THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES Issue #

The Kamloops

Self-Advocate:

A Newsletter for People with

Diverse Abilities

Issue#

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! IN THIS ISSUE

Community Living

Month!

Community living – what does that mean? It is about more than just living in the community. It is about having friends, family, love, care, and compassion. It is also about choice; it is having the choice about where you live, your relationships, your education, your lifestyle, your employment, your social groups, your support networks - all of the things that meet your needs as a human being. It is about being accepted and respected.

People should have choice. There is a difference between

isolating yourself and being isolated by others. Even if a person isn’t able to make all of their own decisions, they should be included as much as possible in the planning process. Every opportunity for choice should be given.

What does community living mean to you? What have your experiences been? What things do you think need to be improved for community living?

Feature Articles

Recipe

Jokes

Jenna’s Blazer Report

Contest

Upcoming Events

October 2014 Issue #13

Contact us at:

thekamloopsselfadvocate@yahoo.com

204-444 Victoria St., Kamloops, BC, V2C 6G4

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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Community Living

By Lisa Coriale

It is important for people with diverse abilities to have a sense of community because having a disability can be isolating at times. Living within a community can cultivate independence and self-worth for individuals with diverse abilities. This is why it is important for them to become involved in community groups that interest them. It is also vital for these individuals to reach out to different organizations in the community. Participation in community activities can be a very rewarding experience not only for people with diverse abilities but for the larger community as well.

If you have a network of people that surround you, it is advantageous. There are many things to do in Kamloops that everyone can be involved in. Going to the Farmer’s Market can be a good way to talk and meet a variety of people. Shopping there promotes support of local businesses and encourages a healthy lifestyle. There are also other activities you can participate in such as going to one of the local pumpkin patches with younger members of the family or little friends. There are many walking trails that are beautiful in the fall. Taking a short drive to Adams Rivers to observe the salmon run is worthwhile. Seeing the salmon is quite amazing.

Another great way to feel included in the larger community is to have a volunteer or employment position. Working or volunteering gives a sense of accomplishment and empowerment. Being present in society is valuable. When everyone contributes, then everyone benefits. Each person has a unique gift which can impact others. Every individual can make a difference in the community that they live in.

Jenna’s Blazers Report Hi Everyone!

To start off the year the Blazers had season ticket day. It is a day that season ticket holders go and get their tickets.

The Blazers Booster Club had a hot dog sale, and the Blazer players were there giving everyone tours of the blazer bus and dressing room. Then last Monday the Blazer Booster Club held their annual pizza night with the blazers! It was a very exciting time as we each had one or two players at our tables and we got to eat yummy Papa John’s Pizza with them. We also got to hear a bit about each player as well. We have started off with a great

season so far! That’s all for now!

Meet Marco, A Presenter Who Loves to Inspire Others (Part 1 of 2)

What do you like about doing public speaking and do you do this worldwide, or only in Canada?

I love being able to use my voice to inspire other people and to get them thinking about the value they bring to their life and the lives of others. I have been fortunate to be able to speak across North America and recently had the opportunity to speak in Cape Town, South Africa. Honestly, I am willing to speak anywhere that a client or organization feels I will add value.

I also want to know some of your background information

Win a Fun Night Out! Would you like to spend an evening watching the Blazers and enjoying Boston Pizza? Enter this contest to win a voucher for two to go to a regular season game and individual pizzas.

Tell us why you love the Blazers and what you do for physical fitness?

Send your entries to thekamloopsselfadvocate@yahoo.com

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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Let your customers know about your

business Advertise Here!

about you for the readers to get to know you better.

Well, my professional background is actually in the video game industry. I spent 4 years as a ATC (Assistant Test Coordinator) at Electronic Arts, helping to find issues in games, while managing a team of testers. It is through this experience that I gained the ability to delegate tasks and work in high pressure situations which allows me to be able to speak about the importance of working in team settings and the value we all bring. My personal interests include: working with non-profit organizations to raise awareness, entrepreneurship, wheelchair sports (having previously competed in track and field, wheelchair basketball, horseback riding, swimming and weight training.) I am recently married to my beautiful wife Karin who has been supportive of me and all of my career choices every step of the way.

Do you mind if I ask what is your disability? And, what is the best way to reduce discrimination in employment and work?

