Helping SD&G, Akwesasne residents with disabilities find a job

CORNWALL – A one-year program will aim to have a total of 32 residents in SD&G and Akwesasne with a disability start collecting a paycheque.

The federal government announced Thursday afternoon $366,000 for the Eastern Ontario Training Board under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

Project Manager Kim Hickey tells Cornwall Newswatch the EOTB will be the community coordinator, which will be purchasing job training for the participants.

The eligible clients will be referred through Job Zone d’Emploi for the Cornwall and Dundas areas and through the Glengarry Inter-Agency Group (GIAG) for Glengarrians.

“They will be placed with employers and we (EOTB) will provide a wage subsidy to the employer,” Hickey said. The subsidy only applies if the business plans to keep the worker at the end of the program.

The Jobs Now project will start Monday (May 25) and will last for one year.

“We’re excited. We think it’s a great opportunity,” Hickey said, for a region that has a population with disabilities of roughly 12 per cent.

EOTB Assistant Manager Martha Woods says, through their Employer One survey, they were able to determine businesses are looking for dependable, dedicated people with a good work ethic.

“If you look at the average person with a disability who goes into the workforce they are the most dedicated, their work ethic is high, they stay with an employer for a longer period of time…it’s what employers are looking for…it’s a good mix,” Woods said.