One may think that Steve Sawyer’s disability would prevent him from finding employment.
But he has proved otherwise and is on a journey to become a writer.
Sawyer, 30, proudly showed the Chronicle the beginnings of his novel during the recent open house at WorkBC on Fairview Road.
Service provider Open Door Group focused on employment support for persons with disabilities, both physical and developmental.
Site coordinator Melanie Guza said it is her passion to help people find jobs.
“Everybody does deserve to work. We just need to figure out where that is (the best fit).”
She noted that WorkBC offers a variety of one-on-one services to help disabled clients find employment.
Staff focus on clients’ skills and abilities in order to match them with the right job. Guza said they can even talk to employers on the client’s behalf.
Open Door Group personnel are trained to help “customize” employment to meet the needs of both client and employer.
Guza said WorkBC is ideal for people who don’t know how they fit in the labour market.
She noted that people tend to forget that disabilities cover a whole gamut of health issues beyond physical limitations. For example, there is depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities.
Meanwhile, Sawyer is not letting his developmental disability get in the way of his job as bartender at the Elks Hall and furniture maker at The Painted Chair.
He has been utilizing the services at WorkBC for a couple of years and has many employment interests. For example, he likes web design. But his goal is to become a writer. In fact, he has written more than 140 pages for his mystery novel called “Find Cooper’s Money.”
“My disability hasn’t been a challenge in finding work. I have a positive attitude, and I’ve had several jobs.”
Open Door Group client Kai Zelter, 31, also works at The Painted Chair because he loves refurbishing furniture.
“I find it very therapeutic. I have chronic body pain and it (making furniture) helps ease the pain.”
Zelter’s disability stemmed from his bout of leukemia at the age of six.
He learned his carpentry skills from his father, and worked in a machine shop for nine years after graduation.
Open Door Group helped Zelter get a carpentry job at Desert Park race track in Osoyoos, but he had to quit because of his back pain.
“I can’t keep up with the natural pace of today’s society,” he said.
Zelter said Guza and her staff helped him get on disability.
He stated that he loves making furniture at The Painted Chair, noting that proprietors Ron and Tara Hovanes are “some of the nicest people I ever met.”
Zelter is currently trying to get his welder’s certification in order to create metal art.
At the open house, Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson said every person, no matter who they are, has a “spark” of what they are good at.
She noted that The Painted Chair offers an extraordinary work program for people with disabilities. She pointed out that 15 per cent of BC’s population has a disability.
Hovanes said the Town of Oliver has made significant strides in the last 20 years to make the community accessible for the disabled.
For more information on Open Door Group, call 250-498-2911 or visit www.oliveresc.ca. Or drop by the office at 201-291 Fairview Road.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
