Wanted: People with disabilities to work in high-level banking jobs

TORONTO, May 10 /CNW/ - JVS Toronto, a non-profit organization that helps people find jobs, is partnering with a major Canadian bank which is trying to place people with disabilities in high-level jobs. The challenge is finding the employees.

Nilda Patey, the Manager of Disability Services at JVS Toronto, says the usual challenges for her staff don't apply in this situation. "Normally, our Workforce Specialists are trying to convince companies to hire our clients. In this case, we have an employer; we need to find employees who qualify as disabled. The real challenge is that there are many people who could qualify for ODSP, and therefore be ideal for one of these jobs, but they don't even know they're eligible for ODSP."

To meet the requirements for ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program), you must:

    
    -   Be a resident of Ontario
    -   Be over the age of 18
    -   Qualify financially
    -   Qualify under the ODSP definition of a "person with a disability":
           -  There must be a "substantial physical and/or mental
              impairment"
           -  The impairment is expected to last at least 12 months
           -  The impairment must substantially limit a person's activities
              of daily living in at least one of the following three areas:
              personal care, activities in the community, or activities in
              the workplace.
    

Patey gives examples of the range of "invisible" disabilities that might qualify, "Someone who has had a heart attack who is no longer able to work at the same level as he did prior to the heart attack or individuals that experience prolonged feelings of anxiety or depression. These are the kinds of folks that we want to reach and interview for these banking jobs."

JVS Toronto is a non-profit organization that was founded over 60 years ago to assist Jewish immigrants in finding employment after World War II. Today, the organization works with thousands of people from diverse backgrounds with diverse needs. JVS Toronto helps clients identify their strengths and goals, and develop the necessary skills and knowledge they need to succeed in school, work and life. Since 1947, this remarkable organization has enabled over 500,000 people to fulfill their potential.

For further information: Abby Robins, Director of Communications and Marketing, JVS Toronto, [phone], ext. 276, or [phone] (cell), www.jvstoronto.org, [email protected]