2020-2021 AGM Report Empower, the Disability Resource Centre of NL - Empower, the Disability Resource ...

2020-2021
AGM Report
Empower, the Disability Resource Centre of NL

Table of Contents

Empower Overview ..................................................................................... 3
Chairperson’s Report .................................................................................. 4
Executive Director’s Report ........................................................................ 7
Treasurer’s Report ...................................................................................... 9
IL Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Provincial Representative Report .. 10
Annual Services ........................................................................................ 16
Empower Services .................................................................................... 16
Advocacy Program Annual Report 2020-2021 .......................................... 21
Peer Support Program Report .................................................................. 28
Full Steam Ahead ..................................................................................... 33
Independent Living Internship Program .................................................... 37
Adaptive Technology Program .................................................................. 39
InclusionNL Employer Support Services ................................................... 43
InclusionNL Partners................................................................................. 47
2020 Award Recipients ............................................................................. 48
Empower, The Disability Resource Centre Annual General Meeting –
AUGUST 26, 2020 - Via Zoom.................................................................. 50

Empower Overview

  - Transition from the Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC) to
    Empower, the Disability Resource Centre on April 1, 2016
  - Transition from Civic #4 to the Independent Living Resource Centre
    (ILRC) in 1997-1998
  - Accredited member of IL Canada
  - Not-for-profit cross disability organization
  - 12 full-time staff and 35-40 project staff throughout the year

Mission Statement

Empower is a consumer-controlled, non-profit organization that provides
leadership in the delivery of cross-disability services and supports while
promoting a more inclusive society within Newfoundland and Labrador.

Independent Living

“Independence is not measured by the quality of tasks we can perform
without support, but by the quality of life we can have with support.”
Independent Living is:
  - Having a choice
  - Making decisions
  - Taking risks
  - Taking responsibility
  - Having control of one’s own life

Chairperson’s Report

Having just returned to Empower: The Disability Resource
Centre Board of Directors in August 2020, I can honestly say,
“What a year!”

We all learned so much because the Covid 19 pandemic created
challenges in all areas of our lives. No one was spared the necessary
restrictions we all faced. Thankfully under the leadership of Executive
Director, Kimberly Yetman Dawson, the Empower Team forged ahead with
new ways and means to support our consumers and members.

From Facebook live sessions, Twitter, Instagram and Zoom, all areas of
programming continued, just in a unique way. Kimberly has provided a
comprehensive view of what this looked like, and the resources Empower
was able to access to support these methods.

The detailed information provided in the Report by members of the
Empower Team highlights the work completed this year. At this point I must
say, “Thank you Kimberly and your outstanding staff Team. Your
dedication, commitment and support during these very unsettling times was
second to none – we could not do what we do without each and every one
of you.”

We were pleased to receive confirmation from the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador of continued operational funding for the first
quarter of this year. We expect additional details to be forthcoming. In
addition, the Internship and Full Steam Ahead Programs had been
confirmed for funding. We are deeply appreciative to our government and
our funding partners for this financial support. Without this funding, our
Programs and Services could not be maintained.

Services provided to our consumers continues to grow. Transitions to
Work, In Motion and Momentum, Peer Support, Adaptive Technology,
Advocacy, Full Steam Ahead, InclusionNL are reaching consumers,
members, employers and the community, supporting sustainable futures,
disability confidence, housing, health care, mental health and social skills.
Let’s not forget there is also an element of fun with social groups, “Ask the
Chef”, Music and Friends and gardening, helps keep everyone involved
and actively participating.

The Board continues to address ways and means to fund necessary
building repairs and maintenance from our very fixed budget. A special
thank you to Melanie Grandy, Finance Officer for always having the
answers to our broad range of finance questions. We are planning on
securing a Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator to assist with funding
outreach and marketing Empower across the province.

Again in 2020, Empower completed its annual celebration recognizing the
International Day for Persons with Disabilities. While the event was lower
profile than previous years due to the pandemic, on December 3, the
Honourable Judy Foote, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and
Labrador presented our 2020 Independent Living Awards to two recipients:

   - Cecilia Carroll Award for Independent Living
       o - J. Paul Walsh

   -   Business Award for Independent Living
         o - O’Reilly’s Irish Pub.

During this year the Board will continue to seek ways and means to
address issues raised by our consumers and members. We will explore
new and innovative ways to support Empower Programs and Services.
Stay tuned to our e-Newsletter and social media posts.

In closing, I extend once again my sincerest thanks to the Empower Team,
to the dedicated and committed Board Members and all our volunteers who
make progress success!

Respectfully submitted.

Carole J Barron
Chairperson

Executive Director’s Report

Quite honestly, this has been a hard year; hard on our staff,
consumers, province, country and the world. While the added stress
of living through a pandemic has impacted each of us in various ways,
it has actually allowed Empower to pivot quickly and respond to the
growing needs of our consumers.

With Covid brought increased poverty amongst those in the disability
community. People on income assistance having to choose between eating
or buying cleaning supplies and masks. During this year Empower was
able to apply for Federal emergency covid funding to help us move rapidly
to meet those needs.

Through funding from United Way of NL and Community Foundation of NL,
we developed a Computers and Connectivity project to help get people
better connected and to combat isolation. The need for a food security
program quickly became apparent so again we applied for Federal
emergency covid funding for a food security program. We also partnered
with Food First NL to provide much needed transportation. Throughout the
year we did food hampers and provided grocery gift cards and taxi
vouchers where needed. The Government of NL also funded a position for
us to conduct community wellness checks with our 400 members.

In all Empower has applied for and received close to a quarter of a million
dollars in additional funding this year to ramp up needed services for our
consumers. It’s been a busy year for everyone.

We strived to stay engaged with consumers by hosting Facebook lives,
online meetings and sending regular e-news updates on the changing
covid world we lived in. The Peer Support program met regularly via zoom
and socially as best they could. The Advocacy program has grown in
response to increased need. This year we hope to do more systemic work
on the major issues our consumers are facing mental health, poverty and
housing.

While this has been a hard year, I am so proud of the staff who have been
able to rise to the occasion in meeting the evolving needs of those we
support. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have the support of the entire
team at Empower and the strength and wherewithal we have as a small
organization, in getting things done.

We are also very lucky to have a strong Board that understands
Independent Living philosophy and that has been very supportive of the
work Empower does. This year the Empower Board of Directors
participated in board governance training which they were extremely
greatly for. Thank you to each of our Board of Directors and especially our
Chairperson, Carole Barron.

We know the needs of the disability community are growing as poverty
rises and the cost of living continues to go up with no increase in disability
payments or income support.

We have worked closely with our community partners and government in
developing solutions but there is much work still to be done.

In closing, I want to take you back six years ago when I attended my first,
what was then, the ILRC Annual General Meeting and I was introduced as
the incoming new Executive Director. The first 2 consumers I met were
Felix Martin and Dougie Dunne. This past year saw the passing of these 2
dear friends of the Empower family. They will be cherished and missed
dearly.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Yetman Dawson
Executive Director

Treasurer’s Report

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present the Treasurer’s
Report to the membership of Empower, the Disability Resource
Centre again this year.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am very pleased to advise that the
financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, have been
audited without issue by Clarified Professional Corporation Incorporated.
Per those audited financial statements, the total revenue and other income
received by Empower were $1,105,005 and the total expenditures for the
year were $781,060. The net result for the fiscal year operations was a
surplus of $323,945.

On behalf of Empower, I would like to offer my appreciation to the various
departments of our provincial government for the ongoing financial support.

Thank you to all our funders. With the support from them, Empower
continues to offer programs to support consumers in achieving
independence, which has been especially helpful during the pandemic.

I would also like to take this time to express my appreciation to all the staff
and volunteers at Empower including my fellow Board members. This has
been a very challenging year with the Covid-19 pandemic, and I am very
thankful for all your hard work and commitment to this organization.

Ann Marie Blandford
Empower Treasurer

IL Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Provincial
Representative Report

Independent Living Canada supports the development of IL
Centers and provides education and leadership for its members,
organizations, partners, and communities. Managed entirely by a volunteer
Board of Directors comprised of Provincial Representatives from across
Canada, the IL Canada Board of Directors has continued to reinforce our
commitment to people with disabilities and to our 24 member IL Centers
across Canada. For IL Canada, the Centers and our consumers, it has
been a year of disruption, a year of transition, and a year of renewal.

Transition
I joined the IL Canada Board of Directors in October 2020 as the
Newfoundland Provincial Representative. This followed the departure of
Carole Barron from the Board – a significant loss, as I’ve met very few
people as hard-working or dedicated as Carole. Kathleen Odell took over
as the ILC Board Chair position. Effective October 16th, 2020, Patrick
Curran finished his tenure as National Executive Director of IL Canada;
Anne MacRae took over the reins on December 1st, 2020.

Anne has a great background with over 30 years of experience working in
the disability sector in various roles and responsibilities. She has worked at
both the National and Provincial levels for both nonprofits and government.
She has been the Executive Director for the Society of Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Nova Scotia and the Coordinating Council on Deafness of Nova
Scotia. She served for 12 years as the Executive Director of the Disabled
Persons Commission in Nova Scotia.

Anne is a person with a disability. Since birth, she has been deaf in one ear
and is now profoundly hard of hearing in the other. She is also the mother
of a 24-year-old who lives with quadriplegia cerebral palsy. Anne
embraces the Independent Living philosophy where people with disabilities

are empowered to control their own lives and participate fully in their
communities.

Disruption
The impact of COVID-19 on the province, the country, and the world cannot
be understated. It felt like everything was affected, and everyone was
thrown into a new sustained level of disarray. The disruption was acutely
felt by persons with disabilities, who faced a risk of poor outcomes from the
disease itself, and reduced access to routine health care and rehabilitation.
There were cancellations or postponements of regular health care or
rehabilitation. There were challenges getting assistive technology
prescribed, maintained, or repaired. When individuals are expected to use
face masks and physically distance, people with hearing loss who cannot
lip read or people with visual impairment who use guide dogs find it difficult
to follow these rules and, as a result, were stigmatized.

Renewal
This year marks the Social Development Partnership Program (SDPP)
second year with the Department of Employment and Social Development
(ESDC). This three-year partnership provides funding to IL Canada and
the member centers to help fund IL programs for our consumers.

Anne and the Board contain to work on the deliverables required as part of
the SDPP. Owing to COVID-19, there was some funding slippage from last
year, which ILC was able to reallocate to address some of the COIVD-
related and other challenges faced by persons with disabilities. There was
a coordinated response to Bill C-7 (Medical Assistance in Dying); ILC
partnered with the Vaccine Roll-Out Coalition to raise awareness and
concerns regarding persons with disabilities and their priority regarding
vaccination. In partnership with ARCH Disability Law Centre, we are
releasing a survey on vaccine hesitancy and barriers to getting vaccines, to
help determine how people with disabilities access vaccines and gauge
whether people with disabilities are hesitant to get the vaccine and, if they
are reluctant, why.

