EmployAbility supports students with disabilities

STORY BY FILIPE DOS SANTOS

David Launslager, coordinator of EmployAbility, and Irina Rancheva, Sheridan student field placement assistant, have high hopes for the new pilot program.

Sheridan College is leading the way in providing students with disabilities a fair shot at employment through a new pilot program.

The EmployAbility program, a joint effort between the college’s Career Centre and Accessible Learning services, launched in February to provide students with disabilities the skills and support needed to get hired after graduation.

According to David Launslager, accessible employment consultant and coordinator of the program, the college thought there was a need to support students with disabilities transitioning into the workplace.

“There wasn’t anything in place,” he said. “There are a lot of programs to support students [with disabilities] coming from high school to college, and a lot of support here through Accessible Learning. But it was that piece after [graduating] where we felt there was a gap.”

The program, made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Mississauga, focuses on helping students find employment in the Mississauga area.

Living in Mississauga is not a requirement, however.

“The only restriction on students would be that they have to be registered with Accessible Learning,” Launslager said, “meaning that they have a disability and they likely have some accommodations.”

The participants currently involved were required to attend a full day of workshops in February.

After completing the workshops students are also required to complete two online modules through SLATE on their own time.

Students involved are also required to complete a mock interview through Optimal Interview, a computer program offered by Sheridan, and afterwards they must complete a live interview.
The live interviews are either conducted by Launslager, the student field placement assistant, peer mentors from the career centre or any one of the employment consultants at one of the other campuses.

According to Irina Rancheva, a student field placement assistant, Sheridan College is one of the few schools offering a program of this kind.

“There may be a couple [of colleges] that run something similar to this, but not to this extent,” she said. “We contacted quite a few of them and not many of them offered a program like this.”

There are currently 42 students in the Employability program, according to Rancheva, and more than two thirds of them are currently enrolled at Hazel McCallion Campus.

“This is the first time that the Career Centre and the Accessible Learning department have gotten together and collaborated on a project to support students,” Launslager said.

“The college is committed. It’s why it started this program. We want to help students with disabilities transition from college to work.”