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People with Disabilities

Potential employees with disabilities represent an untapped market

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Companies want employees that will excel in their jobs and stay with the organization for a long period of time. People with disabilities are a group that are often overlooked by hiring managers, but have a proven track record of success and loyalty. Studies have found that workers with disabilities were five times more likely to stay on the job than their colleagues without disabilities, and these findings have been reflected in several real-life industries. Further, people with disabilities are frequently well educated and highly innovative, after a lifetime of navigating societal systems that could otherwise leave them at a disadvantage.

Data has long shown, that unfortunately, people with disabilities are greatly under-employed as compared to their non-disabled counterparts. But some say this represents a large, untapped market.

“…[I]n today’s market, when we are always hungry for growth, by ignoring that market you are ignoring a huge opportunity to grow,” says Rich Donovan, an expert on disability and corporate profitability.

Advocating for people with disabilities in the workforce

Donovan, a former Wall Street trader living with cerebral palsy, is also the founder and CEO of the Return on Disability Group, a company that manages a tool that helps measure the impact of the disabled workforce. He has dedicated his life to promoting the employment of more people with disabilities in the workforce as well as advocating for a market that attracts more customers with disabilities. But he does not see this as a charity effort.

“We tell our clients, ‘You want to do this to benefit your shareholders’,” Donovan says. Return on Disability provides data and strategies that allow companies, governments, and investors to act on disability in ways that add value to many types of shareholders. The company’s long-term vision is to be the firm that unlocks the economic potential of disability globally and creates catalysts and processes for their customers to act on this market.

In 2006, Rich founded Lime, the leading third-party recruiter in the disability space, and has worked with Google, Pepsi, TD Bank, and others to help the companies attract and retain top talent from within the disability market.

In his book, Unleashing Different: Achieving Business Success Through Disability, Donovan writes that there are over six million Canadians who identify as having a disability, and that group controls $55.4 billion in disposable income. Globally, Donovan says the population of people with a disability – a population of 1.3 billion, about the same size as China – is the world’s last emerging market with billions of dollars of untapped potential.

“We want businesses to understand how including people with disabilities can be beneficial to the company’s bottom line or their top line. That it would help enhance their profitability, rather than looking at this as an act of charity,” says Donovan.

With major companies setting the trend for hiring people with disabilities, attitudes are certainly changing. More brands are running ads including people with disabilities, and incorporating disability into their core messages and campaigns. Donovan says that he now hears companies talk about how workers with disabilities improve customer satisfaction, increase market share, and drive value. The success of these companies further shows that hiring people with disabilities is not only a positive step towards inclusivity, but makes good business sense.

*Image courtesy of https://www.reward-strategy.com/news/news/guidance-update-access-to-work-4629

2018 Janna Epp Bursary Recipients

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Meet Jayde and Skyla – the 2018 recipients of the Janna Epp Bursary!

Jayde and Skyla are 6 year old twin girls living with cerebral palsy. Jayde and Skyla are extraordinary little girls.  They have a zest for life and have overcome so many hurdles.  As you can see from their photos, they are full of love and laughter and have brought much joy to their family.

Jayde and Skyla’s biggest challenges relate to their physical disabilities which limit their opportunities and restrict their quality of life. They miss out on opportunities to play, explore and interact both in the home and in the community because of physical barriers.  Both Jayde and Skyla are completely dependent for mobility and require a great deal of support and equipment to assist them, especially as they become bigger and stronger.  Their parents would like to use the bursary funds toward the installation of an elevator in their home to allow full access and safe mobility within their home.

We hope these bursary funds assist in allowing the family to install this much needed elevator and that Jayde and Skyla benefit from the improvement in the accessibility of their home.

Scotiabank Charity Challenge – Team CPABC

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Andrea Donaldson of Pacific Medical Law participated in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge on behalf of the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC at the Vancouver Half Marathon and 5k on June 24. Andrea (centre) is photographed here with CPABC Executive Director Feri Dehdar (right), and communications intern Ashley Moliere (left). Through fundraising efforts of everyone involved, Team CPABC was able to raise $10,000 for the Association. Every dollar raised goes directly to programs and services for people living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities throughout the province.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a group of non-progressive, but changing, disorders affecting body movement and muscle coordination. The condition affects 1 out of every 500 people in Canada. Although there is no cure of CP, there are many types of treatment, therapies, and supports that can lessen the effects of CP and help people living with CP lead independent lives.