The Accreditation Package has also gone out to the eleven centers that are
to be accredited this year! IL Canada hired Patricia Simone to review and
improve the ILC accreditation process. Patricia’s work so far has been
impressive, and her initial recommendations are extensive. Her research
dove into what she considered the twelve documents that touch on the
process, including MOUs, Policies and Procedures, Accreditation
Committee TOR, SDPP contract, and the assessment tool. Previously IL
Canada had 10+ support staff, some of whom were involved with the
reviews. Having moved from an operational board to a governance board,
IL Canada has lost most support staff, resulting in an additional workload
for the National Executive Director, the Centre Executive Directors, and the
Accreditation Committee. Patricia has made several recommendations on
streamlining the process to lessen the workload and clear up
inconsistencies and duplications of effort.

That’s just some of the more essential items! There are so many other
things happening it’s a challenge to list. We’ve entered into a contract to
revise the website (FINALLY!). We’ve updated some of the policy manual,
including a new harassment policy! There were numerous things done as
a part of National Accessibility Week. (May 30th - June 5th) and
Independent Living Day (June 5th). There is ongoing planning for the Fall
AGM and conference. And the Board held a Virtual Retreat.

On June 4th and 5th, the Independent Living Canada Board participated in
Virtual Board Retreat. The energy, passion, and collective excitement that I
felt over the two days was incredible! The objective of the meeting was to
begin the process of developing a new strategic plan. Effectively the retreat
was a brainstorming session designed to kick start a process that will
culminate in a draft strategic plan presented at the Fall 2021 AGM. But the
meeting became something much more. It became an opportunity to share
experiences, talk about the Independent Living philosophy, see how far
we’ve come, and how far we need to go.

In the pandemic, there have been some positive developments for people
with disabilities. Where they can get internet access, people with disabilities

have participated in society as never before because physical and
communication barriers have disappeared, mainly as education, work,
shopping, and many leisure activities have shifted online. Now that we are
entering a post-pandemic world, it becomes vital that this progress isn’t
lost.

Going into 2021/22, IL Canada will be finalizing the deliverables for the
existing ESDC contract and working on the new funding proposal. A
tremendous amount of work and effort will be required, which started at the
Virtual Board Retreat. We asked ourselves questions like where we want to
go as an organization and how we can further the Independent Living
philosophy? Taking into account lessons learned from COVID, how do we
build a better and diverse organization? How do we grow IL Canada and
find ways to support persons with disabilities live the lives they want to live?
How do we partner with other organizations that share our values and
goals?

It will be a challenging year to come, with much change but with much
excitement and progress.

Respectfully Submitted,
Stephen Wheeler
Independent Living Canada Secretary & Newfoundland & Labrador
Provincial Representative

ILC Board of Directors 2020/2021
• PR/RP = provincial representative / représentant provincial
• ML/ME = member at large / membre extraordinaire

Centre for Independent Living Toronto
Kathleen Odell
National Chair Présidente
PR/RP

Independent Living Nova Scotia, Halifax Nouvelle-Écosse
Kathleen Odell
National Chair Présidente
PR/RP

Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region
Samantha Walsh 2nd Vice-Chair
2e vice-présidente
PR/RP

Disability Resource for Independent Living Ontario
Sue Larocque
Treasurer Trésorier
ML/ME

Empower, The Disability Resource Centre, St. John’s Newfoundland and
Labrador / Terre-Neuve et Labrador
Stephen Wheeler Secretary Secrétaire
PR/RP

Empower, The Disability Resource Centre, St. John’s Newfoundland and
Labrador / Terre-Neuve et Labrador
Kimberly Yetman Dawson
Member at Large
Membre extraordinaire Executive Committee
ML/ME

Cowichan Independent Living Duncan BC
Cathy Lafrance
(Sept. 2020 – Sept. 2021)
PR/RP

South Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre,
Ken Taylor
(Sept. 2020 – Sept. 2021)
PR/RP

Vie autonome Péninsule Acadienne, Tracadie, Nouveau-Brunswick
Julie Haché
(Sept. 2019 – Sept. 2021)
PR/RP

Vie autonome Montréal Québec)
Jimmy Tessier Royer
(Sept. 2020 – Sept. 2021)
PR/RP

Annual Services

Empower provides a variety of services to both individuals and groups in an
effort to promote inclusion for persons with disabilities throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador.

Empower Services
Empower services fall under one of the following five categories and a brief
overview of each of the five service categories is provided below.

      • Consultation
      • Information
      • Individual Support
      • Skill Development
      • Referral

A Consultation is a service that involves in-depth work with an individual
around a particular topic. For example, the Adaptive Technology Resource
Facilitator providesa consultation service when meeting with a student who
requires technology support for educational purposes. The Facilitator will
work with the student to identify challenges and try out Adaptive
Technology options so the student can decide what works best.

They will discuss options around purchasing the technology followed by
offering support to teach the student how best to use the technology once it
is acquired.

An Information service is simply providing information on a disability related
topic. Examples would include individuals approaching Empower to obtain
information on services available through a government program to assist

with renovations to a home or accessing funding to assist with the cost of
required medical equipment or services.

Individual Support moves beyond the providing of information and involves
staff providing direct assistance to an individual or family in addressing a
particular issue. This service could include something as basic as providing
alternate formats for a consumer who requires printed material in Braille.
However, most of the individual supports provided by staff, involve working
with consumers on difficult issues over extended periods of time.

Skill Development services occur when staff provide training and instruction
to an individual. For example, the Advocacy Coordinator provides a skill
development service when helping a person complete a Canada Pension
Plan application form.

Our Volunteer Coordinator provides a skill development service when
working with a volunteer interested in learning what is involved with
volunteering as a receptionist at Empower.

