A Word From Our Co Chairs
NCFED has been working on a variety of fronts throughout the summer months,
however much of the focus has been on the important internal changes that have
taken place within the Government of Canada, particularly with the Public
Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC).
In-depth discussions took place on April 21 and May 18, 2006. The focus of
these discussions were on developing a strategy for strengthening partnerships
between PSHRMAC and the three designated group organizations: the National
Council of Federal Employees with Disabilities, the National Council of
Aboriginal Federal Employees and the National Council of Visible
Minorities. All groups were represented at the table. A second and just as
crucial issue being discussed was the determination of options for the financial
sustainability of the Councils.
Due to many staffing changes within the organization over the summer months a
follow-up discussion with new PSHRMAC representatives took place on August 28,
2006. The purpose of this meeting was to meet the new face of the organization
and to discuss Council issues and to capture corporate memory.
In a nutshell, PSHRMAC acknowledges its key responsibility in respect to
diversity issues and more specifically employment equity issues. This
responsibility has been amplified by recent shifts in governance within the
structure of the federal government. The Agency clearly has the lead on the
diversity file in government. Its aim, and that of the Government of Canada, is
to achieve representativeness and inclusiveness in the public service work
force. The role of the Councils, and that includes NCFED, is to act as the
"eyes, ears and voices" of constituents in bringing matters to the
attention of decision makers in the public service.
The partnership model involving PSHRMAC and the Councils is certainly going
to be discussed further. More importantly, NCFED knows its issues and will
continue to do real work for their constituents. The NCFED focus is to ensure
that all employment policy-related issues of concern to federal public servants
with disabilities continue to be addressed and are an integral part of relevant
decision-making processes. NCFED may not have the mandate or the resources to
help individuals, but can ensure that the public service as a whole is a healthy
work environment for persons with disabilities.
Carole Willans-Théberge, NCFED Co-Chair, NCR
Duane Simpson, NCFED Co-Chair, Regions
A Word From The NCFED National Office
NCFED is so pleased that Michael Wernick has agreed to continue to serve as
its Champion. Michael recently left his position at PCO and has been appointed
Deputy Minister at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). His involvement
has been a precious help to the Council in many ways since its inception. A
recent example is that thanks to his support, last month INAC announced to all
its employees the opening of a two-year assignment to work at NCFED as
Communications Coordinator. Please join me in welcoming the winning candidate
for this position, Joanne Clemiss. She brings much experience and enthusiasm to
the job and I am certainly grateful for the administrative support. I must
express my personal thanks to Carole Coutlée who did a terrific job while she
was with us. Carole has moved to the next step in her own career. We all wish
her much success.
Louise Normand, Executive Director
NCFED Activities
NCFED By-elections for the National Capital Region: Tony Fenn elected!
As most NCFED subscribers know, there was vacancy on the NCFED Board for the
National Capital Region. By-elections were recently held and many good and
credible candidates competed for the position. Federal public servants in the
National Capital Region voted in record numbers! Once the dust settled, Tony
Fenn, Legal Counsel at Health Canada, emerged the winner.
Tony Fenn is one of a handful of Canadian lawyers who is Deaf. He presently
works at Legal Services, Health Canada where the focus of his work is human
resource law. Tony has been a disability advocate in the area of employment
equity for many years. Prior to completing his legal studies and coming to work
for the federal government, he worked as an intake and special assistance
counsellor with the Canadian Hearing Society in Ottawa where he counselled Deaf,
deafened or hard of hearing persons and/or referred them to appropriate programs
and services. Tony has served for many years on the Deputy Minister of Justice's
Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities (ACPD) and has been responsible
for organizing workshops to train Justice employees in the use of American Sign
Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). In addition, his
involvement in the work of the ACPD has included the review of policies,
including the TBS and Justice Canada accommodations policies and the
implementation of activities of interest to persons with various disabilities.
As a volunteer in his community, Tony served for many years on the REACH
Canada's Brown Bag Lunch Seminar Committee, which offered seminars to the public
on a wide variety of issues linking disability and the law. Until recently, he
was President of the Ottawa Deaf Centre (ODC).
Thanks to everyone who threw their hat into the ring. It is clear that there
are many good people out there who want to support NCFED's work.
NCFED By-elections for the Regions - Call for Nominations Going On Now!
Currently, there are three vacancies on the NCFED Board for the regions
(i.e., regions other than the National Capital Region). By-elections will soon
be held for a representative from each of the following regions: Ontario,
Quebec and the North. Are you interested in submitting your
candidacy for election to represent one of these regions? Full details on how to
proceed are on our website. By-elections will take place shortly after the close
of the nominations on October 27, 2006.
