The following are two letters which will illustrate some of the difficulties faced by someone who has a disability, wants to work, was working, and was having a hard time keeping up because of there being too many barriers in society.
I'm removing the names because there is nothing to be gained by playing the blame game.
The purpose of this Blog and the sharing of these letters, is to show that it's not always the person who has a disability that's at fault for not working. Barriers can have a huge impact on ones life so, until they are removed, it's very hard to understand why the government and people in society expect us to work.
I had a full-time job for 18 months and was fully off ODSP and other forms of government assistance.
When I saw the warning signs of burn-out because new barriers were developing in my community that would affect my ability to keep up with the daily essential tasks of life, I reached out and asked for help - reasonable help. Below are some letters that will show me reaching out to ask for help and how, 7 months later, the employment supports specialist failed to take appropriate action and it led to the end of my job.
This was the first letter I wrote asking for help to keep my job. I was having a lot of difficulties keeping up in life due to barriers to the wheelchair, etc…..
Dear [Employment Supports Director at ODSP - Jan 2009],I have been working full time for over 1 year now but the barriers to the rest of my life are taking their toll. Before I completely give up my job and go back to ODSP I want to ask if there is anything you can suggest which may be able to help.
The issue is an inability to go to one area of town to buy groceries and the other basic essentials of life. There are simply not enough hours in the day to get out and buy everything that I need. Further almost everything associated with health care and my disability puts the onus back on me to do research, be home to receive a delivery at a time that is convenient for them, make repeated follow up phone calls to call back because they don't remember, or maybe aren't allowed, to return a phone call to me, etc.
To get a new wheelchair, a tray or something else that will help to lessen the physical toll on my body from being incorrectly positioned is also an onus that has been passed back to me. I am to do the research and get back to the worker because they say the things I need are no longer covered by ADP. I can pay with my employer health plan, but I don't have a clue how to give them the answers they need if I can't view or try out the equipment before I buy.
In the evening the Access Bus is almost impossible to get especially when I have no idea what store will have food in it when arrive in the evening. I waste more time on the city buses looking for stores that are not sold out of the things on my list, or a clothing store that is accessible so I can buy clothes for work.
At work I am exhausted or having "melt-downs because the stress of being up half the night trying to figure out how I can buy the things that I need is taking a toll. I have thought of trying to ask for a new shift.... nights so I can receive a delivery during the day or take advantage of some of the things out there, but people who can\t be flexible at work are being fired and I am scared of taking this risk. I am not sure what my rights are to ask for shift accommodation so I am a little nervous asking to change to a night shift.
Could you please advise me on my rights and/or offer suggestions on how I can overcome these barriers so I won't have to quit my job and return to ODSP? Please advise.
Thank you.
The outcome of this was to suggest that I could get an employment supports specialist, paid for by ODSP, to help me with job RETENTION. I got the employment supports person right away (in early February) because I wanted to keep my job.
By July, nothing had been done so I write this long letter to educate her on barriers and the impact thereof. NOTE: how I keep asking her to do her job, try to turn this into a positive, and ask for her help to salvage my jobFrom: me
Subject: Long letter - vital to read to ensure employment retention
To: [Employment Support Specialist’s name removed]
Received: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 12:22 PMDear [name removed],
I hired you under employment supports to assist with employment retention, but I don't believe this is happening. In fact, it is completely the opposite.
To start with, you met with my employer last week and did not include me. You then apparently worded things in such a way that the employer feels it is no different for me to rearrange my disability supports after work, than for a parent to rearrange their child care service. If this is the case, then it is obvious that you have no understanding of the limits of a disability. The limits are huge.
For example:
I can't realistically own a vehicle because the cost of modifying it is prohibitive. I would also need to take mandatory training on the use of hand controls in Ottawa before I can be licensed to drive it. The training is no longer available in Kingston. For this reason, I have no choice but to live with the limits of transit.
It takes me 45 minutes to go to the grocery store on Kingston Transit (the Access Bus is not always available) and, the number of routes I can take, has a limit. Not all routes are accessible yet. Further, I am the one who has to get off, wait for the next bus, and pay for another fare, if a passenger is wearing perfume and I have to get off because of an asthma attack.
Able-bodied passengers can at least call a taxi or accept a ride from a friend or a family member because they can get into a car. They also have the choice, in many cases, of catching another bus sooner because part of its route overlaps the first route. This means they can get to their destination and, potentially accomplish more in a day.
The accessibility of stores is another matter. I can shop in about 10% of the stores in Kingston due to accessibility. They are either overcrowded, have steps or some other barrier. The 24-hour Metro (formerly the A & P) has a barrier to prevent grocery carts from being stolen. It also prevents a wheelchair from getting in. There is an over-ride on the door that will allow it to be opened by an employee, but in order to get their attention; I had them install a wireless doorbell. The problem is the button keeps getting broken or stolen so they won't replace it anymore.
