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Life’s Evening Hour
By John Dugdale
August Press, 2000, ISBN: 0-9672484-2-6
Review by Keltie Creed

You won’t find John Dugdale’s Life’s Evening Hour in most Employment Resource Centres, but I personally can’t think of a more inspiring resource when addressing transition, job accommodation or diversity.

By Kimberley M. John

Practicum Experiences with Diversity – first of three articles by students

Working With Toronto Street Youth: A Counsellor’s Perspective

The first question I am often asked when I tell people that I work with street youth is: “Isn’t it difficult?” Such a question is a logical inquiry as the barriers facing those on the street are unlike those of other populations. The idea that Toronto’s street youth are too complicated to benefit from employment counselling stems from an unspoken assumption that street youth are merely a myriad of issues that overshadow their willingness or need for assistance. As a front line counsellor in training I can say that this assumption is grossly false.

By Laura Kerr

Each client possesses skills, abilities and gifts that are unique and have the potential to be developed and linked to attaining their education, employment and career goals. In working with individuals within a career counselling setting, this process utilizes a variety of techniques, approaches and resources. As counsellors, we adapt according to the individual needs of the client we are serving, and often begin this process by “breaking the ice”, identifying commonalities and/or establishing an understanding from one another’s frames of reference. Techniques, approaches and resources are selected according to their appropriateness and to attain specific information and/or data.

When working with members from culturally diverse backgrounds, this process becomes altered as we, as counsellors, work with our client to gain an understanding of where they are coming from, cultural influences, way of life and language. This process may require additional research, education, skill building, information sharing and deepening awareness through experiential learning. It may require that additional time be spent with the client to establish communication and dialogue that embraces the diversity and expands the clients’ understanding and comfort level with the approach and resources used to facilitate their career planning process.

Learning about Cultures through Experiential Learning

Canadore College welcomes over 300 aboriginal students annually. One third of these students are Cree and come from communities along the James Bay Coast. The Aboriginal Learning Unit (ALU) of Canadore College works closely with non-aboriginal counsellors and faculty to support the development of cross-cultural awareness, linkages and relationships between students, education counsellors and communities to provide a comfortable and culturally supportive environment to ensure student success.

This past spring, counsellors and faculty participated in a cross-cultural community-based professional development experience. There were nine participants in total lead by a Cree Counsellor from the ALU and included aboriginal (Ojibway) and non-aboriginal participants. This adventurous group of participants travelled over 3500 km to visit the communities of Chisasibi, Wemindji, Eastmain, and Nemaska.

The trip was intended to provide participants with an opportunity to visit and experience the way of life in the communities where our students live. During the trip participants had an opportunity to experience Cree cultural events, including a visit into a traditional tipi where goose, fish and bannock were cooked over a fire and a traditional walking out ceremony (a rite of passage for children) took place. The group also visited the Robert Bourassa Reservoir and the La Grande 2 Hydro Quebec dam, a project that altered the landscape, Cree lifestyle and the regional economy for residents who refer to life events as happening either before or after the dam was built. The group also met with community leaders, educators and students.

The outcome of these visits resulted in a greater understanding of Northern Cree Culture and provided valuable insight into the counselling, service, academic and social needs of the Cree students we serve.

Having the opportunity to experience another culture is not always possible, but in this situation, proved to be highly successful in helping to increase understanding, awareness and brought the element of experience to help bridge the cultural differences.

Other sources of information:

When experience is not possible, education, information-sharing, skill-building and communication can help us, as counsellors, to better understand ways of life, values, language and cultural differences that we have not experienced before. Participation in cross-cultural training and awareness can help, but choose carefully. Attend culture events whenever you have an opportunity. In opening ourselves to learning about the lives and ways of others we grow personally and professionally and develop an appreciation of multicultural diversity in our career counselling settings. We gain the ability to benefit collectively from the skills, abilities and gifts of others to create a richer and more welcoming environment for everyone that we serve.

