Disability Health and Wellness Conference Huge Success

About 350 people living with disabilities and chronic conditions came together on September 24 and 25 for a conference that delivered education and empowerment at the personal and systemic levels. The inaugural Disability Health and Wellness Conference included a display area that was full of useful and important information that all the delegates were able access for their own personal needs. During the conference, many participants made contacts within the support community that they will take back to their own organizations for future follow-up.

Numerous workshops were included in the conference. The MFL sponsored three workshops covering different topics - individual rights of disabled workers and those who have a chronic condition, workplace accommodations, and elements that create a healthy workplace. All workshops were well attended by a cross section of workers, support professionals and unemployed persons.

Barb Byers, a vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) delivered the "MORE" workshop on rights in the workplace. MORE- which stands for Mobilize, Organize, Represent and Educate- is a program developed by disabled workers to allow for meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities to the collective bargaining process.

"We have come a long way together but we are the first to admit that there is still more to do," Byers told conference participants. "I encourage those in attendance to speak out on how we can take our work to the next level."

Delegates responded to calls to improve communication, become more pro-active and assertive, provide education on the political process, and ensure that materials are in clear language. Delegates also had a wish list of topics they wanted covered in the sessions.

Delegate identified needs included a better understanding of reasonable accommodation to ways of helping those with less visible disabilities and chronic conditions. It became clear that many in the professional support field have little knowledge of union structure and the role of unions in the workplace. By the end of the sessions, all questions had been answered with the help of the presenters - Debbie Jamerson who works in the Prairie region of the CLC, Marianne Petrachek of Reaching E-Quality Employment Services on Job Accommodation, and Maureen Grace who works on Healthy Workplaces at MFL Occupational Health Center.

One topic that was explained but delegates are still unable to solve was 'How to get past the first barrier of not being hired'. Many employers still limit hiring of persons with a disability that need minor accommodation to make it possible. Employment specialists in Brandon noted that many employers at unionized workplaces still block the hiring of persons with disabilities by blaming the unions. They noted that in some cases the employers will be very inflexible in opening the door.

MFL President Darlene Dziewit noted that unions need to do more in educating our community partners on ways of working together on issues of accessibility and inclusion.

"Unions are able to assist in accommodation once a person has been hired by defining the jobs and tasks that are suitable based on a worker's ability and needs," said Dziewit. "They are capable of working with the individual to match their abilities with the job requirements."

Dziewit also noted that we too can learn from each other. One of the biggest issues that labour has had trouble with was also broached at the conference.

"We find that more employers are reluctant to provide increased accommodations as workers' chronic conditions, illnesses and disabilities progress," stated Dziewit. "It is our hope that this particular issue can be addressed before time runs out for individuals."

The many organizations that came together to present the conference are already making plans for next year. Conference organizers used a system of information gathering and sorting of responses whereby the participants used hand held electronic devices to record their opinions on ranging from how the conference was presented to topics that should be included in future conferences.

Natalie Mulaire, Chief Operating Officer of the SMD Self-Help Clearing house and chair of the committee was adamant in her closing remarks.

"We will build on the success of this year and present a series of workshops that will allow consumers to be able to select a topic that meets their individual needs."