I don’t mind at all, my disability is a form of Cerebral Palsy called “Spastic Triplegia” which is a physical disability that affects my two legs and my right arm. In my case, I mostly use a wheelchair to get around, but I am able to walk short distance with a cane/walker. The best way to reduce discrimination in employment and work is to simply be confident in whom you are as a person and let your ABILITIES not

your disability reflect what you are capable of. I am fortunate in that I haven’t been in many situations where I felt I was being mistreated due to my disability at work, but in the rare opportunities I have felt it may play a part in someone’s opinion of me, I don’t pay it too much attention because that would simply perpetuate their beliefs. Having passion and confidence in what you do will make it hard for anyone to discriminate against you simply because the results will be evident in your work. Have faith in what you do and work hard, the rest will follow.

Halloween Fun

Q. Why didn't the skeleton want to go to the dance? A. Because he had no body to go with. Q. How do ghosts like their eggs? A. Terror-fried. Q: What do vampires take when they are sick? A: Coffin drops! Q. What do you call two witches that live together? A. Broom mates.

Q. What did the mummy ghost say to the noisy young ghost who kept interrupting? A. "Spook when you're spooken to."

Awareness Days

October

October 10 - World

Mental Health Day

October 15 - World Blind

Day / World Sight Day

October 25 - Spina Bifida

Awareness Day

October 31 – Halloween

November

November 11 –

Rememberance Day

November 13 - World

Kindness Day

November 14 - World

Diabetes Day

November 25 -

International Day for the

Elimination of Violence

against Women

Check out the new KSA web-page:

www.thekamloopsselfadvocate.com

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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Halloween

Quesadillas

These are a fun, orange-coloured tomato tortilla quesadilla, filled with Cheddar cheese, sweet potatoes, and black beans. This recipe came from www.allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

6 (10 inch) tomato flavored tortillas

2 cups shredded sharp

Cheddar cheese,divided 1 (15 ounce) can black

beans, rinsed and drained, divided

1 cup salsa (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450

degrees F (230 degrees C). Cut several slashes

into each sweet potato.

2. Bake the potatoes in the

preheated oven until tender, about 45

minutes. Mash the hot sweet potatoes in a

bowl. Reduce oven heat to 200 degrees F (95

degrees C).

3. Heat a skillet over

medium heat, and warm a tortilla in the skillet

until pliable, about 2 minutes. Flip the tortilla

over, and sprinkle the tortilla to about 1/2-inch

of the edge with 1/3 cup

of shredded Cheddar cheese. Allow the cheese

to melt, and spread about 1/3 cup of mashed

sweet potato over the melted cheese. Spread 2

or 3 tablespoons of black beans over the sweet

potatoes. Fold the tortilla in half, enclosing the

filling. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas; keep

filled quesadillas warm in the oven.

4. Serve in wedges topped

with salsa.

Compassion Games Krystian had an e-interview

with Daphane Nelson to

find out more about this

fun and thought-provoking

idea! If you want more

information about it after

reading this article, take a

look at this website, and it

will give you a lot more

information

http://compassiongames.or

g/compassion-

games/annual-games/

What are the Compassion Games and why do they exist?

The intent of the Compassion Games is to bring together the community of Kamloops by getting people to work on things that help others. Compassion is based on the Golden Rule, treating others how you wish to be treated and is a good place to start.

The Compassion Games were started in 2011 with a 'co-opetition' between Louisville, Kentucky and Seattle Washington. Both cities joined in this fabulous game in order to say that their city was the most compassionate city.

http://compassiongames.org/about-us/ is the current group working on the Compassion Games International...it is my understanding that Jon Ramer is the founder of these games.

The Secret Agent Game came with missions for each individual player to carry out and then report online about what they did...go to http://secretagentofcompassion.org/how-to-play/ to get a

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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(This is a paid advertisement,TCS.)

good understanding of how the game is set out.

To keep up to date about Compassionate Kamloops events and the Compassion Games which are now over, go to Facebook and 'Like' Compassionate Kamloops and the Compassion Games Kamloops Facebook pages.

Getting Around the Roadblocks to Employment

By Shelley DeCoste September 10, 2014

The road to employment for

people with diverse abilities

is very bumpy. In some cases

the road is very short,

sometimes the road has a

very long detour and

sometimes it simply ends

abruptly. Finding the right

supports for employment can

possibly go a long way to

smoothing out this

employment road.

What are the road blocks you

may ask? A lot of the road

blocks are actually “old

ways” of thinking – people

sometimes still think that

because you have a disability

you simply can’t do … or it

would just be too much. Or it

is just too complicated to

figure things out……

The statistics tell a very

different story. People with

diverse abilities are among

the most reliable employees

you can ever hire. They miss

less work, show up on time

(and even way too early) and

are eager to get the job

done. Yet there are still

people with disabilities who

are not working today in BC.

