Everyone wants to have some impact on the world; to change things for the better or simply to create something of value to others. This can translate into producing a work of art or an excellent loaf of bread, or into providing efficient service in a check-out aisle. Whatever people’s social class, age, and physical or cognitive ability, using an acquired skill toward greater goals is a deep human need. While employment can take many forms, it is the dramatic effect that work can have on increasing the quality of life for everyone—including persons with disabilities—that remains unquantifiable. It’s in this spirit that The Powell River Measuring Up Committee for Accessibility and Inclusion will host the free lunchtime event Ability First! A Community Gathering on Employment for Persons with Disabilities on May 26, 2009 from 11 am to 2 pm (snacks provided) in the Powell River Recreation Complex’s Cedar Room (upper level).

This event will bring together local organisations like Career Link, Triumph Vocational Services, The Model Community Project for Persons with Disabilities, The Powell River Association for Community Living, and government agencies providing support to clients with visible or invisible disabilities or barriers to employment and to their employers. It is a delicate and individualised process that is helping us to meet R.H Claude Richmond’s “10 by 10 Challenge”:

“Today, there are about 300,000 working-age people with disabilities in B.C. […] they are highly motivated & dedicated individuals! 34,000 have college diplomas, 30,000 have trade certificates and 28,000 have university degrees. We issued the ‘10 by 10 Challenge’—calling on municipal & business leaders across the province to increase employment of people with disabilities in each community by 10% by the year 2010 […] to increase the number of British Columbians with disabilities in the workforce by 13,000 by 2010.”

Ability First! will feature presentations and information booths covering diverse topics that will be of interest to businesses and to the general public such as: the use of Plain Language in the workplace; the seven principles of Universal Design; a look at assistive technologies; government assistance and incentive programs for employers who hire persons with disabilities; case studies showing our community’s accomplishments, and ideas on how to increase access and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workplace and beyond. Door prizes will be awarded at the end of this event.

For more information on this event, please visit http://prability.org. The Measuring Up Committee’s web site is at: http://powellriver.wordpress.com. For more information on the “10 by 10 Challenge” visit: http://10by10challenge.gov.bc.ca

The Ability First! gathering is funded through a grant from The Vancouver Foundation.