Kardel Newsletter, Events & Programs
Safe Harbour Workshop
Click here to enlarge

On April 13th we were fortunate to have Stephen Baileys from the Inter-Cultural Association of Victoria facilitate the Safe Harbour Workshop for 13 of our staff.  As part of the workshop, the staff were asked "What is the value of diversity in YOUR workplace?" 
Some of the answers were:
  • Diversity supports creativity and innovation 
  • It encourages personal growth, and different ways of thinking and doing things
  • It creates an openness for new ideas
  • It challenges a person's prejudices and helps them evaluate what they take for granted in the workplace

A big thank you to Stephen Baileys for facilitating another wonderful workshop, and to all the staff who participated. 
  My Community Conference


The My Community Conference coming up on May 11 is developed by self-advocates and held every three years.  Self-advocates from across the South Island are invited to learn new skills, network, and have fun at this exciting one day conference in Victoria.  Click here for more information.
 

Raise the Rates; Leave our Buss Pass Alone
             
On Wednesday, April 13, participants in our Home Share Program joined with Inclusion BC in front of the BC Legislative Assembly to rally for economic justice for people with disabilities.  This was the second organized rally to bring awareness to the
bus pass claw back; if you missed the rally, you are encouraged to sign Inclusion BC's petition  Raise the Rates & Leave Our Bus Pass Alone 
BC People First AGM & Conference in Courtenay

BC People First AGM & Conference will be held in Courtenay at the Coast Westerly Convention Centre on Wednesday May 4th from 5:30-8:30pm AND Thursday May 5th from 9am to 6pm.  The conference will feature many different speakers and subjects such as:
  • Self-determination
  • Supportive decision-making
  • Parenting with a diversability
  • And much more...
Click here for more details
 

About our Strategic Goals


This month I'd like to discuss one of our three Strategic Goals and that is  "Develop Recruitment, Retention and Succession Strategies".  We have made some exciting progress in this area from a staffing perspective.  We now have a Recruitment and Retention Group (Kris Gower, Cathy Elford, Kim Albrighton, Kim Lichtensteiger, Christy Tytgat and Opalyn Azucena) that have met already with the intention of developing ideas regarding: marketing, a new handbook for new staff and supporting staff during the start of careers with Kardel.  We recognize that six people cannot generate every great idea that can be implemented for the whole organization. I know from attending staff meetings that there is excellent knowledge that can be fed into the group.  Therefore, we have also made a site on ShareVision for all staff to have the opportunity to provide  input and have a say regarding this strategic goal.
 
Recruitment and Retention is also an important part of the work our Home Share Coordinators undertake.  This relates to Home Share Providers and the people we support.  Please do not hesitate to contact your Home Share Coordinator to share your knowledge of what works for you and what could be beneficial for potential new Home Share Providers.
 
Stuart Munger
Director of Programs and Quality Assurance

Sharing Information       

All our stakeholders (Persons Supported, Families, Staff, Home Share Providers, Guardians, Advocates, Volunteers) face challenges in our environment in regard to accessibility.  Accessibility for people with disabilities has at times given the implication regarding physical obstacles such as: stairs, external surfaces, doorways and emergency exits.  Accessibility has a number of meanings for the persons we support:
  • Architectural or Physical - Access to a building, accessible bathrooms, light alarms for those hearing impaired
  • Environmental - A location or site where stakeholders do not feel safe or confidentiality may be compromised
  • Attitudes - How person served is viewed and treated by all stakeholders including the community
  • Finance - Insufficient funds for services/support
  • Employment - Providing flexibility in the workplace and help person supported manage their needs
  • Communication - Information provided in an accessible and user friendly format
  • Technology - Availability of assistive technology
  • Transportation - Being unable to reach locations or sites to participate in activities
  • Community Integration - Any barrier that keeps a person supported from attending or participating in the community
     
The above areas are examples and do not fully represent the description of each.  One of our staff, Megan Ereiser, has provided a number of websites that describe restaurants, activity centers, and other facilities that are wheelchair accessible or provide pureed food for people supported.  If you know of any  organizations that are supportive in regard to accessibility please contact me and we can share the information on our website!

There is an Access Awareness Fair at the SHOAL Centre in Sidney - Saturday, June 4th, to help raise awareness about accessibility/disability and community inclusion 

Stuart Munger
Director of Programs and Quality Assurance


Lakes Road House News         


 
Jason Smith has been a volunteer at Lakes for NINE years! He loves to help people and sometimes learns things. He likes the staff and Tanya, Brent and Jason. He says he has lots of fun on Fridays. He continues to be an avid hockey fan, and is active with special Olympics in swimming and track. He works for Tim Horton's doing roadside cleanup. Thank you Jason for keeping our world a little cleaner for us!
 
Jason has big dreams. He is saving money to buy his own house and his bigger dream is to go to Las Vegas for a little shopping and shows. Next month he is flying to Edmonton for his cousins wedding and he is very excited about this.
 
We always appreciate our Fridays spent with Jason. His help makes a lot of extra activities more fun and accessible! He brings lots of laughter and joy to the Lakes Road House team!  THANK YOU JASON SMITH

In other news, Lakes Rd gets slightly new leather furniture. Here are Linda and Kryztoff assembling it, and the sellers telling us how to do it. We love our couch and loveseat with four recliners!


Kardel Consulting Services |  [email protected] | 250-382-5959 |
See what's happening on our social sites: