Jenny Clement has an educational resume that would put most of us to shame: a Bachelor of Social Work, as well as two Masters Degrees, one in Social Work and one in Critical Disabilities Studies.
All in all it was an impressive resume when she applied for a job with a charitable organization in Barrie.
She landed the position with Gilda’s Club Simcoe-Muskoka and for the past year has been coordinating programs that serve and assist people with cancer and their families. Her boss gives her glowing reviews and would be happy to keep Clement in her four day a week position.
But as of February 12, she faces unemployment and welfare.
“It’s extremely frustrating…a waste of my education,” she said.
She was born with cerebral palsy, gets around in a motorized wheelchair and has limited use of her hands. Clement has been able to do her job because of a young man named J.R. He types for her, dials the phone, holds the receiver to her ear and generally acts as her hands around the office. In the parlance of this field, he is her attendant and for the past year his salary has been covered by a patchwork funding arrangement.
This month it runs out and when it does, Cement’s job comes to an end.
When we interviewed her in the lobby of the Gilda’s Club building, she was smiling and grateful for the opportunity to tell her story. Because of her disability it is at times difficult to make out what she was saying. She has technical aides, along with J.R. to assist in making herself understood with her clients.
But leaning in, and listening carefully it was clear that this is an intelligent, articulate woman who has overcome high barriers to get herself through university and onto the job market.
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“It’s better to have me working so at least I can be productive,” she said.
The Managing Director of Gilda’s Club, Deborah Loosemore, said options are limited. The charity gets no government funding and is already on the edge of running a deficit. Her organization just cannot afford the $20,000 a year it would take to pay for the attendant.
The province does fund this kind of assistance but there are long waiting lists and Clement has not been able to access the money.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Loosemore. “I can only imagine what it’s like for someone in that position to fight these battles over and over again.”
Health Minister Deb Matthews was not familiar with Clement’s case, but said Queen’s Park has recently increased the funding for attendant care by $5 million this year.
“We are very committed to celebrating and building on and taking advantage of the abilities that people with disabilities have,” she said.
The new funding is expected to help about a thousand people. Advocates for the disabled give the minister credit for coming up with more money, but note that there are actually about 5 thousand people on wait lists for home care. Options are limited for those who need attendant services on the job.
In short, said Peter Athanasopoulos of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, the extra money is not enough.
“There is a gap in support for people with disabilities in the workforce,” he said.
He has been a quadriplegic since a diving accident at age 17 and now is the manager of public policy and government relations for the organization. As you might expect in an office that lobbies for disabled rights, there are many workers in wheelchairs. Athanasopoulos has some use of his hands, but still needs assistance with mundane tasks like stapling or filing. There is an attendant available who helps him and anyone else who needs it. But this is an organization with sufficient resources to pay for it and a central mandate that demands it.
Other employers either cannot afford it, or choose to not incur the expense. Athanasopoulos argued that it makes both economic and altruistic sense for government to fill the gap.
“It’s frustrating because rather than enabling people to be taxpayers and active employees we’re in fact forcing them to be on welfare,” he said.
When we left Jenny Clement she was still smiling and looking forward to seeing herself on television. But behind the sunny demeanour she was dreading February 12 and the effect that unemployment would have not only on her bank account but on her peace of mind.
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