Employment as a Gold Standard for Social Inclusion

On Saturday, May 14, 2016 Community Living Toronto, Reena and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Co-Presented the Screening of THE INTERVIEWER and A WHOLE LOTT MORE at the ReelAbilities Film Festival.

Panel Discussion – The Future of Employment for People with Developmental Disabilities in Ontario

Highlights from the reel

Panel

Karen Chan joined the Ministry of Community and Social Services in October 2013 as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Community and Developmental Services Division, following a long history of senior leadership positions both within the Ontario Public Service and Municipal Government in the not-for-profit sector. Karen is a reputable champion of community engagement and collaboration. She has a special interest in advancing accessibility for people of all abilities and in strengthening service delivery.

Julie Godfrey used to work at Etobicoke Employment Training Supports but found the work boring. Her dream was to work in the community making a competitive wage. Working gives Julie a sense of pride and independence. Julie has worked at a number of places including Toronto Life magazine, PG Pet Store and Pindoff. Currently, Julie works part time at Surrey Places’ Coffee Shed as a barista and the University of Toronto in the kitchen. Outside of work, Julie is a horse enthusiast and loves to ride! She also enjoys arts and crafts, spending time with family and friends. Julie also loves to bake and likes to give back to the community by sharing with nursing homes.

Brad Saunders is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Living Toronto. He is an experienced leader who brings a history of service excellence, a commitment to fostering a strong and positive work culture, and believing in supporting people with intellectual disabilities to live meaningful lives. Prior to joining Community Living Toronto, Brad was Executive Director of the Bob Rumball Associations for the Deaf, and was a Program Supervisor with the Ministry of Children & Youth Services and Community & Social Services.

Deepak Soni has worked with people with disabilities for over 25 years in a variety of capacities including program development, implementation and management and has had the opportunity of successfully managing programs and services funded by a host of funders both federally and provincially. Deepak is currently the Executive Director of Corbook and within his role has implemented key strategic business and community partnerships that have all had an impact on creating educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Bob Vansickle has worked in the field assisting persons with a disability to find employment for more than twenty years in his role as the Manager of Employment Options at Community Living Sarnia-Lambton. He has been a speaker at numerous provincial and national conferences. In addition to supporting many companies to successfully onboard candidates who have a disability, Bob has worked closely with many business owners to provide accessibility training and consulting. Currently Bob has been seconded by the Ontario Disability Employment Network’s Centre for Excellence in Employment Services in the role of Training Coordinator.