Northern Lights Canada (new window) referred Barry to the Neil Squire Society’s Ontario office to help him move forward in his life following a serious back injury. He attended a number of Employ-Ability workshops including Building Confidence and Self-Esteem, Disclosure of a Disability to a Potential Employer and Positive Workplace Communication Skills.

When we had our first meeting with Barry, he had recently lost his full time job of 12 years and he expressed feelings of sorrow at not being able to work for the same employer anymore or do the same job. He spoke of the changes he had gone through since his back surgery—changes that forced him to look at life very differently. He could no longer rely on the type of physical work that was required in his past job as a Furniture Assembler.

“It seemed that our Employ-Ability workshops came at the ideal time for him,” said Employ-Ability Facilitator, Joanne Ahern. “Although it was a difficult time, Barry faced the challenges head on and he found the determination to move ahead with his action plan, one step at a time.”

Part of Barry’s action plan was to finish his high school education. Immediately upon completion of our workshops, he took the necessary steps to gather transcripts and apply to complete his high school diploma.

Barry is currently enrolled at St. Nicholas Adult High School (new window) , where he is working hard to obtain his high school credits. We wish Barry the best as he works toward this goal which, when combined with the Employ-Ability workshops, will open up new doors for gaining employment.

If you would like to make a donation to support others like Barry, you may do so here.