Places to visit:

www.naaf.ca/bluep.html
Blueprint For The Future (BFF)

www.ammsa.com/ammsacareers.html
Aboriginal Career and Employment Guide – Aboriginal Multi-Media Society

www.careerplace.com
Career Place

www.ayn.ca
Aboriginal Youth Network Employment Center!

www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/index_e.html
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

http://career-lifeskills.com
Cultural Diversity Issues in Counselling

Laura Kerr is Director of the Aboriginal Learning Unit, Canadore College and was previously the Coordinator, Anishinabek Educational Institute, Union of Ontario Indians. She is a member of Dokis First Nation and has worked in career counseling and education for the past twelve years. As a graduate of the Employment Counsellor Program offered by Fleming College, Laura worked as a career counsellor for Canadore and Cambrian Colleges, the Peel Board, and the Sudbury Board of Education; she continues her involvement with the program as an advisory board member. Laura recently joined the Board of Directors of Contact Point.

By AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT)

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, in the face of illness or in order to preserve emotional and physical health, many people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) have retired from the work force. Until recently, most expected that such retirement would be permanent.

By Glenda Watson Hyatt

When people hear me speak, oftentimes they initially think that I am hard of hearing and they speak loudly or they begin gesturing as if we had started an impromptu game of charades. Or, they think I am mentally retarded and they assume I don’t understand. Neither assumption is further from the truth.

I have cerebral palsy. In my case, it simply means a lack of muscle control, which also affects my speech. It is nothing more. My hearing and cognitive abilities are definitely not affected.

However, until those two assumptions are ‘dealt with’, open and honest communication – a key element in career counselling – is impossible.

With more individuals with disabilities entering the work world, career practitioners may see more and more clients with disabilities. Communicating effectively with these clients, particularly those with speech disabilities, will enhance the quality of services provided to them.

Here are some tips to ensure effective communication:

1. Relax!
2. When speaking with an individual in a wheelchair or on crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to facilitate the conversation and to ease neck strain. (After all, my eye level is your fly level!)
3. Minimize external distractions and focus on the conversation, i.e. turn down the music or shut the door, and put aside the paperwork or other tasks on your desk. Listen attentively.
4. Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for the person. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or shake of the head.
5. Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so. Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond. The response will clue you in and guide your understanding.
   (Personally, I prefer to repeat myself than to have someone pretend to have understood. If the response to “You have a booger on your nose” is “Oh, that’s nice”, then I know miscommunication has occurred.)
6. If you do get stuck on a crucial word, suggest the individual spell it out, either verbally, or write or type it. The individual may choose to use a personal communication device. Relax and be patient. No need to get flustered or apologetic.

When working with some clients, other forms of communication may be useful, such as email. Speaking for myself, email has opened the world to me. It enables me to communicate with people without having assumptions about my abilities and disabilities getting in the way. Of course, this is only effective if the recipient actually responds to the email. For some career practitioners, this may mean becoming comfortable with using email and getting into the habit of checking and responding regularly.

Because email removes physical appearances and the related misconceptions, it can also be an effective method when initially approaching potential employers – a situation in which the first impression can be so crucial. A well-drafted email allows the jobseeker’s abilities and skills to shine through, rather than getting hung up on the perceived disability.

Communicating with clients with disabilities is not necessarily difficult. It simply means being patient and perhaps using a little ingenuity to get the message across. After all, approximately 70% of communication is nonverbal.

Glenda Watson Hyatt is the Principal of Soaring Eagle Communications (www.eaglecom.bc.ca), which specializes in accessible online communications. As a Web Accessibility Specialist, she ensures websites meet internationally accepted guidelines so that people with disabilities may participate fully on the World Wide Web. Contact Glenda at Glenda@webaccessibility.biz

By Lisa Trudel, Career Practitioner

In the world of the theatre and live arts there is a term performers call “the invisible wall” or “the fourth wall”. This invisible wall lies between the stage and the audience. When an actor makes eye contact with the audience, or directly brings the audience into the story, it is considered breaking the invisible wall.