Vicinity Jobs: I'm Physically Disabled and Need To Find A Job

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I'm Physically Disabled and Need To Find A Job
Mark Swartz, M.B.A. M.Ed.

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Question: In 2006 I was in a car crash that's put me in a wheelchair for life. I used to work in construction but now I can't anymore, for obvious reasons. I'm pretty down in the dumps. Are there places I can get in touch with who can help me find work, or maybe even retrain? Thank you.

Name Withheld By Request, Brandon, Manitoba

First of all, I am very sorry to hear about your circumstances. It must be very difficult to adjust to all the changes you have undergone.

Fortunately there are many excellent services and facilities available for you in terms of helping you get back to work. An excellent starting point is Access Guide Canada. Its mission is ''to bring you the most accurate listings on accessible resources possible - a pool of information from which we may all benefit.''

What you will find here is a listing by province and city of local resources that may be of assistance to you. For instance, if you select Manitoba where it asks you to ''choose a place,'' on the lower right hand side of the page there will be a link for ''Employment Services.'' Click on this and it takes you to a page with Links, Articles, Organizations, Books and Events. Selecting ''Organization'' brings you to a page that links you with nine organizations that you might find of interest, such as the Injured and Disabled Workers Information Centre; Public Service Commission, Manitoba - Services to Persons with Disabilities; and Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities (EAPD).

Within Brandon itself there is Career Connections Inc., which ''provides supported employment services (including assessment, placement, work training and follow-up) to adults living with a disability in the Westman, Parklands regions.'' Hopefully this should give you a solid launching point for your investigations. And here's a quick plug for CIBC and Canada's Department of Canadian Heritage for being key sponsors of this worthwhile initiative ‚ ' I'm happy to put in print the names of those who help others.

The Access Guide is a project of the Canadian Abilities Foundation. Their website is called EnableLink and includes all sorts of information, resources, articles and links for peolple with disabilities of all sorts. The name of their magazine is ''Abilities.''

There is at least one other group that you should be in touch with: the folks at CCRW (Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work). Their popular website, workink, is ''Canada's largest Virtual Employment Resource Centre for Job Seekers with Disabilities!'' They have Q&A's, Programs & Services, some job postings, a resume bank, and tons of information about employment, accommodation for disabilities, etc. The success of this superb site is due in good part to the efforts of Keltie Creed, a career professional who has been working tirelessly on behalf of the disabled for a very long time.

Lorenzo and other readers, I hope that you find this information to be of some. I wish you the very best as you seek out employment.

Mark Swartz, MBA, M.Ed., is Canada's Career Activist. His insights reach millions yearly as the Workopolis.com Career Advisor, as author of the best seller "Get Wired, You're Hired," also as a professional speaker and coach on career/work issues. A former Toronto Star careers columnist, Mark's advice is forthright and practical. For Canada's biggest directory of free career articles, and for personalized coaching, please visit www.CareerActivist.com.


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