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Project Relay

PROJECT RELAY NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

The impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy has been profound with staggering job and wage losses experienced across demographic groups, industries, and sectors. The pandemic and resulting economic shutdown has - and will continue to have - a significant impact on the labour force participation of individuals on the autism spectrum or with an intellectual disability. Project Relay was developed to shed light on resolutions to these issues developing due to COVID-19.

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Offered in 6 communities across the country, Project Relay aimed to:
 

  • Drive the development and application of innovative methods of supporting job seekers and employees on the autism spectrum or with an intellectual disability in finding and maintaining employment in the context of COVID-19 e.g. virtual job coaching, use of accessible technology

  • Build employment agency capacity to effectively implement innovative approaches and digital solutions to employment services and supports

  • Develop a virtual community of practice among employment service providers

Specifically, in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) there are Supported Employment Agencies across the province that provide employment services to individuals with disabilities. However, COVID-19 resulted in the need for immediate changes in service delivery to ensure the safety of the clients and staff. Project Relay opened the opportunity for information sharing on successful program changes related to COVID-19 across the province. Through building the hub team and presenting information on Zoom calls, service providers across NL were able

The Hub Team for this project consisted of a diverse group of individuals across the province that were driven to engage in building the foundation for a community of practice. The Hub Team were as followed:
 

  1. Taylor Cassell: Project Coordinator with Inclusion Canada Newfoundland and Labrador

  2. Sarah White: Program Manager with the Autism Society od Newfoundland and Labrador 

  3. Kem Young: President of the Green Bay Community Employment Corporation 

  4. Samantha Strong: Autism Employment Facilitator with the Labrador West Employment Corporation 

  5. April Broomfield: Self-Advocate

This team led three virtual sessions on Zoom that focused on the following topics:
 

  1. Promising Practices for Supporting Individuals on the Autism Spectrum or with an Intellectual Disability who are working either onsite or remotely during COVID-19.

  2. NL specific Programs and Resources to Help individuals on the Autism Spectrum or with an Intellectual Disability to find and maintain employment during COVID-19. As well as how and where to access these services.

  3. Innovative technology and tools for providing employment services to Individuals on the Autism Spectrum or with an Intellectual Disability.

Supporting documents developed from each session can be found below:
 


For more information on this project please visit the Employment Recovery Project Website at https://www.erp-pre.ca/project-relay

Interested in Volunteering With Inclusion Canada Newfoundland and Labrador?

Download the volunteer questionnaire and return it to us by email.

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