Referral services occur when an individual is connected to another
program, service or organization. As an example, the Career Development
Coordinator provides a referral service when linking a consumer who’s
interested in participating in a Linkages employment opportunity with
Easter Seals. They would also provide a referral service when connecting
jobseekers with staff at the Department of Advanced Education, Skills and
Labour to apply for “job start” funds.

Empower programs and services primarily cover the St. John’s Metro and
Northeast Avalon area. However, with the addition of our two provincial
programs (Adaptive Technology Internship and IL Internship) and
InclusionNL, many services are provided to other areas of the province.
The charts below provide a breakdown of the areas where service is
provided and the types of individuals/groups accessing Empower services.

Advocacy Program Annual Report 2020-2021

It has been a very successful year for the Advocacy Program with the
addition of Sharon Hogan joining the team as the Advocacy Assistant in
October 2020, and Taylor Cassel joining as the Housing Support Worker in
January 2021. This year saw a continuation of the pandemic, with two
lockdowns due to COVID-19 and the related B117 variant being identified in
February 2021. This has resulted in an extremely busy and unprecedented
year for the Advocacy Program. The program continues to see a high
number of consumers seeking much needed support and availing of
services, with a noticeable rise in numbers when the program shifted to being
delivered remotely.

The Advocacy Program at Empower is a provincial program working with
consumers with cross disabilities. The program has supported consumers
to identify their goals, personal strengths and skills. It supports consumers
by providing clear, accurate information about current legislation, policy
regulations and resources. Consumers have used this program to empower
themselves, navigate different systems (such as the health and
government systems), and gain control in order to make informed
decisions. The program has supported consumers in breaking down
barriers through advocacy. The Advocacy Program, when requested by a
consumer, acts as a support or liaison between the individual and
organization, government agency, and other service delivery providers.

The collaborative approach we use within the Advocacy Program is key to
assisting consumers with obtaining their goals. The program has effectively
established an extensive network with community and governmental
partners that contributes to the program's success. We are very thankful for
the support, guidance, and assistance from a strong network and the key
stakeholders that support our consumers and the program.

Our program continues the much-valued partnership with Memorial
University’s School of Social Work and has once again provided
mentorship for students, both in the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters.
Currently, the Manager of the Advocacy Program is mentoring two
students, with the support of our Housing Support Worker, in the Spring
2021 semester. Empower also employs a summer student, who works with
the Advocacy Program each year. The students receive a valuable learning
experience and provide support to Empower’s consumers.

“The Advocacy Program has been a Godsend through their support with
navigating the system, accessing resources and filling out forms. I feel
comforted knowing that there are people in my corner when things get
difficult. Without the Advocacy Team, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I
thank everyone at Empower for all your help.”
                                            - Consumer of Empower, 2021.

“A great working relationship with the Advocacy team has helped enrich our
mutual clients’ lives. Through this interagency collaboration, clients' voices
are heard around vital issues that impact them day-to-day, allowing them to
feel a greater sense of hope and dignity in their lives. Food security
provided through the Advocacy Program has been helpful in lessening the
stress for clients who are navigating the emotional challenges presented by
this pandemic. It feels rewarding to work together to provide community
support in systems navigation to access needed resources that individuals
in our organization appreciate due to the benefits they experience in their
lives.

I look forward to our continued relationship in the community!”
                                                - Community Partner, 2021

Housing Support:

The Housing Support Worker works within the Advocacy Program to assist
consumers with housing related matters. She collaborates with community
and government agencies to help consumers obtain and maintain safe,
affordable, and accessible housing.

The Housing Support Worker assists consumers with moves, by supporting
them with housing searches, apartment viewings, and initial housing set-
up. Additionally, she collaborates with landlords and helps consumers
navigate the Residential Tenancies Act. Consumers can receive support in
applying for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, St. John’s Housing, and
income support through Housing Support at Empower.

Empower has seen a steady and consistent increase in returning
consumers over the last number of years.

Key Accomplishments:

  ● Continued coordinating weekly outreach with Eastern Health: Mental
    Health and Addictions Nurse at Empower up to December 2020, with
    the hopes of restarting this program once Empower publicly reopens
    to consumers.

  ● Began a Wellness Check Program in September 2020. Empower’s
    full membership was contacted to address issues and concerns
    related to finances, mental health, food insecurity, COVID-
    19/isolation, providing children’s school supplies, technology, and
    referrals to community support services through the wellness checks.
        ○ Through the Wellness Program, food insecurity and poverty
          were identified as major concerns for consumers. 114
          consumers were provided with grocery gift cards totaling
          $36,800. This portion of the Wellness Program will be ending in
          Summer 2021.

       ○ Also, through the help of emergency Covid funding from Food
         First NL we were able to provide transportation for consumers
         to get to and from the grocery store.

  ● Due to COVID-19, Empower held its first virtual tax clinic. 43
    consumers had their taxes e-filed through the clinic.

  ● In the fall, Empower held a flu shot clinic for our consumers in
    partnership with Eastern Health.

  ● The Advocacy Program has supported a number of seniors with
    disabilities, both through individual advocacy and interagency teams
    with our partners supporting issues of poverty, mental health
    supports, housing, and home support.

● Continued to support consumers with Go Bus Eligibility assessments.

● Provided support to consumers and their families with advocacy
  within the school system.

● Succeeded in changing Eastern Health policy around visitation
  restrictions during lockdown due to COVID-19 for consumers with
  mental health disabilities.

● In May 2021, a COVID-19 vaccination clinic was organized in
  partnership with Eastern Health for staff and consumers within the
  disability network. 143 of Empower’s consumers received vaccination
  appointments.