NCFED Presentation at NEADS 20th Anniversary National Conference
The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) has
accepted NCFED's bid to actively participate in a workshop during their national
conference, Creating Our Future: On Campus and Beyond, to be held in Ottawa on
November 10, 11 and 12, 2006. On behalf of NCFED, Carole Willans-Théberge will
participate in a panel on "Job Search Strategies: Competing in the
Employment Market" . Carole's portion of the presentation will specifically
address the question, "The Government of Canada, An Employer of
Choice?", focusing on how students can benefit from existing federal
programs and policies. For more information, including the schedule,
registration form and details on speakers, go to: www.neads.ca/conference2006
NCFED Board Members and Subscribers Participate in Endexclusion
Endexclusion is a short-term (June to November 2006) Canada-wide initiative
designed to celebrate the successes of persons with disabilities. They are
building towards a Forum planned for Ottawa on November 2, 2006. Its website
serves to raise the profile of Canadians with disabilities and several NCFED
Board members and subscribers have posted their own stories. It is an
interesting read! You can find it at www.endexclusion.ca
NCFED Searching for Departmental Advisory Committees
The NCFED often receives requests for information on federal departments and
agencies that have internal employment equity committees for employees with
disabilities. A recent NCFED initiative is to compile a list of these advisory
committees and to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences between
these groups. Currently, Justice Canada has the Deputy Minister's Advisory
Committee on Employment Equity and Persons with Disabilities, co-chaired by
Michael Sousa. At the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces, the
Defence Advisory Group for Persons with Disabilities is co-chaired by LCdr John
Dewar (Military, NCR) and by Duane Simpson (Civilian, regional) and the Advisory
Group Secretariat can be reached at 1-888-298-4585. Finally the Privy Council
Office has an Employment Equity and Diversity Advisory Group that represents all
target groups and its co-chair is currently Marcel Désilets. Please send us
information about your department or agency's internal committee for employees
with disabilities!
Newsbites on Disability Issues
Opportunity to Participate in Research on Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI)
Eight public service employees with RSIs (e.g. data entry, researchers, and
managers) are required for a research study entitled "A Holistic Approach
to Treating White Collar Injuries: The Effect of Exercise on Chronic Pain and
Pain-Related Mental Health Issues, In Computer Workers with Repetitive Strain
Injuries". Questions for RSI injured workers would concern their experience
with pain, treatments and coping mechanisms. The interview will be conducted in
English and will last approximately one hour. For more information, please
contact Nicoleta Woinarosky at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health
Sciences, School of Human Kinetics at nwoin090@uottawa.ca
Opportunity to Participate in Research on assistive technology for vision
and hearing impairments
The University of New Brunswick, in collaboration with the Assistive Devices
Industry Office of Industry Canada, is conducting a research project on the
consumer experience of adult end users of assistive technology for vision and
hearing impairments. We invite you to participate in a survey about your
experiences with assistive technology. Your input will contribute to the
development of a profile of end users as consumers that can be used by
technology suppliers, health service providers, community organizations, and
policy makers to improve products, services and programs for Canadians with
vision and hearing impairments. Upon completion of the survey, you can enter
your name in a draw for $100. You will have an approximately 1 in 800 chance of
being selected, and the draw will take place on December 1, 2006. To complete
the web version of the survey, please visit the following link: http://www.unb.ca/survey/index.php?sid=147.
If you use screen reader software, a "Luci" version of the survey is
available at: https://www.unb.ca/sweb/parser/luci.cgi/http://www.unb.ca/survey/index.php?sid=147.
If you wish to complete a paper copy of the survey in either standard, large
print, or Braille format, or if you have any questions or concerns, please call
1-888-487-3222 or email Mary Hill, the lead researcher, at mhill@unb.ca
UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3, 2006)
Improving access to new information technology for persons with disabilities
will be the focus of this year's International Day of Disabled Persons. Although
access to information and communication technology has created opportunities for
all Canadians, these advances have been particularly meaningful for persons with
disabilities, allowing them to overcome the societal barriers of prejudice,
infrastructure and inaccessible formats. However, many persons with disabilities
are still unable to take full advantage of the internet. To read more on this,
visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/index.html
Web site Corner Every issue, we list web sites that may be of interest to
NCFED subscribers. Let us know if your favourites have not shown up here yet!
Disability Awareness - Information Kit The broad aims of this website are to
promote an understanding of disability issues, to encourage service providers to
focus on individuals, not disabilities, to develop an understanding of how the
information needs of people with disabilities can be met and to develop an
awareness of issues relating to physical access to library materials. Find it
at: http://www.openroad.net.au/access/dakit/disaware/disawarecontent.htm
Source: Government of Australia (English only)
Myths and Facts on Employees with Disabilities
Myth: I can't fire or discipline an employee with a disability.
Fact: While there are laws in place, such as the Human Rights Act and
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that serve to protect the rights of
individuals with disabilities by providing equal access in the areas of
employment, transportation, public accommodations, public services, and
telecommunications, there are no special procedures for firing or disciplining
employees with disabilities.
Establish clear performance expectations from the start. If a performance
problem does occur, follow your company's usual guidelines: discuss the problem
with the worker, look for solutions, document the situation and, if necessary,
terminate the employment agreement.
Myth: An employer's worker's compensation rates rise when they hire
individuals with disabilities
Fact: Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the
operation and the organization's accident experience, not on whether workers
have disabilities. A study conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the
National Association of Manufacturers showed that 90% of the 279 companies
surveyed reported no effect on insurance costs as a result of hiring workers
with disabilities.
