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Employers Thanked for Taking a Chance with Job Links

"It's about a community where everybody belongs." - Brigitte O'Neil - WDDS Job Links It was a special thanks to local businesses that utilize WDDS for employment. The 7th annual employers breakfast was held at the CAW Hall this morning. It's a thank you to employers who take a chance on those with disabilities in the community, and give them a job. And as Manager of WDDS Job Links, Brigette O'Neil explains, it means more to them than just a job. "We have people who will say 'I work at KFC, I work at Vuteq, I work at Toyota.' So that's the significance. It's not just the paychque and working with co-workers and the pride of a job. It's on the weekend, when you're introducing yourself, you can say 'I work, this is what I do.'" O'Neil explains that WDDS provides job coaching for the individuals, making the transition easier into the workplace. "We can do it in a way that makes sense to them. It is the employers' employee, but we're always there. So if the job changes in 2-years, give us a call, we come back in and work with that employee again, so it becomes a long-term employment relationship." 60 employers and 123 volunteers and employees are now involved in Job Links. (In Photo: "Partners in Success" award presented annually to an employer who has shown long time support of the Job Links program by supporting diversity in the workplace. Ken Dean, an employee with the County of Oxford, with Liz Buchanan and Gord Hough)

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