The objectives of the 2010 PSAC National Access Conference are:

• To strategize on ways to promote more inclusive work environments that ensure barriers are removed for people with disabilities
• To empower and engage persons with disabilities to take action and move disabilities rights forward, including through lobbying
• To provide tools that educate and advocate for disability rights in our communities, our workplaces and our union
• To better connect and to include persons with disabilities in our communities, our workplaces and our union
• To defend quality public services for persons with disabilities

Participants

1. Delegates

PSAC members in good standing and who also identify as being a member with a disability may apply to this conference. Priority will be given to members who are active on disability issues in their union or workplace. Priority will also be given to community activists on disability issues. The selection of delegates will take into account Region, Component, language, gender and other equity representation. Delegates will be entitled to full voice and vote during the conference, including the resolutions and elections processes and costs to the 2010 PSAC National Access Conference will be fully covered as per the decision of the 2003 PSAC Triennial Convention and the PSAC Travel Directive.

2. Observers

PSAC members in good standing and who also identify as being a member with a disability may also apply to attend the 2010 PSAC National Access Conference as observers; however, observers will be responsible for all costs associated with their participation.

For more information, including on-line registration and a call for resolutions, visit the national website.

Application deadline: Thursday, March 4, 2010, 4:00 p.m. EST

Purpose of the guide

The primary purpose of this document is to guide you through the main aspects of health and disability support in the core public administration workplace. The guide is designed to give you an overview of what you need to know if you are absent from work for health reasons and to direct you to more detailed and comprehensive information that can be found elsewhere.

The guide is also a resource for those assisting you during your illness or return to work, such as your spouse, family, friends, or co-workers.

Content

The first sections of the guide outline basic principles related to workplace health and disability, and introduce the plans and programs.

The next sections focus on roles and responsibilities, what you need to do, and what you should expect in different situations, from well-being and disability prevention to retirement.

These sections are designed to help you quickly find useful and practical information related to your current situation.

The 2008 theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us.”

This has been a significant year for people with disabilities all around the world. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into force, after being ratified by 20 countries. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

According to the United Nation’s Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, approximately 10 per cent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with disabilities. Eighty per cent – more than 400 million people – live in poor countries. There is a strong link between disability and poverty. In the Global South, 80 to 90 per cent of working-age people with disabilities of are unemployed and in the West, it is estimated to be between 50 and 70 per cent. Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in the Global South do not attend school.

In Canada, the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a national survey designed to collect information on people with disabilities. According to the 2006 PALS survey, 14.3 per cent of the Canadian population self-identifies as having a disability. Canadians with disabilities and their families are twice as likely to live in poverty as other Canadians and the incidence of poverty among First Nations and Aboriginal Peoples with disabilities is even higher.

What can we do?

We must continue to exert pressure on the Canadian government to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – it still hasn’t done so.

We must demand that governments eliminate barriers for people with disabilities to fully participate in society.

We can organize forums, public discussions and information campaigns to support the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

We can support international norms and standards that promote equality and justice for people with disabilities, both in Canada and around the world.

The PSAC Alliance Executive Committee has approved funding for one member per Region to attend this Conference. This opportunity is open to PSAC members who identify as a person with a disability.

The Conference will focus on doing more to build the voice of activists with disabilities and allies, on doing more to build the political agenda, and doing more to shatter the barriers which prevent persons with disabilities from getting employment, keeping it, and thriving at the workplace. Conference participants will discuss work strategies and access to information, transportation, and income and service supports. Participants will look at emerging issues and approaches at the workplace, share breakthroughs, and leave with a plan to shatter barriers and move forward.

The member selected must commit to:

• writing a report for an article on the Conference for distribution to PSAC members
• making a presentation to PSAC B.C. Human Rights Committees or other PSAC body
• organizing one follow-up activity involving PSAC disability rights activists

To be eligible to apply you should support disability and human rights issues, be a member of the PSAC, and self-identify as a person with a disability.

Please send your interest in attending the Conference to Kay Sinclair in the B.C. REVP’s office at sinclak@psac.com or by fax to (604) 430-0194 by midnight Sunday, October 12th with a paragraph of 400 words or less describing your perspectives with respect to disability and human rights, any involvement in PSAC disability/human rights activities, any involvement in community disability activities, and why you are interested in attending. Please also indicate whether you are a member of another equity group, i.e. woman; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender; aboriginal; or racially visible. (This is optional.)