● Made numerous referrals to the Connectivity Project to reduce the
  effects of isolation for consumers during the pandemic.

● Called to the table for advisory and consultation, meeting with many
  key stakeholders in community, government and the public, such as
  focus groups with Eastern Health and government.

● The Advocacy Manager presented at many public events including
  Community Stakeholders Event, Mapping and Connections.

● In January 2021, Joby was appointed Co-Chair of the City of St.
  John’s Inclusion Advisory Committee.

The chart above depicts the top four reasons for advocacy recorded within
the Advocacy Skills Program: Financial, Mental Health, Home Support, and
Housing. More often, consumers are faced with barriers to accessing these
four areas of support than other issues addressed in the Advocacy
Program. The lived experiences of our consumers highlight the current
crisis surrounding home support services in our province.

The prevalence of poverty can be seen through the financial concerns of
our consumers. The rise in housing concerns shows the importance and
value of our new housing support position.

Additionally, as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, a noticeable
increase in concerns around mental health for many consumers has been
present, taking up the largest percentage of advocacy concerns recorded
within the Advocacy Support Program for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Participation in External Events:
● Presented at the Navnet’s Mapping and Connections Stakeholder Virtual
  Session during the pandemic

● Hosted numerous Facebook Lives for Empower
● Attended numerous bi-weekly Disability Network Meetings
● Delivered Disability Etiquette training workshop to multiple organizations
  throughout the community
● Health Accord Symposium with Community Health Care Committee
● Presented to the Nursing students within Faculty of Nursing
● Housing & Homelessness Working Group-Covid-19 Vulnerable Task
  Force
● Attended End Homelessness event, titled “Covid-19: One Year Later”
● Attended Specialized Training for Working with Seniors (Provincial
  Webinar Series)

Overall, the Advocacy Support Program continues to be very successful.
We look forward to working with new and returning consumers over the
next year and continuing our partnership with community and government
organizations

Joby Fleming
Advocacy Program Manager

Peer Support Program Report

Peer Support is a vital part of our community. The Peer Support Program is
about the knowledge, skills, and experience of the peer supporter,
consumers, and anyone willing to share their lived experience with others.
Peer Support brings consumers together with similar goals and interests
while also offering opportunities for socializing, friendship, support, and
shared experience from those in similar situations. We welcome the lived
and learned experience from anyone, as well as those with cross-
disabilities which includes mental health, short-term, long-term, and
permanent disabilities. Peer Support transforms lives by providing tailored,
flexible, emotional, practical, and social support. People benefit from
hearing from those in the same boat, and we like to connect others with
lived and learned experience.
People with disabilities experience many barriers to social interaction on a
regular basis. This past year has been even harder on members. Covid –
19 has caused many members to isolate completely away from all
interactions and outside activities. Most members would not even go pick
up groceries or supplies. This was one of the main reasons why we
transitioned groups to online. We wanted consumers to feel connected
even though we were apart. We wanted them to realize they are not alone
and that we are here to support them through the difficult time. It has been
a rough year for many, but we made it through and there is a light at the
end of the tunnel. Everyone playing their part and getting vaccinated will
allow us all to come together once again. But until that time we do have our
online groups and one on one chats to help us through.
We transitioned all the groups to online and in doing so we even had to
change some groups. By doing virtual groups through Zoom it has allowed
us to accept more consumers to be involved. A lot of consumers have
learned to become electronically friendly at this time. We are still working
around this challenge with others and are overcoming many barriers in the
process.
The following is an overview of the different Peer Support opportunities and
topics we explored with members of Empower in the past year.

Social Group: Social Group takes place every Thursday, 2:00pm-4:00pm.
This group provides a space for consumers to socialize, learn, and share
skills with others. This group now offers Games, and online fun. Social
Group activities included Wheel of Fortune, who wants to be a Millionaire,
Family Feud, Guess that Food, Place, Music, Learning 10 things about
each other, etc. We had presentations around Covid-19, How to complete
shopping online using different apps. We did get to do one session in
person in October following Covid -19 regulations. Everyone was so happy
and excited to see one another.

Men’s & Women’s Group: This group is the way we offer many
presentations and workshops to members over the last year. This group
sees 20-28 consumers at each gathering. The group provides opportunities
for men and women to discuss, learn, and share information about topics
that are interesting to them. Men’s and Women’s activities included
presentations from the NL sexual assault crisis and prevention center,
Registered Disability Savings Plan, Disability Tax Credit, Henson Trust,
Guardianship, Power of Attorney, Probate Wills, Schizophrenia Society,
How to Manage Stress, Bridge the Gapp, and even Snow Clearing.

Music and Friends: We would reach out to Musicians and asked them to
volunteer their time to sing some songs for members. This gave members
the opportunity to talk with friends, socialize have a few drinks and dance in
the comfort of their own home with no worries about how to get home. Over
the past year we had musicians like Bauwater, Patrick Burke, Dave Panting
from Rawlins Cross, Damian Follett, Chris Andrews, and Mark Hiscock
from Shanneyganock, Mike Keating, Open Highways Trent Martin, and
Great Big Sea’s Sean Mccann. We send out a huge thank you to all our
musician volunteers who played, sang songs for us and had a laugh or two
with us along the way. Also, a big thank you to Stephen Westcott and
Terrie Hefford who became our DJ’s when the musicians would stop or
could not play. They provided many hours of entertainment and great
music.

Coffee and Technology: This is a new group in partnership with Jim Escott,
our Adaptive Technology Coordinator. We are offering a 2-hour session
once a month to members to come and learn about new technology and
ask questions they may have around their own technology. First session
we did was to educate members how to navigate around the Governments
Covid 19 website. The second one was just letting members ask questions
and a general presentation on different types of technology. Everyone is
enjoying these sessions and we have 12-18 members who attend.