That’s what I call an

untapped resource! The

business community needs to

stop only seeing the

roadblocks and instead start

blazing a trail that makes an

accessible way for everyone.

We are not all looking to be

doctors and lawyers – we

want something to fill our

day that is meaningful, and

give back to our community,

and take part in society like

everyone else. We would

also like a more comfortable

life; always living on the

edge of poverty is not a

comfortable place.

Don’t you remember going to

school, and sitting there

dreaming about where you

would be in the future? And

all the successes that would

come your way? Many

people with diverse abilities

can’t let themselves dream

that far. Instead, they dream

simply about belonging, and

having a real job to go to. A

real job, by the way, is

earning a real salary. And

paying real bills. And not

being scared of earning too

much or too little.

Tim Horton’s has been a

leader in hiring people with

diverse abilities. This is not

because of charity. It makes

good business sense. Mark

Wafer says this strategy

works in all kinds of

ways. Not only are

employees with diverse

abilities good employees,

they take pride in their work,

and want to show their

strengths and abilities. This is

a good model for all

employees to follow.

Note to employers: don’t

stress too much about the

“extra” time it might take to

train us! There are

organizations in your local

communities to help with the

training. We take our work

seriously (sometimes a little

too seriously) and it would be

a good long-term investment

for your business. I know…

it all comes down to the

biggest buck!

One more thing - people with

diverse abilities who work

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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also have extra money to

spend, in your business and in

your community. And we’re

less of ‘a burden’ to society

when we are working

alongside you. So, take a

walk on the wild side and just

go around the roadblock of

those old ideas. Help us help

you succeed! And this month,

October, 2014, help us

celebrate Community Living

Month and “Hire A Person

with a Disability” Month.

Have you heard of Zumba, the fitness craze the combines aerobics with Latin moves? Well, Krystian decided to find out more about it and had a chat with Sophia, who shared her love of the activity.

Why did you want to try Zumba?

I love to dance and its fun.

What do you love about Zumba?

I like it a lot and had never tried before. I am a very energetic person. I like going with my support worker. I like to do the dance moves and they are good for exercise.

What do you love about Zumba Music?

I like it a lot because it makes me want to dance [cool music].

Where do you go for Zumba?

I go to the North Shore & downtown YMCA. I like the downtown a little more because of the big class with lots of people.

Community Living Month Calendar of Events

Oct. 16th 1:30-3 p.m. PWD workshop Location: Desert Gardens

Oct. 28th 5:30-7 p.m. Oreintation Community Living Supports Location: Community Living BC (#45-450 Lansdowne)

Oct. 30th ***DATE CHANGE*** 3-6 p.m. Community Living Fair Location: North Hills Mall

For more information about any of these events, please contact Karen Newman at CLBC, 250-377-4444 or karen.newman@gov.bc.ca

Happy October from

Options &

Opportunities!

Thanks to everyone who

showed up at our Zumba

“flash-mob” to kick-off

Community Living Month! It

was a big success and a lot

of fun filling up the

concourse at Lansdowne

Village with friends new and

old. Special thanks must go

out to our fearless Zumba

leader Ximena who’s on to

new adventures beyond

Kamloops. Thanks Ximena!

The Pay-it-Forward crew is

working on a warm-clothing

for cold weather campaign

currently. Any donations you

might have are very

appreciated. Call 250-372-

3710 for more info.

In continuing celebration of

Community Living Month,

we hosted two workshops at

Kamloops Art Gallery on

October 2nd and October

9th. These were fun, directed

art lessons OPEN TO

EVERYONE in the

community. All materials

were provided and free-of-

charge for these well-

attended events. Hope to

see you there next time and

remember we do drop-in

workshops every week at

our downtown location

behind the old Kamloops

courthouse.

Reminder: Our Art show

Good Earth: A Celebration of

Diverse Abilities opens on

October 18th at Kamloops

Art Gallery. The exhibit runs

through December 31st. Our

show invites you to

experience the world

through the eyes of the

participants of the Options &

Opportunities day program.

These adults with diverse

abilities express their

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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Let us know how we are doing:

thekamloopsselfadvocate@yahoo.com

743 Nicola St Rear., Kamloops, BC

V2C 6G4

individual perspectives

through art, displaying a self-

acceptance about who

they are, not in spite of a

disability, not because of a

disability, but including a

disability. Good Earth is an

exhibition of art inspired by

the theme of community,

sharing, friendship and

inclusivity. The artists

celebrate a world where

everyone, regardless of

ability, education, gender,

race or religion, is valued for

their gifts. Their works

embrace diversity and defy

the ideology of normality in

which disabled people are

devalued. They instead

create images of strength

and pride – the antithesis of

dependency and

helplessness. Good Earth is

an exploration of our

collective distinctness and a

showcase of an inimitable

perspective that, when

shared, can expose others

to new ways of thinking.