About the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC

The Cerebral Palsy Association of BC was started in 1954 by a group of parents who wanted to help their children living with CP reach their maximum potential within society. Today, the Association is an independent charity organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with the mission of raising awareness of CP in the community, assisting those with CP to reach their maximum potential, and working with people living with CP to realize their place as equals in a diverse society. The Association accomplishes their mission through advocacy, encouraging networking, educating members of the public about cerebral palsy, governing relations activities, and implementing programs for individuals with cerebral palsy. The Cerebral Palsy Association’s vision is to become the recognized leader in providing information, support, and guidance to children, adults, and families living with CP in British Columbia.

Through fundraising efforts such as the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, the Cerebral Palsy Association is able to offer advocacy, counselling, and collaboration with other agencies, as well as programs to assist people living with CP and other disabilities. The Association offers pre-employment training, education bursaries, and the Campership Program, which financially assists individuals of all ages to attend a special needs camp of their choice in BC. The Association also offers recreational programs such as adapted dance, yoga, and art, as well as legal, funding, and referral resources.

The Association’s intends to remain inclusive by continuing to maintain free, high quality programs and services, with the goal of raising social awareness and helping those with cerebral palsy and other disabilities live a life without limits.

Message from the President of the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC: Moving boldly forward, together

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People living with cerebral palsy are tenacious. This I know for sure. When they fall, they get back up, and try and try again, until they succeed. They do not let obstacles stand in their way, and they do not allow others to tell them what they can and cannot do. They move forward with courage and a sense of humour to soften the blows of failure along the way. It is only fair that the Board of the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC try to emulate this enviable courage and determination in steering the Association forward on behalf of its members.

You can read the rest on the Cerebral Palsy Association website.

Pacific Medical Law – Making a Difference in the Lives of People Living with Cerebral Palsy

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From: Cerebral Palsy Association of BC Newsletter, May 25, 2016

(Photo: Susanne Raab and Paul McGivern with CPABC’s Executive Director Feri Dehdar and President Andy Yu at the Life Without Limits Gala 2016.) 

Ms. Raab and Mr. McGivern made a commitment to do their part to improve the lives of all people living with cerebral palsy in British Columbia. They reached out to the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC and asked them how they could help, and have responded to the various needs identified.

Passion with purpose

Susanne Raab is a lawyer at Pacific Medical Law who also serves as the Vice-President of the Board of the Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia, as well as Chair of the Advisory and Fundraising Committees. She explains that while most of her law practice involves helping children who live with cerebral palsy, she wanted to do even more to help children living with CP outside her practice. Her work gives her some understanding of the many difficulties facing families who have a child with cerebral palsy, as it impacts every member of the family. Parents spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy having to advocate at every corner for the most basic services. This not only takes time away from other family members, it often makes it difficult (at best) for the families to remain together. “The public system simply doesn’t provide enough support and funding, and important things which are integral in the life of a child like recreation, activities and camps are considered extras by the public system and accordingly not funded adequately, or at all, but they are important to a child’s life,” she states.

Paul McGivern , Ms. Raab’s partner at Pacific Medical Law and also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC, echoes these sentiments. “Many parents tell us how hard it is to get what they need for their child and it is an ongoing battle. What we have tried to focus on doing in the course of our practice obviously is to maximize the resources available to the families, and outside the scope of our practice we try to contribute what we can to make life easier.”

Collaborating with CPABC

Ms. Raab and Mr. McGivern made a commitment to do their part to improve the lives of all people living with cerebral palsy in British Columbia. They reached out to the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC and asked them how they could help, and have responded to the various needs identified.

