CBC Radio presents the powerful story of Ido Kedar – a 21-year-old man with autism, who has nonverbal autism. He was told from a very young age that he would never be able to communicate independently.

But when he was 7 years old his mother, Tracy Kedar, says Ido communicated with her for the first time in a way she knew for sure that he understood her.

They were making invitations for Ido\’s birthday party. He did not have the motor skills to hold a pencil on his own, and she was resting her hand over his. As they wrote, it seemed to her that he had a flash of recognition.

Fast forward to the present day and Ido now communicates via an iPad. He types out words and the software acts as a medium to communicate Ido\’s voice. It not only has helped Ido express himself but also given him a sense of his intelligence.

Ido\’s story is one of many who have found their voice in technology. At CVS, we know how powerful this can be. That is why we have committed to supply all individuals we serve with tablet computers so they can learn how to communicate. Ultimately this helps them to gain greater independence, confidence and enables them to communicate with others in their community.

To read more about Ido and listen to the full interview, click here.

Inclusion BC also noted in its message about the upcoming election that elections are also a good time to talk to others about disability rights and inclusion, to help people understand why these things are important and to grow support for our movement.

We can all help to advance inclusion through election activities:

1. Learn about inclusion barriers and solutions
2. Get Involved in election activities, and
3. Vote for candidates who support inclusion!

CVS urges its community to get out, learn about the policies up for debate, to get involved and – most importantly – vote. If you feel there is a need for change, make a statement and take a stance to influence change. As the election campaign progresses, we will do our best to keep our community up-to-date on a variety of topics related to the election.

We found a CBC point of view article on the modern approach in schools of teaching in a softer and kinder way to be a good read as we continue through the start of the new school year.

The article tells the story of Evie, a little girl with a rare genetic disorder that presents as moderate autism and makes it difficult for her to co-ordinate her body. The article highlights her mom, journalist Amanda Marcotte\’s, observations of kindness being taught in schools and how that is helping her daughter thrive.

Marcotte applauds the current approach in schools and the lessons it is teaching the community as a whole to be inclusive. This is not only helpful to children with disabilities but to other students and teachers, as it helps to spread the concept of diversity and acceptance of individuals with diverse abilities.

At CVS teaching kindness, inclusiveness and acceptance of individuals is truly at the heart of what we do. We commend school districts who follow the same approach as they will be helping to teach the generations of tomorrow about diversity and importance of inclusiveness in our communities.

We featured John\’s Crazy Socks a few months ago and discussed how John has made a successful business from something he loves (socks) and become an inclusive employer in the process.

The CBC recently published a story about John\’s Crazy Socks too, highlighting how the secret to John\’s Crazy Socks success is happiness. John loves what he does and is using his passion to instil that same energy out to others.

Watch the story below:

This September marks the 4th annual Disability Employment Month in British Columbia and provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, and the employers and communities who support their success.

By raising awareness about the skills that people with disabilities can bring to the workplace and encouraging businesses to build inclusive, diverse workforces, people with disabilities have more opportunity to contribute to the economy, earn an income, and better support themselves and their families.

Throughout September, WorkBC Employment Services Centres, organizations and communities throughout the province will host open houses, job fairs, workshops and appreciation events. Job seekers and employers can contact their local WorkBC Employment Services Centre to learn more about the Disability Employment Month events in their area and the resources and supports available to help people with disabilities obtain employment.

The Times Colonist reported this month that by 2025, B.C. employers will need to fill an estimated one million jobs. With competition for talent so tight, it makes sense to create hiring practices that include the best people. Hiring people with diverse abilities is not only the right thing to do — it’s a smart business decision. The article highlights all the reasons we need to celebrate individuals with diverse abilities and why they are the key to solving the hiring crisis we are facing in this province.

To learn more about Disability Employment Month, please click here.

Community Ventures Society knows first-hand about the contributions of people with disabilities to the workforce. We work with the individuals we serve daily to help them gain employment and improve their skills to be value-added members of the workforce.

This is an excellent article published by the Huffington Post about accessibility on websites. It argues that a lot of emphasis has been placed on making physical retail outlets accessible but there hasn\’t been the same focus on the web.

The article highlights that new legislation in Canada and the U.S. will soon subject businesses that don\’t comply with accessibility standards to fines and penalties. But companies and organizations like the World Wildlife Fund are also discovering another critical reason to make websites user-friendly for all of us — it\’s one of the simplest ways to boost business.

Overall, it highlights how this makes complete sense for individuals with disabilities and for business.

Take some time to read the article & learn more…

BCEdAccess, a parent education advocacy group, recently announced that it is tracking incidents of exclusion at BC schools. The group has created an incident form for the 2018/2019 school year for parents and guardians of students with special needs. Inclusion BC is working with BCEdAccess to ensure students with special needs across BC are guaranteed their right to an education.

Exclusion of students with special needs and/or disabilities is a notable problem in BC K-12 schools. Some aspects of this issue were addressed and documented last year in a survey conducted by BCCPAC. You can view the results of the survey by clicking here.

The survey found that students with special needs and or/disabilities are being excluded from school in a variety of ways. Some of these include:

• Being asked to stay home
• Being sent home
• Being dropped off late and/or picked up early by bussing services
• Being excluded from field trips
• Being excluded from typical learning activities – sent to resource room or sensory/isolation room

To complete an Incident Report Form, please click here.