EmployABILITY

What is employABILITY?

Through BACI’s employABILITY Strategy, individuals with varying abilities are assisted in securing and maintaining employment in the community –matching them with jobs that align with their skills and interests, and providing supports as needed.

For more information, please view the document: Re-Inventing Day Services

News

familyWORKS invites you to join us in our

‘Conversation about Real Work’

November 14th, 2009

6 pm – 9 pm

2702 Norland Avenue, Burnaby, V5B 3A6

 Topics for discussion:

• What does ‘Real Work for Real Pay’ mean to families?
• What have families been doing to support their members to work?
• What are families’ thoughts, concerns, and words of wisdom?
• What has familyWORKS been up to?

We look forward to having you join in this important conversation.  RSVP to: Stephanie Liebe-McGinnis at stephanie.LM@gobaci.com or 604.299.7851  ext.237 by November 10^th, 2009.

 familyWORKS governance group:  Kevin Lusignan, Lois Godfrey, Nelly Wong, Masa Takei, Karen Bruce, Marvin Bruce and John Tsang

 

familyWORKS Call for Stories

familyWORKS is about families helping families to recognize the important role we can play in building an economy in British Columbia that is strengthened by the inclusion of people with disabilities.

We want to hear from you…. 

Have you supported your family member to find a job, start a small business, become self employed?  Have you and your family member experienced successes and challenges along the way?  Other families and people with disabilities will benefit from hearing your story and learning from your experiences.

Stories can be shared in many forms…

• Your could write down your own story
•  You could tell your story on tape
•  You could have a conversation with a familyWORKS representative who will turn the conversation into a story (with your approval of course!)

The first step to sharing your story starts with contacting Maggie Vilvang:

      mvilvang@2010LegaciesNow.com

      604.765.6158

      778.327.5149

      Toll free: 1-866-427-2010

familyWORKS is hosted by the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, supported by accessWORKS – 2010 Legacies Now, governed by families, and funded in part through an Innovation Grant from Community Living British Columbia.

Seeking Online Mentors for our Social Enterprises:

We are looking for BACI staff and friends of BACI who are interested in being part of an e-Committee to focus on 3 social enterprises – to gather knowledge about each business and create a supportive on-line community. 

The 3 fledgling social enterprises previously existed as BACI Day Programs:  The Grape Box, The Work Crew, Action Packaging.  These enterprises provide paid training and supportive employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. 

Interested?  Click here. 

 

Our Social Enterprises:

 

 Action Packaging

This is a Social Enterprise providing paid supported employment and training located within the BACI Still Creek building.  Action Packaging is currently looking for new contracts doing large and small packaging and assembly including:  shrink wrapping, collating, shredding, and regularly scheduled mail-outs such as corporate newsletters.  The crew is  available for jobs large and small ,freeing up your time to focus on your customers and other business activities.  Please let us know how we can help you by calling and requesting a quote on your business needs.  Call today and get a free quote plus 10% off your first contract.  Contact Terry, Manager of Business Development @ 604 339-7240

 

The Grape Box

The Grape Box uses BC grown Western Red Cedar, which is purchased locally through a long-term relationship with Haida Forest Products*. The handcrafted boxes are available in a variety of sizes and options — based on your various packaging and gift-giving needs — and can be crafted to your exact specifications. This small woodshop provides training as well as employment opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

* With our commitment to community sustainability and our mandate of “Purposeful Purchasing,” BACI purchases from local businesses or organizations that share our values of sustainability and economic inclusion.

 For more information, click here

 

BEST (BACI Employment Services Team) Success Story: 

Fulfilling Potential – One Cup at a Time

Betty, a young woman participating in BACI’s Day Programs for the past 2 years, has recently been hired by the Starbucks Coffee Shop at Holdom Skytrain Station in Burnaby.  In her role as Café Attendant, she ensures that the café is clean and tidy for customers, and that the condiment station is fully-stocked.

During Betty’s initial transition into the job, she receives on-the-job support from a BACI Customized Employment Support person. Betty will soon be ready to continue working without on-the-job supports.  Betty feels like she is “an adult now”, and wants to use her money to help others less fortunate than she is. Her friends are amazed at how much this new job has helped Betty to mature and become a more self-confident and independent person.

Betty is very proud to be employed. And after attaining this one dream, Betty is realizing that other dreams may be more within her reach.

 

BACI’s Purposeful Purchasing Policy

This policy demonstrates BACI’s commitment to align our spending practices with our values. Whenever possible, we want to purchase from suppliers who advance the economic inclusion of people with disabilities and contribute to social sustainability. In other words, BACI wants to buy from companies that create and support employment for people with disabilities. It is also important to BACI to buy from companies who are environmentally responsible – who do good things for the community and for the earth.

For more information, click here

BACI Board Position Statement on Employment for Individuals we Support

Historically, persons with developmental disabilities have been placed in leisure programs, sheltered workshops, or activity centres offering limited wages and little job choice.  Such settings were intended to support people to increase job readiness; however the progression to employment did not usually occur. 

Since the late 1980’s there has been an increase in the demand for work by young people with disabilities who, like their peers, are looking towards employment as the next step after secondary school. This resulted in a number of frameworks being developed, which are designed to facilitate competitive and supported employment, including community-based employment services and supported employment programs.

For more information, click here