-
prises.
"I needed that time to think about my
life," Dave reflects of the two years he
spent at the workshop after he left home.
"It was like a family for me."
"But when I left, it was a whole new ball
game. I had to start thinking ahead to what
I was going to do rather than thinking
about my past,"
Violet's job at the nursery in Vanastra
runs from 8 a.rl . to noon, five days a week
She works closely with disabled
children, organizing their daily routine,
helping them With crafts and the like. She
too is happy with the response and en-
couragement she's received from co-
workers.
And the feeling is mutual. Cheryl Nuhn,
director of the Lady Diana Nursery and
the Tuckersmith Day Care Centre, is very
. Happy with the job Violet has been doing.
"Every assignment that has been given
to her has been Completed satisfactorily,"
Nuhn remarks. "And the staff and the
ily accepted her well."
process .of learning sign
t she can better ,com-
he children. She's also
night school courses at
gh school in reading,
writing and mat .
The higher wages that each receive have
done much to change the way they live.
Perhaps most importantly, they are each
living on their own in the community,
something that they were unable to do
before they left Suncoast due to financial
Constraints.
Again this is part of the GDAMR's focus
on integrating those with disablities into
the community on both the employment
and social fronts. Integration is also one of
the areas of co centration of "People
First" a self-advo acy group that Violet
and others are tryr g to establish in Huron
County (see sidebar).
What's the result of the Employment
Support Program and the further integra-
tion suggested by "People First" and the
GDAMR? Watson tuns it up well.
"Before, people h d no control over their
lives. They were oing the same things
over and. over. They didn't have a fpture.
Now they do."
- work Dave i
general ma
been able to
children have re
Violet is in th
language so th
municate with
been taking some
- the Goderich h
David Tebow sets some aircraft parts on shelves prior to repainting
at Business Air Services Limited. Dave, formerly employed at Sun -
coast Enterprises, got his job at Business Air through the Employ-
ment Support Program. The program is designed to provide
employment in the community for persons with learning
disabilities and it has already placed 26 people. It is run by the
Goderich and District Association for the Mentally Retarded and is
provincially funded. (Photo by Paul Hartman)
arn.e change is in4icath4 of ,
change in direction for association
BY PAUL HARTMAN
When the Goderich District Association
for the Mentally Retarded (GDAMR) held
its annual meeting in, June, oneof the top
priorities of the group was to change its
name.
In a unanimous decision, the GDAMR,
following the lead of other .groups in
Canada, passed a motion from the board of
directors to, change the name of the';
Goderich association to "Community Liv-
ing —Central Huron."
"It'sbecomin .more and fnor apparent
that people labeled with the term 4mental
-
disabilities are participating in the away from a person's individuality.
community." "For those people that do need support,
`They're working in the community and we can hire support workers on contract.
they're living in the community. And Otherwise, we're trying to get people out
that's, the way it should be. Just because into the community."
you have a disability. doesn't mean you Watson says: GDAMR is also trying to
can't be a contributing Member of socio- eliminate terms such as "handicapped"
ty." Watson points to Violet Keller and and 'Imentally retarded" from. everyday
Dave Tebow for examples (refer to main speech and written presentations. "We're.
story ). tryingto get everyone into 'the habit of
-- the talkin about neonle thit._thev knew. not.,
.The i�unTvirr awaits app�nvat from w►e about.groups of people."
Ministry of Consumer . anCeorporate Af-
fairs
f-
fairsfor; the name change.,hu Watson'an- Eradicating ;some :of the; terminology!
,p l t, , ' ....;.:x 04:11as been ..attached to persons. with.:;
ticiptates little,problerl , disabilities'wili be a: major stepr in getting
rid of some of the -discrimination 11..i hey.
ly retarded' don't like it," explains Helen 'The name change -is also indicative of a have to, tolerate Watson says.
G M ft di t o for the GDAMR An at
Watson of the DA'It's
a change' e. 'ret io at-
"
discriminatory label that carries all kinds tempt o eing made to phase outspecial The; fact that we had,an institution for
of negative connotations."
services.
the disabled .up the road has helped "pro
"Community Living—Central Huron on "We've found that people don't really long some sterotypes," Watson observes.;
the other hand indicates more of a sense of need them,; notes Watson. Fitting people People have to realize that :a disability.
direction. It's a more positive term that into programs, she explains, is un-: just affects your ability to earn. It does
reflects the fact that people with necessary, and that process also takes not affeet your whole life."
"People First" will protect the
rights of those with disabilities
BY PAUL HARTMAN
You may not have heard of an organiza-
tion known as •' `People First" but chances
are you'll be.hearing about it in the near
future.
"People First" is a self -advocacy group
participated in by, and designed to help,
those that have been labelled and thus
Violet Keller helps a child enjoy a ride down the slide at the Lady Diana Nursery where
she's employed under the Employment Support Program. Violet is also a driving force for
the establishment in Huron County of "People First" a self -advocacy group for those with
learning disabilities.(Photo by Paul Hartman)
discriminated against, by society. It, is a
Canada -wide organization, with chapters
in many centres, working on behalf of in-
dividuals'with learning disabilities.
Violet Keller, a Goderich resident, is one
of the driving forces behind the move to
establish a "People First" group in Huron
County.
"After talking to Beth French, the
organizer of People First in Toronto, we
decided that we wanted to start a group
here," she says.
