Bav is Ready for Work!
From Youth@Work, to Employment Action Coaching, Bav is now ‘Ready to Work’ as a summer student at Fidelity!
Employment Pathways
Finding a summer job can be tough, especially when you face the everyday barriers of being a person with a disability. Top it off with being a high-school or university student without job experience, the thought of finding a summer job can feel daunting.
The question we so often hear is “but how am I supposed to get experience, if I need experience to get experience?” This is why Holland Bloorview developed a variety of employment pathway programs, to assist youth with disabilities with the transition into the workplace.
From personal consultation, to our many employment pathways programs, we ensure that kids with disabilities are equipped with the supports and skills they need to enter the workforce.
Meet Bav
This summer Bav is working as a summer student at Fidelity, alongside other Holland Bloorview alumni.
Bav has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and has been a client of Holland Bloorview for many years. When he’s not pursuing his undergraduate degree in computer science, or training for the upcoming Volt Hockey World Cup in Sweden, he’s hard at work developing his professional skill set.
During the pandemic Bav participated in Youth@Work, a volunteer placement program at Holland Bloorview where youth can develop life and job skills while earning volunteer hours.
His Youth@Work placement at the hospital included data entry of confidential files, a skill that he’ll build on in his role this summer at Fidelity. “I learned how to collaborate with co-workers as a team. The instructions were clear, engaging, and interactive. The staff at Holland Bloorview would break us up into groups and we would learn skills from there,” said Bav.
Following Youth@Work Bav transitioned into the Employment Action Coaching program, a one-on-one mentorship program that helped him develop the skills he would eventually need to find a job. His coach guided him through resume and cover letter writing, and crafting a disability self-disclosure statement. Bav said the statement was an essential tool that he learned about through the program that allowed him to disclose the impact of his disability and any necessary accommodations to potential employers.
Employment Action Coaching leads participants into Ready to Work, a program designed to coach them through the process of finding a paid summer job with a Toronto employer.
“My coach is the one who is walking me through Fidelity and she is going to be there the first few days.” Bav notes that this is his “first job ever,” he’s thrilled and he can’t wait to get started.
Prior to joining the program, the idea of finding a job was quite overwhelming, “before I joined these programs, [because] I have a disability, I wasn't really sure how I could work with a disability, and these programs really taught me that it's possible.”
Creating an Accessible Work Environment
Bav was able to have an accessibility visit prior to starting at Fidelity. This is a crucial step of the hiring process for many folks with disabilities. Bav was able to check that there was space for his wheelchair and enough buttons to get around.
It was also important to Bav to openly talk about his disability with Fidelity. He said that writing his self-disclosure statement with his coach was the biggest takeaway from the employment pathway programs.
“For me I use a power wheelchair, I also have limited mobility, so I could talk about how I need help lifting heavy things, and things like that.” Bav said that when you’re talking to an employer “You can choose to tell them more detail about your disability or be vague. It’s a chance to tell the employer how your disability impacts you.”
Bav’s statement included a list of accommodations for his employer, including the need for flexible in-person hours. By discussing his needs openly with Fidelity, he was able ensure he was working in a safe, accessible, and inclusive environment.
“I’m looking forward to just gaining work experience, you know? Participating in meetings and getting used to the office setting. Also making connections with people who have been working there for years, people who can teach me things,” said Bav.
Bav won’t be the only Holland Bloorview client joining the Fidelity team this summer. The investment corporation has been working with our employment pathways programs since 2017 and they’re welcoming several hires who have disabilities this summer.
As part of our employment pathways program, dedicated staff at Holland Bloorview work with corporations to build a more inclusive and accessible workplace. Fidelity is just one example of a company who has taken the steps to create an equitable workplace for people with disabilities.
“Our partnership with Holland Bloorview, and this specific program has added tremendous value to Fidelity over the years.” said Linda Passarelli (she/her), Vice-President, Talent Management, Fidelity Investments Canada.
“Bav's journey and others like it, have taught us a lot on equity and the impact you can have when you encourage people to be open, and give them the right resources and right opportunities to succeed.”