Options & Opportunities is a

Kamloops-based adult day

program providing support to

people living with varying

disabilities. Participants enjoy a

variety of activities and the

program is ever-evolving to

meet the needs of the

individuals supported.

Upcoming Events

Let us know if there are

community events that

people might want to hear

about

Oct. 25th

Desert Gardens

Fall Fair, 11am-2 pm -

come out and have some fun

Oct. 30th

Community

Living Fair, 3-6 p.m. - North

Hills Mall

Oct. 31st – Halloween

Nov. 11th

– Remembrance

Day

Nov. 29th

Lights

in the Night

Thank You for your Support! “Finding Common Ground” was a fantastic Day!

The SUSA group would like

to thank the supporters and

sponsors of this event:

* BC Self-Advocacy

Foundation

*CLBC

*The Art We Are

*The Big Boot Inn

*The Golden Buddha

*Desert Gardens

*Kamloops Blazers

*London Drugs

*Shoppers Drug Mart

*Subway Spooky Tongue

Twister Phrases

He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.

If big black bats could blow bubbles, how big of bubbles would big black bats blow?

If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES | Issue#

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The NRI Distribution Inc Team proudly display their Employer Certificate of Recognition for their commitment to hiring local people with disabilities

Lifting People with Disabilities Hire and Hire

Did you know that there are more than 546,000 people in British Columbia over the age of 15 who identify as having a disability? That’s almost 15%! September Disability Employment Month celebrated people with disabilities in the workforce and the employers and communities throughout the province who pave the way to support them.

Open Door Group operates two WorkBC Employment Services Centres in Kamloops, which recognize employers who embrace inclusion, diversity hiring and who retain employees living with disabilities.

On Wednesday, September 17th, Open Door Group was visited by his Honourable Don McRae, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, Peter McKenna, owner of NRI Distribution Inc and Sonya Johnson, an Open Door Group client living with a disability who has successfully been working for at the company for two years. To mark BC Disability Employment Month, the Minister paid a visit to

the Kamloops WorkBC Employment Services Centre to personally recognize McKenna for being an employer champion in Kamloops. “One of the things we heard

loud and clear during our recent disability consultation is that many people with disabilities are able to work and want to work” said Minister McRae. “It is time to raise the profile of people with disabilities as employees through education and leadership using examples of success to lead the way.”

NRI Distribution Inc has been working with Open Door Group for many years, customizing positions to meet the needs of the new employee as well as the employer. Sonya started working at NRI two years ago, working only a few hours a week. Today she is a full time employee thanks to the adaptive work table provided by the Employment Program of BC as well as a very supportive employer. She is just one of many Open Door Group clients who have found success working for NRI.

“At NRI we’ve discovered many flexible options available to our employees that are beneficial to both our business and our staff”, says Conny Forbes, Value Added Services Supervisor at NRI. “Organizations such as Open Door Group have supported us in designing these flexible roles and finding qualified candidates to meet them”.

NRI Distribution Inc is just one example of a local Kamloops employer who supports hiring local persons with disabilities. Other employers whom we have recently presented with certificates of recognition include Epic Industries, Canada Logo, Petland, Gerico Forest Products, ActLabs, Rocky Mountain Catering, Hermitage Forest Products, and White Spot Restaurant.

Connect with your local WorkBC Employment Services Centre:

Kamloops North Shore 795 Tranquille Road T: 250.377.3670

Kamloops South Shore 100-275 Lansdowne Street T: 250.434.9441

W: www.kamloopsesc.ca E: info@kamloopsesc.ca

Did you know? - The employment rate for people with disabilities (aged 15-64 years) is 18 percentage points lower than for people without disabilities. - On average, the total cost to accommodate an employee with a disability is under $500. - Consumers with disabilities in Canada spend $25 billion a year and growing. - Since April 2012, the Employment Program of BC and associated local WorkBC Employment Service Centres have helped nearly 8,000 people with disabilities reach their employment goals. - Since 2012, more than $1.34 million has been spent assessing technology needs and providing assistive technology to almost 600 job seekers with disabilities through the Employment Program of BC (This is a paid advertisement, ODG.)

THE KAMLOOPS SELF-ADVOCATE:A NEWSLETTER FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES Issue #