There are many obvious reasons to love and live in Powell River. The list could, without too much effort, fill this page.
A sometimes overlooked ingredient to Powell River’s overall awesomeness is the fact that we lead, as a community, in terms of inclusion and have a strong, healthy integration between the local business community and people with physical, mental health or intellectual disabilities.
Powell River is a place most other communities are striving to become because of its diversity and inclusion. In some ways, we are an inspirational model for what a “model community” can be.
Local businesses should be applauded, as well the many governmental and non-governmental organizations, such as Inclusion Powell River, Model Community Project and Powell River Employment Program, for their forward-thinking ideas and actions around placing people with various disabilities in the workplace and in volunteer situations.
People with disabilities and those with business interests gain in various ways from this partnership.
Obvious benefits include a diverse, more compassionate work environment that will influence, in a positive way, the culture of the business or organization as whole. Furthermore, a business with a diverse workforce will be perceived in a more positive way by the general public. Consumers of goods and services will think of them favourably in a competitive marketplace.
A variety of ideas lead to different ways of solving problems that may not be possible in a traditional workplace situation. People with disabilities have had to find creative solutions to problems with more frequency than folks without disabilities. Sharing and exchanging ideas from different perspectives and experiences will enhance overall functionality in the workplace.
On that note, hiring people with disabilities means businesses draw from a deeper talent pool. In the past, people with disabilities were often overlooked, even when they possessed more skills or potential value than their non-disabled counterparts.
Everyone wins when people find a place to connect with others and have a chance to flourish. It’s a primal, basic human need to feel included in and connected to a tribe, a team, or a company, and contribute to its collective achievements. We all desire to be valued and have a place to display our talents and ideas, whatever form they take.
For people with disabilities, the road to employment and feeling part of society can be littered with a few more obstacles and some missing signposts.
As a client with Inclusion Powell River, I have firsthand experience with our community's resources for people facing challenges in the workplace. For that reason, my feelings are particularly strong about the importance of this topic. I also feel privileged for the opportunity, being a writer, to advocate for the advancement of people with mental health and other disabilities. With the growing awareness, the social stigma around people with disabilities in the workplace is starting to slowly recede, not to say there isn’t always more work to be done.
However, largely because of the hard work and focused dedication of professionals and many forward-thinking employers, we have a network of compassionate people who create a business environment that promises even better things on the horizon.
In the first-ever world disability report in 2011, theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking said, “Disability is not an obstacle to success.”
As one of the most influential scientists of modern times and a person who, from his wheelchair, changed the way we think when we look up at the stars in the sky, that is pretty solid evidence that people with disabilities can achieve great things when working with non-disabled peers in business and life.
Robert Skender is a Powell River freelance writer and health commentator.
