Where Full Citizenship Meets Employment
Written from an interview with Nicole Marchesseau, Program Manager at Jobs.Opportunities.Enterprise (J.O.E.)
Published on August 20, 2021. 3 Minute Read.
Just because someone has a developmental disability, doesn’t mean they should be assembling widgets in a warehouse.
Full Citizenship means that people have the right to interact and to participate fully in community.
We like to interact with others. We like to get to know others. And when we interact with our community, we build bridges. We’re all social beings. Adults with developmental disabilities aren’t any different.
The Sheltered Workshop system started in the 1970s. Basic work was performed, often by folks with developmental disabilities, in a controlled environment at substandard wages.
Work took place apart from the rest of the community. You go to the back. You do your work. You leave. There was community within the Sheltered Workshop space, but it wasn’t integrated into the broader community. It wasn’t an inclusive model.
The “sheltered” part and wage concerns were part of why sheltered workshops were phased out beginning in 2015. The problem is that as far as work for folks with developmental disabilities goes, there wasn’t really much to replace sheltered workshops beyond high-cost day programs.
J.O.E. is a Guelph-based charity that gives people with developmental disabilities opportunities to interact directly with the community in work environments.
Our coffee nook programs are a great example of that.
Prior to the pandemic, when we were still running coffee nooks, we had a regular customer base, customers that would come in and say hi, start conversations with our baristas. J.O.E. baristas became really confident in their skills, working to their strengths. Some worked as mentors for others that were just learning the ropes.
For me, it was amazing to see people’s confidence build, along with people’s relationships within the community. When someone serves you a cup of coffee, it’s a shared experience that you have with someone else. Plus it’s fun having a job that you enjoy.
The coffee nooks were front-facing and tangible. Folks at J.O.E. still talk about their experiences as baristas volunteering at different locations in town. They talk about it like it’s yesterday. It’s part of people’s identity. It’s very transformative work.
In Training Grounds, we talk alot about our dream jobs.
People dream about working at Tim Hortons or McDonalds. Some dream about being an artist or a musician. Working in theatre. Working in a bookstore or with children. Being a customer service representative. People have all kinds of dream jobs.
Maybe business owners in the community have paper that needs shredding. Or shelves that need to be stocked, things that just need to be done. And businesses in the community have the opportunity to step up and offer employment for adults with developmental disabilities.
People in J.O.E. are trained to work. They have the skills. They’re ready to work. They’re going to be there, on time. And they’re following the rules.
If your business has a bit of extra resources, consider offering a 3-5 hour a week shift for an adult with a developmental disability. People at J.O.E. are ready to work.
About J.O.E.
J.O.E. is a registered charity based in Guelph, Ontario, focused on innovative, community-based employment and job-training for adults with developmental disabilities.
If you would like to learn more about what they do, you can visit their website below!
If you’re interested in offering a job opportunity, please email jobs.opportunities.enterprise@gmail.com
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Reconnecting Ontario
We created our Reconnecting Ontario project in partnership with J.O.E.
Now that we're on step 3 of Reopening Ontario, we are reminding our community to check in with our friends and family who we haven't heard from in a while and let them know they're loved and cared for.
“It’s very important for us to reach out to help people feel happy, to share with them things they need, and to share positive messages with them and bring smiles to their faces and brighten their spirits" shared Susie, one of our four postcard Creators.
To learn more about the project, click the button below!