Ask the Chef: Many consumers are always curious to learn about eating
healthier, learning ways to cook different things, as well as proper ways to
handle foods. We partnered with Chef Kathy Jager. Chef Kathy and I have
created 2 6-week sessions (one day a week) where consumers learned
about tools for cooking, ways to store foods, how to cook different types of
foods, and how important condiments can be when you are cooking. We
are hoping that in the fall we can do a 6-week course of in person cooking
with the group. We are excited to get members cooking and learning new
skills.

Body Positivity Group: This group was led by Stephanie Poirier, who
completed training on the Body Project Canada, which was hosted by the
Eating Disorder Foundation of NL. The training was to enable her to deliver
their program: Body Project Canada. This program is designed for women
to provide preventative measures against eating disorders by addressing
societies expectations of women. The workshops and discussions focus on
body positive messages while highlighting how the average person is not
represented in the media. We are hoping to offer this session again in the
fall and working on trying to get a version that would be specific to men. We
all know it’s not just women who have low self-esteem and confidence in
themselves.

Food Security: In April -July of the past year Joby, Nina, and I were a part
of offering food security to our consumers. In April, we received a truly kind
donation from Verafin. With this donation came the process of ordering all
the food, separating it, and contacting consumers to ensure we reached all

members who could use a little extra at that time. We distributed the food to
consumers, and of course being Easter month, we added a little Easter
Chocolate to let them know we are thinking of them during this difficult time.
Then in June we were given a budget to spend towards creating food
hampers as well as gift card donations for our consumers. This time we
went a different route and created hampers that people would not normally
get at a food bank. We wanted consumers to have some extras, not just
the regular food bank hampers. We wanted to provide them with some
comfort at this time and help reduce their expenses and added little extras.
I continued to support the Advocacy coordinator with handing out gift cards
and doing check-ins with members until a staff person was hired to
continue this work in July.
Christmas Dinner & Dance: The Christmas Dinner & Dance was different
this year due to the pandemic. We still had a great time but with only 60
people in attendance. This annual event is a great start to the holiday
season and a highly anticipated occasion by all. Everyone enjoyed the
great food and the amazing company. This year it was even more
anticipated as it was the first time for many to interact with each other in
over 9 months.
We would like to thank group members, volunteers, support workers, staff,
and others for their contribution to the Peer Support Groups. Without your
time, knowledge, and experience, we would not have such an amazing
network of people around us. This year, our Peer Support Groups met for
96 sessions inside and outside the centre.
We would like to take the time to thank our partners over the past year
including: The Sexual Assault and Crisis Prevention Centre, Public Legal
Information of NL, The Gathering Place, The Newfoundland and Labrador
Housing and Homeless Network, Verafin, and many others.
The Peer Support Program is committed to providing opportunities for
personal growth and fulfilment of the members who join the Peer Support
Groups. We look forward to working with you in the coming year, making
sure we offer sessions that will greatly benefit you. Please forward any peer
support topics you would be interested in attending.

Volunteer Program Report
Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We would not be able to
offer the many programs and services we do, without the hard work and
dedication of our close to 80 volunteers. Volunteers bring many different
positions with them, with different learned and lived experiences that
benefit those they serve as a volunteer. We look forward to providing more
opportunities for students in the future.
We offer many volunteering opportunities including long-term, short-term,
and one-time volunteering opportunities for anyone interested in giving their
time. We have volunteering positions which include Reception Assistant,
Group Support, CAP Room Support, Newsletter Committee, Garden
Committee, etc.
This Past year some of our volunteers were unable to volunteer due to the
pandemic and our centre was closed to the public. We have been reaching
out to them during this time and keeping them posted on Empowers status.
Some volunteers were able to volunteer online with groups, and creating
presentations, offering support in different areas. We are grateful for all our
volunteers and look forward to being back together soon.
The 2020 Volunteer Appreciation Event and spring fling was cancelled due
to Covid. We did however arrange a Music and Friends event instead.
Everyone had a great time, sang some songs and danced in the comfort of
their own homes. Even though we were apart we celebrated together. We
did send out everyone’s certificates and tokens of appreciation by mail.
People really appreciated receiving those gifts during this difficult time. It is
the little things that count and truly showing people that we are here to
support them.
Amanda Lush
Peer Support & Volunteer Coordinator

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead (FSA) is a job search and career exploration program
which uses an Independent Living model of service delivery. We assist
people experiencing disability-related barriers to employment and training,
and for whom access to more generic services is difficult.

Through a consumer led self-assessment process, FSA participants are
supported as they identify their employment goals and the path towards
achieving them. The program is self-directed, and all services are tailored
to an individual’s needs with the consumer identifying the supports and
services they require to achieve their career goals.

The program provides consumers with information and support and
empowers them to define and move forward towards their career goals.

FSA participants make informed choices, take risks and control their own
career directions. Activities in which they can engage include
     • pre-employment skill development - e.g., resume writing, career
       goal setting, cover letters, interview skills.
     • skills and interest inventories – e.g., identifying personal/job
       related and transferable skills.
     • job searches – e.g., accessing information on employment
       opportunities and being supported to deal with the frustrations
       associated with job searching.
     • identifying and accessing funding sources and accommodations
       for both education opportunities and employment.
     • entrepreneurial opportunities – e.g., business plan writing.

