Conference Explores Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities

DISABLED PERSONS COMMISSION--Conference Explores Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Employment options for people with intellectual disabilities will be the main focus of a two-day conference in Dartmouth.

Experts, employers, Nova Scotians with intellectual disabilities, advocates and families will come together at the Innovations and Challenges conference to be held on March 4 and 5 at the Holiday Inn Harbourview in Dartmouth.

"This conference is a chance for people to learn about the variety of opportunities available for paid and unpaid employment," said Charlie Macdonald, executive director, Disabled Persons Commission. "For the business community, this conference will be a source of information and support to help employers make their workplaces inclusive and diverse."

The conference is an opportunity for Nova Scotians to explore the range of career options available to people with intellectual disabilities. Experts from the United States and other parts of Canada will be sharing insight and best practices on opening a wide range of paid and unpaid employment options to people with intellectual disabilities in Nova Scotia.

The conference will showcase current services and new, creative approaches as well as the challenges faced by people with intellectual disabilities. Discussions will focus on the range of services and possible approaches to support employment aspirations.

Cathy Deagle Gammon is president of DIRECTIONS Council, a group representing 28 member agencies in Nova Scotia that serve more than 1,800 adult clients. She hopes that people will leave the conference with a new awareness of the resources available for people with intellectual disabilities and with a feeling of empowerment."We all have dreams, including persons with intellectual disabilities and for many of us, our dreams centre around our career aspirations," she said.

Ms. Deagle Gammon said that over the last 10 years, the approach to employment has changed. The conference will celebrate the good things happening in Nova Scotia and examine paid and unpaid employment options for persons with intellectual disabilities.

"An exciting array of speakers who promise to be both thought- provoking and informative will be participating in this conference. We have worked hard to organize a conference which will be of interest to families, people with disabilities and professionals in the field," said Mary Rothman, executive director of the Nova Scotia Association for Community Living.

Conference keynote speakers include David Laman, PhD, director of the Hope Network Institute for Neurodevelopmental Differences in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Dulcie McCallum, lawyer and former ombudsperson for British Columbia; and Paul Young, a self- advocate and internationally recognized motivational speaker from Nova Scotia.

The conference is sponsored by the Collaborative Partnership Network, Department of Community Services, DIRECTIONS, Disabled Persons Commission, Nova Scotia Association for Community Living and People First Nova Scotia.

For more information on the Disabled Persons Commission, see the website at www.gov.ns.ca/disa . To register for the conference, see the website at www.directionscouncil.org or contact DIRECTIONS Council at 902-466-2220.