"People First" in Huron County is still in
its infancy stage. The group is looking for
someone in the community to help
organize and plan for the future.
The organization, once established, will
have several functions, the most impor-
tant of which is to serve as a watchdog to
ensure that persons with disabilities are
not being discriminated against. It will
also aid these same people in getting a job
in the community and help them find a
place to live.
The group will also concentrate on pro-
curing funds for government programs for
the disabled and educate society to the
position of the disabled.
The basic thrust is similar to the one
GDAMR has been concentrating on,
recently -- to. integrate those with
-disabilities into society. In this case
however theintegration is being ac-
complished by those with disabilities.
Dave Tebow of Goderich who worked at
Suncoast Industries for two -years and now
has a job at Business Air Services Ltd.,
sees integration as positive and necessary.
"It's something that they (people still at
Suncoast) have to do. They've got to learn.
what society is like today and the only way
they can do that is to get out and work in
the world." s
On the othee hand, Dave explains, it-
tegration will help society understand him
and others like him. And both Dave and
Violet express a hope that others will at-
tempt to look at the world from their
perspective and try to understand their
position.
"People have got to put themselves 'in
'my shoes and see what it's like," urges
Violet. .
Both also sense that people's attitudes
are changing for the better towards those
with disabilities —a situation which canon«
ly improve as "People First" gains a
foothold in Huron County. -
Living under
apartheid
Though we often take our freedoms for
granted, most Canadians have a lot of li
them. In Goderich, we live here because
we choose to. We're usually among our
family and friends and many of us work
productively at jobs which provide us
with an adequate, if not comfortable, -
standard of living.
Usually, we live in peace and harmony
with our neighbors. If not, we enjoy a
political system which allows us to vote
for change and a justice system which
acknowledges our ability to fight for our
rights and freedoms.
In most cases in our community,
choice is the operative word. But, what if
the rules were different?
Imagine a society where 70 per cent of
the population is denied what we take for
granted as our rights and freedoms. Im-
agine if the majority of people can no
longer vote. And, imagine a situation
when most of us are denied even the most
basic choice 'Of living together with, our .
families in the location of our choice.
Consider instead, a system which re-
quires the majority of people to carry a
permitregulating where they live and
work. These permits are difficult to ob-
tain especially for women whose labor is
not in great demand by .the ruling
minority.
The permits must be renewed,
sometimes as often as once a week, with
a day -long hassle with bureaucrats and
their red tape ( when, of course, a day of
work must be missed.)
But, the hassle must be endured.
Police raid the community regularly
checking permits. Without a permit, im-
prisonment. is ,likely and banishment
from your, community to a reserve full of
other permit -less people is almost
inevitable.
On the reserve, employment oppor-
tunities are almost nil and you must rely
on family members with permits to sup-
• port you and your children. The reserve
is eroded and barren land that is over-
crowded
with women and children who
have been separated by law from their
husbands and'fathers who must continue
to work for the minority-owned in-
dustries
to support their families.
And, even if you're fortunate enough to
obtain a permitand therefore, find
employment, the wages are so low that
you must live in a shack made of cor-
rugated iron and cardboard and your
children must often do without formal
education.
Violent strikes erupt in which scabs
are beaten and killed by strikers and
strikers are beaten and killed by police.
When the minority -run government
demands an end to the strike, police con-
duct door-to-door searches for workers
whom they drag out of their homes to
work.
And, when ...you'v.e _had enough' and
decide to revolt against this repressive -
system, your neighborhood becomes a
war zone where homes are destroyed by
fire bombs and friends and family are
murdered in the streets. Police imprison
and brutalize anyone they suspect of
speaking out against the system or, if the
known subversives are in hiding, their -
family members are arrested.
This scenario is not taken from the
Twilight Zone. It is not borrowed from a
speech from U.S. President Reagan on
the horrors of communism. And, it is not
an Orwellian nightmare prophesy of a
future society.
It is reality for the blacks of South
Africa who live, under the racist system
of apartheid. It describes the past 40
years of existance of black South
Africans as outlined in the book "Poppie
Nongena," based on the life of a black
woman living in South Africa today.
"Poppie Nongena" is a revealing and
important book because it introduces us
to the real people who suffer under apar-
theid. It provides the 'families, the
culture, the frustrations and the dreams
of the blacks struggling and often dying
under its discriminatory system. And, it
helps us understand how, placed under
the same repressive regime, we too
would be moved to rebel.
The book also helps us feel the heat of
passionate outrage radiating from the
fiery speeches of Bishop Desmond Tutu
when he urges the rest of the world to
help fight against apartheid.
It's a book that should be required
reading for world leaders especially U.S.
President Reagan and British - Prime
Minister Thatcher, who 'should read it
again if they've already skimmed
through it once.
Because, after reading the book along
with daily news reports from South
Africa, it's hard to understand how
anyone who believes in human rights and
freedoms, could not respond by doing
everything in his or her power to end
such a system.
That's why I applaud Canada and th%
other Commonwealth nations who are
leading the way in international sanc-
tions against South Africa.
And, I heap scorn on Britain and the
United States who refuse to impose sanc-
tions . despite the fact that British and
Americans war veterans sacrificed
much to fight a similar system of hatred,
discrimination and oppression in the Se-
cond World War.
Apartheid must end. And, I hope
Canada continues to do what it can to
that end.
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