Please provide your contact information and membership number.

In Solidarity, Kay Sinclair, Regional Executive Vice-President, BC

Ways Employers Can Help Reduce Workplace Stress:

• learn what causes workplace stress
• provide positive feedback and engage in twoway communication with employees
• offer flexible hours for juggling family responsibilities
• provide employee assistance programs to help people get counseling on personal, financial or other problems
• provide or help with cost of stress control programs
• offer on-site fitness facilities and access to nutritious food
• create an environment that offers fresh air, proper lighting, regular work breaks, and
• reduced noise
• permit someone recovering form a mental illness to work fewer hours rather than totally disconnecting them from the workplace

The full series of factsheets is available at heretohelp.bc.ca

The 2007 PSAC National Access Conference will be held September 7 to 9, 2007 at the Westin Ottawa Hotel in Ottawa under the theme “Transforming Our World: Moving Forward”.

The objectives of the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference are:

• To defend quality public services for persons with disabilities
• To empower and engage persons with disabilities to take action and move the disability agenda forward
• To better connect and to include persons with disabilities in our communities, our workplaces and our union
• To lobby in order to transform and to advance the disability rights agenda
• To provide tools to advocate for disability rights in our communities, our workplaces and our union.

For more information and to apply online, visit the national website. Note that the registration deadline is May 10, 2007 and the resolutions submission deadline is May 24, 2007.

Sent on behalf of Carol Pegura, B.C. Regional Council District Coordinator for Fraser Valley West and Floyd Knelsen, B.C. Regional Council Equity Coordinator for Members with Disabilities

On September 7, 2007 the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference will be held in Ottawa. Sister Carol Pegura has been fortunate to be chosen to sit on the steering committee for this important conference. The Access Conference provides an essential opportunity for members to meet, network and identify strategies and solutions for advancing human rights and equity issues. Clear conference objectives and a focused mandate are needed to insure this conference benefits participants and the Union as a whole. Workers with disabilities represent the best source of information on how to eradicate disabilities-based discrimination.

Carol and Floyd wish to seek input from you as to what you hope to see with respect to workshop topics, types of speakers and any other subject matter you would like to put forward for this most important event. Please reach out to your members with disabilities for suggestions and ideas which will be brought forward as the committee develops recommendations on the agenda, theme, and objectives of the conference.

Please reply to cmpegura@telus.net and floyd_knelsen@telus.net.

Thank you in advance for your input and suggestions. Looking forward to hearing from you.

In solidarity, Carol Pegura, B.C. Regional Council District Coordinator for Fraser Valley West and Floyd Knelsen, B.C. Regional Council Equity Coordinator for Members with Disabilities

VICTORIA – The Province is launching an enhanced WorkAble Solutions website that will directly connect British Columbians with disabilities who are looking for work to employers that have jobs available,Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond announced today.

“Many people with disabilities find it difficult to secure employment that matches their skills and abilities. At the same time the demand for skilled workers is great,” said Richmond. “This site provides an excellent meeting place to bring together qualified job seekers with disabilities with employers who have positions that need to be filled.”

The WorkAble Solutions website, located at: www.workablesolutionsbc.ca is an online tool to assist B.C. employers and British Columbians with disabilities in accessing valuable employment resources. One highlight of the site is a directory of job listings where employers can post their openings and applicants can submit their resumes and apply online.

The website meets the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative, which is focused on developing strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the web accessible to people with disabilities.

The launching of the improved WorkAble Solutions website follows the recently issued provincewide 10 by 10 Challenge, aimed at increasing the employment of people with disabilities in communities across B.C. by 10 per cent by 2010. The current employment rate of working-age persons with disabilities is only 44 per cent despite the fact that 34,000 have college diplomas, 30,000 have trade certificates, and 28,000 have university degrees.

To assist British Columbians with disabilities in preparing for the labour market, the B.C. government is investing $21 million a year on the Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities, which includes pre-employment, self-employment and planning and training employment services.

Both the 10 by10 Challenge and the WorkAble Solutions website are projects of the B.C. government’s Minister’s Council on Employment for Persons with Disabilities – a council, comprised of business and community leaders, dedicated to the development of supports and services to increase the employment participation of persons with disabilities and the promotion of more accessible and inclusive communities.