Do you know an employer who demonstrates outstanding leadership in employing people with disabilities or an employee with a disability? Nominations are now open for Disability Alliance BC’s 2016 Employment Awards. The nomination deadline is March 15, 2016. There are two Award categories, one for employers and one for employees. The winners will be recognized on April 7, 2016 at Swing into Spring, Disability Alliance BC’s annual gala and awards presentation. Nomination forms and gala details are available online: https://disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org/swingspring.htm

People with disabilities continue to face multiple barriers to employment and their unemployment rate is significantly higher than that of non-disabled individuals. “These awards honour employers who show leadership in employing people with disabilities, and promote increased employment for individuals with disabilities. They are also very much about recognizing and celebrating smaller and often more personal victories. How a job promotes self-confidence and independence, for instance, and how workplace stereotypes can be shattered once an employee with a disability is hired” said Jane Dyson, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC. “We love how these awards bring to life the personal stories of employees with disabilities and the employers who hire them.”

Whether you work for a company that goes the extra mile to hire people with disabilities, work with an employee with a disability or have first-hand experience with either, you are invited to share your stories and submit a nomination.

The awards will be presented at Swing into Spring, April 7, 2016 at the Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver. Tickets are on sale now and companies interested in sponsorship opportunities or other forms of support are invited to contact Ms. Dyson. Swing into Spring is a fun festive gala featuring Stephen Quinn, host of CBC’s On the Coast, and actor, comedian David C. Jones.

Established in 1977, Disability Alliance BC (formally BC Coalition of People with Disabilities) is a provincial, cross-disability organization that supports individuals to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community. Through direct services, community partnerships, research and publications, Disability Alliance BC champions a range of issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities.

For more information please contact:
Jane Dyson, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC
Email: feedback@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org
Phone: 604-875-0188

The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Action Group is made up of business and community leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting the benefits of RDSPs in BC. DABC is a member of this group, which supports the provincial government’s goal to promote the uptake of RDSPs in BC and improve the financial security of people with disabilities.

The RDSP Action Group has created a great new user-friendly guide on the RDSP, entitled How to Start and Manage a Registered Disability Savings Plan in British Columbia. To download the guide, please visit the following link: http://www.sdsi.gov.bc.ca/publicat/pdf/rdsp.pdf

Thank you to the Province of BC and the Vancouver Foundation for their support.

It’s holiday time and we’ve dusted off Resilience Tip #23 on loneliness. To read an update and our five tips for increasing social connection, read the December 2015 issue of our e-newsletter, Our Voice. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll want to fix that! It’s free!

Simply visit our website and subscribe in the box at the top right corner of our page: https://disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org/. If you’re reading this after December 18th, you’ll need to get in touch with me to receive the e-newsletter article. Email shelley@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org

Resilience Tip #23 [originally published March 2014]

by Shelley Hourston

Most of us know that social connections increase our resilience. However, we may not be aware that absence of a strong social network–loneliness–has a direct impact on our health. Loneliness is complicated by stigma. Admitting that you’re lonely is often perceived as admitting that you’re a failure in some way. Lonely people must surely be misfits or socially inept. Especially in this age of social networking, it’s easy to believe that loneliness must mean that you are truly unworthy of human connection or companionship.

Psychologist John Cacioppo notes that loneliness is a bigger problem than people realize and has serious consequences.* Chronic loneliness is linked to a range of health issues such as low immune function, heart disease, depression and ultimately a shorter life. Chronic or long-term social isolation increases our stress response as if our bodies are waiting for a dire threat. Cacioppo points to the evolutionary nature of this reaction. Being alone, for our distant ancestors, meant abandoning the protection of the group and jeopardizing one’s genetic contribution to the next generation.

Loneliness is not measured by the number of social connections we have but rather by the quality of those relationships. Our fast-paced, urban and insular lifestyle is often cited as a cause of loneliness. A Globe & Mail article** provides perspectives on loneliness, “the longing that dare not speak its name.” For those of us living with disabilities and chronic illness, addressing loneliness is vital. Strategies for increasing and improving social connections, however, are diverse and will require some self-reflection. If you feel that you could benefit from growing or nurturing your social network it may be useful to consider activities you enjoy and existing relationships you might enhance. If you have suggestions for ways of managing loneliness that have worked for you and that you’re willing to share, let me know and I’ll compile them for a future post. Contact Shelley at 604-875-0188 (toll-free 1-877-232-7400 or email shelley@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org.

* “Psychologist John Cacioppo explains why loneliness is bad for your health” (January 25, 2011). Available: http://tinyurl.com/kth7fr9

** Elizabeth Renzetti. “Life of solitude: A loneliness crisis is looming.” Globe & Mail (November 23, 2013). Available: http://tinyurl.com/kupgcys