Through participation in FSA, consumers learn about the range of
community supports offered by other community agencies. Examples

include Employment Options; Thrive, the Community Youth Network;
Community Centre Alliance; Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
(CCRW); the Murphy Centre; the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities
(COD); Easter Seals; and Metro Business Opportunities.
Immigration, Population Growth & Skills and FSA are closely linked through
on-going information sharing. As well, of the 127 FSA Participants in 2020-
2021, 58 or 46% were Income Support recipients. FSA is also closely
linked to the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities, the
Glenn Roy Blundon Centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)
and Accessibility Services at College of the North Atlantic.

FSA participants are achieving their goals

This past year was very challenging for most job seekers. With two
lockdowns and most businesses experiencing some sort of restriction, the
number of consumers finding employment was down significantly.

Nevertheless, many consumers stuck to their job search and found
employment. This year 18 individuals found 18 positions. As the graph
below shows, people with many different types of disabilities found
subsidized employment, unsubsidized employment and self-employment.
Many participants who were successful in finding employment this year
have been looking for a while. With support and a little optimism, and
sometimes a little optimistic support, we can all move towards our goals. Of
the 18 people to find work 8 were income support recipients.

Many participants were exploring possible careers, and of those, 18 started
training or continued with their education. Participants are involved in all
levels of education, including pursuing degrees at university, studying for
certificates and diplomas at colleges, completing secondary school through
ABE and GED programs and learning skills that lead to employment in
programs such as the Transitions to Work (TTW) Program. Of the 18
people to start training, 7 were income support recipients.

Eight participants were engaged in creating business plans and exploring
their options for financing their business start-up, and 1 individual started
their own business.

Remember, if you’re still looking for that job, or thinking of going back to
school, you don’t have to get there alone. Together, we can talk about your
goals and find a way to move towards them, one step at a time.

Stephen Quinn
Career Development Coordinator

Independent Living Internship Program

The IL Internship like many programs experienced challenges during the
global Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It was evident from the beginning that it
would be extremely difficult to deliver the program in its traditional form
which relies heavily on in-person community work. After much consultation
and thought it was decided that this was an opportunity to evaluate the
work of the Internship Program and find new and innovative ways to deliver
the program in subsequent years.

It was decided that we would rehire program alumni rather than trying to
hire new participants and provide training during this difficult time when
everyone was trying to transition to a new way of doing things. Past interns
were contracted to carryout work which built on their existing skills,
including website design, social media outreach, and one-on-one support
to the public.

The program also contracted Coastline Consultants to work with 3-4 interns
to complete research on a provincial scope to determine the gaps in
services that the Internship Program could possibly fill moving forward.
The research provides a snapshot in time of the needs of persons with
disabilities and Deaf people as they navigated systems and tried to cope
during a global pandemic.

The pandemic created obstacles for people including the need to work from
home, less in-person contact, and reduced access to services. For
persons with disabilities and Deaf persons, these are barriers that were
faced on a daily basis pre-pandemic. During the pandemic these barriers
increased in complexity due to the restrictions and isolation that came with
it.

Research was conducted provincially with options to complete a survey
through a telephone or zoom interview or through survey monkey. These
were conducted by research interns and the consultant. Although we had a
positive response and were able to collect data to inform our next steps,
there was a speculation based on responses that many approached to
complete the survey were experiencing “research fatigue”.

The key recommendations for the future direction of the IL Internship
Program which came out of this research are:

   - Develop a Network of Community Facilitators
   - Evolve the IL Internship Program Into A Program Which Hires Highly
     Skilled Professionals Who Have Disabilities
   - Focus on Providing Supports for Seniors
   - Support Communities and Coalitions to Reduce Barriers to Full
     Participation
   - Prepare Communities to Contribute to the Development of Provincial
     Inclusion Legislation
   - Community Network Facilitators Can Support People Who Are
     Struggling to Access Online Resources
   - Continue to Raise Awareness of Empower, the Disability Resource
     Centre’s Services and Programs
   The evolution of the IL Internship Program to meet the changing needs
     of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, necessitates a name change.

We are looking forward to pivoting in a new direction and piloting an
innovative program to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in
Newfoundland and Labrador in 2021-22. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the Interns who worked diligently to move the program
forward during this difficult time. I would also like to thank the InclusionNL
team for their support and guidance during this process. A special thank
you to Charmaine Davidge, Coastline Consultants for the patience,
kindness and knowledge given to interns during the research phase.

Adaptive Technology Program
Adaptive Technology program connects individuals with technology that
works for them. Whether this is a student who needs technology supports
in the classroom or an employee who requires technology options due to a
workplace adjustment or due to an injury. Technologies can seem scary at
times. Here at Empower the AT program is tailored to individuals. We work
one on one to overcome those challenges with training and testing new
software and hardware devices.
Some of the Services provided within the AT program include:
  • Working with individuals to identify appropriate AT options, providing
    support to acquire and use the technology successfully;
  • Creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities through
    the IL internship program;
  • Engaging public, business, and government with information sessions
    to increase AT awareness, support, and training on a variety of
    assistive software and hardware.
  • Short-Term Device Loan Program – we work with local business and
    agencies to provide adaptive technology in a 2-week loan program;
    using some of our keyboards and mice.
  • Public accessible computer room, where people can use adaptive
    technologies and computers in an inclusive and supportive
    environment.
Empower’s Public Computer Site
The Empower Computer site offers opportunities for individual to use
computers at no cost, in an accessible and supportive environment. We
have an open public Wi-Fi for people to use the internet on all devices. We
provide printing services for resumes, government forms, and educational
information. Empower’s AT program understands barriers with Internet
access, digital information, and barriers with technology.
This year during COVID-19 our office has been closed and at time only
open to direct meetings to the public. For some individuals we were able to
connect through online, over the phone or one on one meetings.

