St. Mary’s, WCDSB and KW Habilitation partner on school-to-work training program for students with disabilities towards meaningful and integrated employment
Kitchener, ON | December 1, 2022 – St. Mary’s General Hospital has partnered with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and KW Habilitation to host internships for students with developmental disabilities to gain employment skills. Project SEARCH Waterloo Region welcomed its first six interns to St. Mary’s in September, and all interns are now working in various departments in the hospital.
Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre in 1996, to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce, ensuring the patients seeking care there were well represented by the employees that served them. Project SEARCH has grown internationally, including in Canada, with more than 600 programs immersing students into a school-to-work training program that prepares them for meaningful and integrated employment.
At St. Mary’s, Project SEARCH represents a pool of potential employees who can contribute to excellent and compassionate patient care delivery in Waterloo Region.
“I cannot express enough how wonderful the Project Search program is!” says Darlene Oakes, Supply Chain Supervisor at St. Mary’s. “Having the student (Ryan) in the department has really brought the team together and they are truly enjoying the whole experience.”
“Project SEARCH has helped me gain new workplace experience,” says Ryan Brown, one of the inaugural Project SEARCH interns. “It excites me because I am learning how to work independently and with a team. In the Stores department, I put the pallets away, receive new shipments, check expiration dates, and use the computer system. At St. Mary's, I get to work a regular weekly schedule with my co-workers. I'm also improving my self-confidence. It's an amazing program that helps people with disabilities prepare for the workforce.”
The program has had benefits for the students and the partnering organizations, encouraging a sense of belonging and inclusivity, as well as educating partners on how to work with colleagues needing accommodations for a disability. In Canada, almost one-quarter of Canadians have a disability. The most recent Canadian Survey on Disability by Statistics Canada showed that in 2017: One in five Canadians (22% or 6.2 million people) reported living with a disability. Over the next 20 years, that number is expected to rise to 25% as the population ages. The Canadian employment rate of people who have a disability is 59% compared to 80% of people without disabilities. (Statistics Canada).
Natasha LeBlanc, Program Manager of Peri-Operative Services works with Project SEARCH intern Tahlia sharing “(Tahlia), who is working in Day Surgery, has been doing very well…. (she) is motivated and excited about her future. The Day Surgery team is impressed and have welcomed her as an important member of the staff. She has formed relationships with a few of the attendants and has really become a part of the department. We are lucky to have her in our area.”
Intern Tahlia Riedel echoes the sentiment, “Project SEARCH is an awesome program! I am currently working in the hospital as an Intern with the Day Surgery department. I have enjoyed learning how to turn over rooms, fold linens, and care for patients. I have met so many new people and recently started portering patients around the hospital after their surgery. In the classroom, we learn how to be successful Interns and then I bring these new skills to my department. I feel like I am part of the staff at St. Mary’s General Hospital.”
December 3rd marks the 30th anniversary of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The United Nations proclaimed this day of observance in 1992 to promote an understanding of issues facing individuals with disabilities and the work to be done to break down barriers to inclusion.
Additional Stats:
- Over 75% of Canadian consumers are more likely to buy a product or service from a business that hires people who have a disability. (2008 Compass Research poll)
- Of Canadians surveyed, 78% say disability should be part of workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies (Angus Reid Institute/Rick Hansen Foundation survey, November 2021)
- A 2018 Accenture study showed that businesses practising disability-inclusive hiring experience 72% more productivity; a 45% increase in workplace safety; 30% higher profit margins; and two times the net income of other businesses in the study.
- Working Canadians who have a disability have fairly high job satisfaction in key areas. A June 2021 Angus Reid Survey revealed, 60% are satisfied with career advancement opportunities; 65% are satisfied with their pay and benefits; 79% feel respected and welcome; and 79% feel they’re able to use their training and skills in their job.
- In a 2017 survey of businesses by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work, 71% of companies said the reason they haven’t hired disability-inclusively is that they lack awareness about skill levels of people who have a disability.
- Disability inclusion is driving the future of work more than ever. According to the findings of the May 2022 Valuable Truth Report 2022 by The Valuable 500, 70% of businesses surveyed are “actively investing in services and supports” for
- employees who have a disability. And 85% are “working to remove top barriers to employment.”
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More Information:
Dayna Giorgio
Manager, Communications
St. Mary’s General Hospital
dgiorgio@smgh.ca | 519-895-6540
Erin Lemak
Principal, Student Services
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Margie McLean
Communications Coordinator
KW Habilitation
mmclean@kwhab.ca | 519-498-6682