With assistive technology and equipment received through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Kaysee is looking forward to launching his own business helping others with disabilities.
“Five years ago, I received mental health diagnoses that would profoundly change the direction of my life. As my symptoms became more difficult to manage, I had to stop working [. . .] Within the span of a year, the life I had known was turned upside down,” he shares. “Since then, I have worked hard to seek support, connect with the right people, and begin rebuilding my life. Recovery has not been a straight path, but my symptoms have gradually improved, and I have started rediscovering my confidence, purpose, and sense of possibility.
“An important part of rebuilding my life was finding a way to return to meaningful employment.”
He began working with his local WorkBC Centre to explore opportunities that suited his needs and abilities, and joined the YMCA Self-Employment Program, where he began developing an idea he was passionate about.
“I brought forward an idea that was deeply personal to me and was given the opportunity to begin developing it into a business,” he explains. “That idea became SEEN Access Status Card, a disability-focused venture being developed to make it easier for persons with disabilities to demonstrate verified disability status and access participating discounts, services, accommodations, and other benefits.”
While he worked on developing his business venture, he found his work set-up far from ideal and reached out to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services. He received an assistive technology and ergonomic assessment from our team, and the appropriate equipment to thrive in his new venture.
“For months, I worked on SEEN from a small workstation set up at the end of my bed in my room,” he shares.
“Initially, I had only requested an AI transcription tool that I could use during meetings. Instead, I received far more support than I had imagined. They helped provide me with a complete and accessible workstation that allows me to work more comfortably, independently, and efficiently. Their support removed barriers and everyday stresses that had made it more difficult to focus, giving me the ability to put my energy where it matters most: developing SEEN and continuing to rebuild my future.”
With the accommodations he received, Kaysee sees a bright future for his new business.
“Working on this venture means the world to me. Through SEEN Access Status Card, I hope to support other persons with disabilities while also rediscovering who I am, what I am capable of, and what I can contribute,” he says. “WorkBC [Assistive Technology Services] and the Neil Squire Society have played an important role in helping me move forward. Their support was not simply about providing technology or equipment. It helped restore opportunity, independence, and hope.
“I am deeply grateful for the confidence they placed in me, and I hope that, through my future work with SEEN Access Status Card, I will be able to pass that generosity forward and help other persons with disabilities feel supported, empowered, and seen.”
WorkBC Assistive Technology Services is operated by Neil Squire. Assistive Technology Services are available to individuals who have a work-related barrier due to a disability or a functional limitation. This may include barriers related to traveling to and from the workplace.
Questions about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services? Need help applying? Contact us: 1-844-453-5506 or info-ats@workbc.ca
Please visit www.workbc-ats.ca (new window) for more information about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.