Myth: Individuals with disabilities are more likely to have accidents.
Fact: Two studies, one conducted by the Bureau of Labour Statistics
during the 1940's and a current study recently completed by the DuPont Company
support the findings that workers with disabilities performed significantly
higher than their counterparts without disabilities in the area of safety. These
studies included people in professional, technical, managerial, operational,
labour, clerical, and service areas. It evaluated individuals with orthopaedic,
vision, heart, health, and hearing disabilities. Conclusion: Workers with
disabilities are often more aware, not less, of safety issues in the workplace.
Myth: Workers with a disability are a bad influence on other workers.
Fact: More often than not, the worker with a disability brings
additional diversity into the workplace. For example: Someone who uses a
wheelchair may point out ways to make physical access better for all by removing
clutter from walkways and offices. Someone who has a learning disability may
develop a filing system based on colors in addition to words that increases
efficiency and ease of use.
Myth: Individuals with disabilities are not able to contribute to society.
Fact: More than anything, individuals with disabilities are restricted
not by their abilities, but by society. As an employer, do not let a person's
disability get in the way of an opportunity for him or her to demonstrate
talents. Misconceptions that insurance costs/ rates will go up, and that they
have a high rate of absenteeism and low productivity levels should be overcome
and an equal opportunity afforded to individuals with disabilities.
Myth: Individuals with disabilities are more sensitive than other people,
more courageous, kinder, more creative, more admirable or more conscientious.
Fact: Individuals with disabilities do not possess any special
characteristics - they are just like other person you employ.
Myth: It's almost impossible to interview individuals with disabilities
because it's so easy to break human rights laws.
Fact: Interviewing is easy. The key is to focus on abilities rather
than disabilities. Ask the same job-related questions that you ask other
applicants. And once you've hired someone with a disability, there's a good
chance they'll stay. Pizza Hut Corporation finds that workers with disabilities
are five times more likely to stay than people without disabilities.
Source: Government of New Brunswick's web site
What is the NCFED?
What NCFED does:
The National Council of Federal Employees with Disabilities (NCFED)
represents the interests of federal public servants with visible and/or
invisible disabilities.
Areas of action include, but are not limited to:
awareness, recruitment, retention, career progression, accommodation,
accessibility and training.
The NCFED provides information, advice, analysis and
recommendations on relevant issues, as well as the actions required to address
them, to federal public service management and other key players. The ultimate
goal is a respectful and inclusive work environment.
What NCFED Does Not Do
The NCFED often receives personal requests for assistance from federal
employees with disabilities who are experiencing a specific problem. While every
effort is made to direct enquiries to the person or organization mandated with
handling this kind of issue, the NCFED does not have any role, responsibility or
resources to deal with individual cases. The NCFED has a policy role, reviewing
the broader issues and carrying large initiatives to bring about systemic
improvements in federal work environments across Canada. The personal stories
raised by individual employees are certainly important to our understanding of
the key issues that affect federal public servants with disabilities and help us
to better focus our policy development strategies - however the NCFED cannot
actively participate in individual cases.
NCFED Subscription
Join NCFED and be part of a national network of people working together for
an inclusive Public Service! Anyone interested in employment equity and
disability issues is welcome to subscribe. Having a disability is not a
requirement. There is no fee… it is free.
Subscribers receive the quarterly newsletter, notice of web site updates and
advance notice and personal invitation to the next big NCFED event in 2008. In
addition, you will have the opportunity to participate in various surveys and to
provide input on important issues.
How can you become a subscriber? Download the
form (Word format) and send it by e-mail at lnormand@justice.gc.ca,
by fax at (613)948-2236 or by mail at the following address to the National
Council of Federal Employees with Disabilities, 360 Albert Street, 14th Floor,
Ottawa ON K1A 0H8
NCFED Editorial Board
Louise Normand - Executive Director
Carole Willans-Théberge - Co-Chair, NCR
Marjolaine Levert - Communications Subcommittee Member
Executive Board Members
Duane Simpson
Victoria BC
B.C. Regional Representative - Co-Chair, Regions
Tel: 250-363-5440
Fax: 250-363-7980
simpson.daa@forces.gc.ca
Carole Willans-Théberge
Ottawa ON
NCR Representative - Co-Chair, NCR
Tel: 613-944-4220
Fax: 613-947-7581
ctheberge@pco-bcp.gc.ca
Max Brault
Ottawa ON
NCR Representative
Tel: 613-990-0044
Fax: 613-998-9480
braultm@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Kevin Bruff
St. John's NL
Atlantic Representative
Tel: 709-772-5978
Fax: 709-772-4390
kevin.bruff@pwgsc.gc.ca
Tony Fenn
Ottawa ON
NCR Representative
Tel: 613-948-8553
Fax: 613-957-1327
TTY: 613-957-0619
tony_fenn@hc-sc.gc.ca
Marlene Hoce
Regina SK
Prairie Representative
Tel: 306-780-8090
Fax: 306-780-6926
marlene.hoce@ccra-adrc.gc.ca
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