BEAVER CREEK │ AGENCY X

Disability is NOT necessarily a Barrier to Employment │ Success in Rural Yukon requires Flexibility, Adaptability, Independence and Healthy Living

KEY CONCEPTS: multiple jobs = multiple accommodations needed, education, motivation, aspiration, FASD, drug and alcohol abuse

Agencies that support community health, social services, education and community development are tuned-in the comings and goings and needs of the people and communities they serve. We spoke with an agency worker who shared insights regarding the key barriers to employment and establishing healthy communities.

Education, motivation and expectation/aspiration were identified as the big three barriers to employment equity and full access, not disability per se. FASD and drug and alcohol abuse seem to be the primary barriers in terms of disability, with learning disabilities featuring as a key barrier to those affected who might want to pursue employment opportunities through training programs offered by Yukon College or even while still in high school.

This agency representative suggested that there are few opportunities for employment in rural Yukon, and for those who do secure work, jobs are rarely structured as full-time permanent employment.  Rather, opportunities are often casual, seasonal or part-time, resulting in many people having more than one job at any given time – as many as 5 jobs was cited as not overly unusual. This employment context presents significant barriers to people with disabilities who might require accommodations within the workplace in order to successfully perform their work-related duties. Where an employee is required to hold down multiple jobs, the issue of ensuring appropriate accommodations is magnified. This appears to be a unique barrier to rural Yukon – and one that will require specific attention with a Yukon Disability Employment Strategy.

An absence on of in-community education and training opportunities was identified as a key barrier to supporting people with learning difficulties. Yukon College was identified as an excellent source for training and education. The distance education and/or requirement to travel to receive the necessary supports for learning is clearly an important issue for this community.

Barriers to employment are also potential barriers to everyday life in rural Yukon. Travel to Whitehorse (significant distances/time and costs to individuals) to shop for basic needs and household supplies including groceries is itself a significant barrier to those who might be able to make the trip themselves or without the assistance of friends, family or agency support. Significant effort and resources are committed to basic tasks for supporting a household, which are fundamental to providing the foundation for healthy living, readiness for education and work.

A key finding from this consultation is that the employment equity and access for people with disabilities might only be achieved after the foundation for healthy home and community living are enabled. Local area access to basic household supplies, food, education and support services are precursors to motivation, aspiration and readiness for work. Ironically perhaps, this agency representative indicated that the people with identifiable disabilities such as chronic illness or physical disabilities were far more likely to be in full employment than those with invisible disabilities such as learning disabilities and addictions-related problems.