I do not have the help of someone else to do my outside day-to-day tasks so it is vital that this limit is accommodated. Yesterday I made the mistake of choosing to shop at Price Chopper's instead of No Frills (a store that I know is always well stocked with food), because of its proximity to my doctor's office. It was sold out of celery, bread, and several other items on my grocery list, so it was a complete waste of time. I had to waste another 2 1/2 hours on the bus going to No Frills later and give up on a few other errands that were less of a priority. At least with this shift, I can do the other errands after work because the stores will still be open and the buses will still be running every half hour instead of an hour. My new shift will leave me with no time to run an errand like this - before or after work - because the stores will be closed by the time the bus gets me there.
If I could scrap the wheelchair and just walk, believe me, and there would be no pinning me down. I would buy a bicycle, a normal priced car, or phone a friend with a car and ask for a drive. I would also have the flexibility to shop in any store of my choosing because there would be no barriers to getting in. But this is sadly, not an option. I have to live with what I have.
The human rights code states there is a duty to accommodate a disability unless it can be proven that to do so would create an undue hardship for the employer.
So far, I have not been given any indication that leaving my shift at 8 - 4 pm would cause a financial hardship. It would be inconvenient, but it would not be costly.
Their only reason for not continuing to accommodate the agreed upon shift is that I am not trained on the appropriate lines. Well, why not? I have copies of emails that I wrote to supervisors as far back as March 1st specifically requesting the test so I could be properly certified. It never got done. Eventually, they started to use different excuses like I was taking too long on the calls, or they couldn't allow me to take time off the phones because they were too busy, but the busy is out of my control. The length of time I take on the calls is something I have been asking for coaching on since day one.
I have had this and I have followed every bit of advice. More recently, the calls I specifically ask to review in the QA (quality assurance) feedback meetings, is that there is very little I could have done differently to shorten the call so the excuse that I take too long on my calls is a little hard to understand under the circumstances.
When I contacted ODSP and ultimately you, it was to ask for assistance to retain my job because it felt like there wasn't enough understanding of what a disability can be. The fact that I can't stand up or network with any of my peers is a huge limitation to being able to share knowledge and remember everything, so I would think, with the help of someone to better explain the impacts of having a disability, some accommodation can be made. My hope was that you would have the time to listen long enough to fully understand the situation, then work with me, in a co-operative approach, to trouble shoot ways to help me keep up. Instead, it feels like you believe you are the authority on my limitations and I can just work harder and give up more, to bend to needs of others.
I am a human who has a set limit on how much I can do. By having a disability, I already have more than the average person has to take on to remain independent in this world. To have no vehicle and no help from family or friends as well, is too much.
Now, after reading all this, I will ask you again, to assist with finding a way to help me keep my job. I will not be able to keep it if my shift changes to 11:15 am - 7:15 pm or even 10 am to 6 pm, for that matter. I will have to give up even more, and, for the reasons explained above, I can’t. Not if I want to continue to take care of my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
The human rights code puts the onus on the employer to prove that it would cause them undue hardship to accommodate me. Therefore, with your support, I would like to negotiate that we ask for a 1 or 2 day investment to test me for the lines I need to be able to take on so I can keep the 8 am to 4 pm shift. The amount of time necessary would be no more than is being given to anyone else, but it would allow me to keep the appropriate accommodation so I can keep my job.
I look forward to your reply.
[Signed by ME]
This was the Employment Supports Specialist’s response to my asking for her to help me with the very same things I was asking for in the beginning when I wrote ODSP Employment Supports and asked for their help in January.
After 7 long months of no helpful action, I tried to write a constructive letter to explain what the barriers were that I was facing, what their impact was, and then ask for her help to liaison with my employer, get the training done, and keep the shift time that was working well for me.
By going to ODSP and closing my file she did irreparable damage because ODSP has a rule that, when a file is closed by the client or a worker, it must stay closed for one full year.
In other words, her inaction and, ultimately the unprofessional way she closed my file with ODSP, cost me my full time job. By her firing of me, I’d lost even more credibility with my employer and I had no idea what words were exchanged between them because she was choosing to meet with my employer without me being present in the room. What hurts the most was I reached out asking for help to keep my job. Seven (7) months later her actions caused me to lose the job, I was forced to go back onto ODSP, and she got paid for NOT doing what she was hired to do. From: THE EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS SPECIALIST
Subject: Re: Long letter - vital to read to ensure employment retention
Received: Friday, July 17, 2009, 1:56 PMGood Afternoon [me],
I have read your letter and given careful consideration to your points and requests. I feel you would be better served by another service provider and therefore I will be closing your file with [name removed] Job Placement Services.
I have been in contact with [name removed], Employment Support Specialist at ODSP and I advised her that I would be closing your file. You can contact her to get a list of service providers to interview and hire from.
[my name removed] I wish you well in your future endeavours and hop you will be better serviced by a different provider.
Sincerely.
[name removed]
Please Read my Other Blogs:Transit:
http://wheelchairdemon-transit.blogspot.comHealth:
http://wheelchairdemon-health.blogspot.com