Over the years, Pacific Medical Law has supported the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC by contributing their time, ideas and resources to the organization. For example, Pacific Medical Law has committed to providing $10,000 annually for the post-secondary school bursary program provided by the Cerebral Palsy Association to young adults living with cerebral palsy, to help subsidize the costs associated with educational programs. In addition to their involvement on the Board and with the Advisory Committee, Pacific Medical Law also provides support for the Cerebral Palsy Association’s grant applications, supervises various programs which require legal oversight, and enthusiastically participates in their fundraising activities, including September, for which they were awarded the top fundraising organization in Canada in the past.

Pacific Medical Law also created a bursary program called the Janna Epp Bursary for Children Living with Cerebral Palsy in British Columbia in honour of a little girl named Janna who unfortunately passed away at a very young age. The bursary provides $5,000 annually to a family with a child living with cerebral palsy to assist with that child’s care, therapy, equipment and/or recreational needs. Every year Janna’s mother selects the recipient of the bursary. In past years, the bursary has been awarded to a little girl named Leila to help her family try Feldenkrais therapy and the Squiggles postural support system to keep Leila safe and comfortable when she is exploring her surroundings, and to a little boy named Owen who wanted to have an adapted bicycle so he could go riding with his brother. These are two examples of how a little help can go a long way in helping to create a Life Without Limits for children living with cerebral palsy.

Ms. Raab feels that the Association is an essential component in helping improve the lives of people living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities through providing programs such as dance, yoga and art and focusing on social awareness too. “What the Association does with the limited funds that they have is remarkable, the people who work there are unbelievable,” she said. “What they are able to achieve and the amount of programs that they are currently running that have been developed and implemented in the last few years is so positive and the families who participate in those programs have nothing but really positive things to say about them.” The Association offers a wide range of programs to people living with cerebral palsy, from Pre-Employment training to a campership subsidy with the goal of helping integrate people with disabilities into society and to enjoy a Life Without Limits, and also hosts awareness and fundraising events throughout the year.

What Needs To Be Done

Cerebral palsy affects each person differently. It ranges from the very mild to the very severe and as a result, publicly and privately available resources are allocated appropriately, depending on the level of disability. Mr. McGivern believes a major issue to be addressed is the focus on societal awareness and, in particular, recognition of barriers so people who face them can have them removed. An example would be adjusting the curbs on the sidewalks to make them wheelchair accessible. That took a long time coming and way longer than it should have taken – in Vancouver, curb ramps have been gradually installed since the 1960’s, and are still not complete. Another example provided by Mr. McGivern involved a case that the law firm handled a number of years ago. They acted for a family who originated from Romania. The evidence showed that anyone from Romania who had a disability had to be hidden from the public and couldn’t be seen at all, and it really stood out in his mind that this type of behaviour is still happening. “Our society has moved way beyond that but there is still a long way to go in terms of the recognition in society as a whole that these barriers exist and what is required to break them down”, says Mr. McGivern.

“There are physical barriers that need to be looked at and there are educational barriers. There are emotional barriers. This requires awareness, acceptance and the recognition of the fact that people with cerebral palsy are just like everybody else – we are all citizens of this country and we all deserve the same opportunities.”

In short, there has been a lot done in terms of advancement, but society needs to advance more. The problem is, at least in part, a lack of understanding. Ms. Raab used a personal example of getting a motivational speaker living with cerebral palsy from Nanaimo, BC to come speak to her children and other students at their school since there were no students there with a visible disability. She stated that integration within the school system is critical in developing an understanding of the various needs and abilities of people living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. She feels that school integration has come a long way in helping with that.

“I think that society has become quite accepting of various individuals with special needs but where we have a long way to go is to make our communities accessible, reduce barriers and provide greater opportunities for people living with cerebral palsy to participate in our communities in a meaningful way” says Ms. Raab.

Cerebral palsy affects over 10,000 people in BC and is considered the most common childhood physical disability. It is estimated that one in every 500 babies and up to one in three low birth weight babies are affected to some extent. Cerebral palsy affects body movement and muscle coordination. It may impact mobility, speech, or motor skills, but each person is affected differently. Through their insight and support, Pacific Medical Law is helping to make a Life Without Limits for people living with cerebral palsy in British Columbia. The Cerebral Palsy Association of BC is grateful for their philanthropy, community service, kindness and understanding. We wish them the best for their continued success.

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