At his second annual lunch celebrating businesses that employ individuals diagnosed with special needs, Mayor Nolan Crouse criticized an anonymous organization for offering one such person a volunteer position instead of a paying job.
That organization, it turns out, was the St. Albert Public Library, and to a lesser extent, the city itself.
Library director Peter Bailey confirmed an individual diagnosed with a developmental disability and an advocate for that person approached the library board about employment. The library instead offered this person a volunteer position.
Bailey said it was a difficult situation because the library would have had to create a position, as it is not currently hiring. He also said the library does not have a policy on hiring people with special needs, nor does the City of St. Albert.
“We have to make difficult decisions when we are hiring for any position,” said Bailey. “We couldn’t, as a public, taxpayer-supported institution, create a position for this one individual. If we were to create a special position for someone with a developmental disability, we would be obligated to open it up to the entire community.”
The Gazette asked the family of the individual for an interview but did not receive a response before its deadline.
Corrine Gowers, who worked with this individual to approach the library board, said she and others had arranged a significant amount of funding, both from the provincial government and from a private donor that would have paid most of the required wage and training fees.
“They said it would be discriminatory to modify that interview process and that they looked at the city and there was no policy around it for hiring. But they would offer him a volunteer position,” Gowers said.
Gowers now sits as a provincial co-ordinator for WORKink, which helps match individuals with special needs with employers.
But this person, Gowers said, wasn’t alone in having problems finding work with the City of St. Albert. Gowers, who is from Villeneuve and has worked with people with disabilities for 23 years, spoke to city council on May 27, calling for the city to create a policy that would make it easier for persons with special needs to find work with the city.
“You see a lot of individuals applying and not getting work. Not even getting callbacks,” said Gowers. “We do have good businesses out there who do hire.”
The city currently employs three people with special needs, according to Mayor Nolan Crouse, two of whom work for recreation services and one who works for public works. But Crouse wants the city to do better.
“This isn’t pointing fingers at the library. If the city has no policy, the question is should we have a policy, a written policy, public policy?” Crouse said.
“You could never expect the library to follow suit if you’re not role-modelling it yourself.”
Edmonton has such a policy and Gowers said it works well. That policy, passed in 1993, states the city needs to ensure people with special needs have access to employment opportunities, that administration is made aware of potential employment opportunities for such people and that workplaces and schedules can be modified where appropriate to accommodate an employee’s challenges.
Gowers applauded Crouse for calling for better hiring practices.
“He realizes the lack of that policy has resulted in people with disabilities not being able to gain employment within the city. If you are expecting employers to do that, you need to walk the talk,” Gowers said.
The reasons some businesses and institutions aren’t more accommodating of a person’s challenges vary, Gower said. Some are afraid of saying something wrong and consequently getting sued. Others worry about costs, such as workers’ compensation coverage, increasing.
The central issue however, Gower said, is dignity for people with special needs. And St. Albert has several organizations that can help with such a policy, such as Lo-Se-Ca, Transitions, and Chrysalis, all of which work with people and their families.
“Whether it’s a developmental disability or a hidden disability, you really need to look at the ability to work,” Gowers said.