Computers & Connectivity Program
Computers and Connectivity Program has been a positive and empowering
program to members in our community. We were able to connect 45 of our
most vulnerable population to Devices and Connectivity to combat social
isolation. Using our Independent Living Philosophies, in this program we
offered choices of what device they would like to use. Now we have a
stronger community of people connected online for medical appointments,
empower services and other online supports. More people are accessing
online services during this COVID-19 pandemic. This is one way to keep
our most vulnerable safe from covid and keeping social isolation away.
We would like to thank Jay Taylor for spear heading this program. We will
continue to support people with disabilities through the Adaptive
Technology Program. Supporting our most vulnerable population will
ensure stronger online communities and to build online gatherings through
social programs.

Empowers Website
This year's project was to update our current website and to meet. WCAC
2.1 AA Compliancy. When changes were being implemented, we
discovered that the age of our website coding would not allow us to achieve
this goal. We would like to thank Joel Oram for his amazing work he did
this year, we currently have part of a new site that we should be able to
implement in 2021 which will meet current accessibility standards.

Individual Consultants
  • The AT Program offers individual consultations in many areas related
    to AT, including employment, education, skill development, and
    adaptive technology hardware/software options.
  • Employment consultations could range from supporting an employee
    in using a new mouse or keyboard, to working with an Intern to help
    them seek out future employment opportunities. (Employment
    consults = 47)
  • Education consultations typically involve working with students to
    help them acquire and/or use AT in their studies or working with

teachers to better enable them to support students with disabilities.
    (Education consults = 106)
  • Skill development consultations are training sessions we provide to
    volunteers, consumers, job seekers, interns, and others on a variety
    of computer related topics. (Skill development consults = 761)
  • Adaptive Technology consultations consist of a brief overview of what
    Adaptive Technology is, followed by a discussion of options/supports,
    and some hands-on training. It is an opportunity for consumers to
    decide what technology will work best for them. (AT consults = 906)

Key Highlights of Community Work
Education & Employment
  • Advocating with students and parents within the (K-12) school system
     and supporting them in with their Technology.
  • Trained parents with their children in solutions for adaptive
     technology in google classroom setting, this was to make students
     work more independently.
  • Worked with Academy Canada and Keyin College to assist students
     in ABE programs using Adaptive Technology for their students who
     require accommodations.
  • MUNL– Provided information and supported accessibility for MUNL
     Nursing Students to create a COVID-19 vaccine newsletter. We
     partnered with MUNL in their physical wellness across NL, this will
     create inclusive healthy living opportunity for everyone in the
     community.
  • Worked with Grenfell Campus to help solution what a accessible site
     would look like for students due to COVID-19.
  • Educational Group presentations on “Learn how to Navigate Covid -
     19 Government Website” and “Coffee & Technology”.
  • AT Programs created a resource for our entrepreneurs. This was a
     guide on How to Build an Online Business Presence. This was to
     inform them what it takes to build a social media platform to promote
     their business.

Government
  • Working with WorkplaceNL and individuals to ensure software and
     hardware are compatible with internal work systems and
     implementing a training program for them to transition back to work.
  • Audited the 811 App for Disability Policy Office
  • Promoted Government COVID-19 website, services and supports to
     our Membership using online tools.
Community
  • During this year COVID-19 information was important to inform our
    community network, with our newsletter and website. These updates
    were done through a weekly and biweekly timeframe.
  • Presented Empower services and Disability Etiquette training to
    GoGettersNL.
  • Provided document accessibility to many organizations, who were
    working in virtual environments to assist people with disabilities
    online.
  • Consulted with the women's economic council on their website for
    accessibility, gave them recommendations and will be a consultant
    for them going further on this project.
  • Partnership with Independent Living Nova Scotia, this was an online
    webinar to celebrate Independent Living Across Canada Day
    (ILACD). All events took place on Zoom and Facebook Live, webinars
    were hosted to consumers across 2 provinces on legal, job
    accommodations and employment for people with disabilities.
  • Web Accessibility Audit for NL Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention
    Centre https://endsexualviolence.com/
Jim Escott
Adaptive Technology Program Facilitator

Penny Abbott
Adaptive Technology – IL Internship Manager

InclusionNL Employer Support Services

InclusionNL: Employer Support Services started in June 2014 with funding
received from the Labour Market Partnerships Program, Dept. of Advanced
Education Skills & Labour. Since we began, we have provided numerous
partnerships to many employers across Newfoundland & Labrador.
Early in this new fiscal year, we had to modify our work because of public
health measures for Covid-19 and moved most of our services online.
Many business partners worked in partnership with us to quickly provide
supports to their employees and customers with disabilities who were trying
to work remotely and required adjustments in their homes, and access to
how to conduct business through the internet in an accessible manner.
Without valuable partnerships with businesses and employers, full inclusion
of everyone in community would not be possible. Through this past year,
we have developed and participated in over seventy-five unique online
projects and business partnerships throughout the province as they
develop their disability confidence and increase accessibility and inclusion
within their remote work environments.
Three Streams of Service Delivery
InclusionNL staff provides a number of support services to
businesses/employers in our province. Our delivery is focused through
these three streams

      1. Direct Employer Supports
              - Staff provide direct supports to businesses based on
                 individual need/request. Some examples include
                 providing supports to multiple businesses through a hiring
                 process where we distributed job vacancies and recruited
                 candidates from partner disability organizations, provided
                 the business with inclusion related supports for interviews
                 (ASL interpreters Captioning, etc.), supported them
                 review accessibility of their location so that candidates
                 could be hired. Worked with multiple partners including a
                 leading industry association to host fully inclusive job fairs