The Peer Mentoring Program in the Employment Resource Centre (ERC) at CPA Ontario utilizes a client-driven model with a comprehensive service package to help clients develop a self-directed plan toward preparing for, seeking, attaining and maintaining employment. The resource centre was created with funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).
Mentors are volunteers who have a mobility impairment and have made a satisfactory adjustment to the major social, psychological and physical barriers to employment which accompany their disability. They provide support to another person with a mobility impairment who is searching for employment. The program coordinator and client work together to determine the mentor characteristics most relevant to their career goals, including: type of education or training,type and/or location of employment, and type and/or onset of disability. The client is encouraged and coached to make the first phone call to their mentor. Meetings can occur over the phone, electronically, or face-to-face, and
they range from a one-time interaction to a relationship that lasts over several months.
The match removes the “service provider – client” relationship, which is not to discount the value of vocational counselors, education or training programs. Mentoring ensures the client is an active participant rather than a passive spectator in the search for employment.
Questions or comments regarding this program or the ERC can be directed to the Peer Mentoring Coordinator at smills@cpaont.org or Toll-Free 1-877-422-1112 ext. 239.
Assisting persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation.
Visit us at: www.cpaont.org
Sandra Mills is the Acting Manager of CPA Ontario’s Employment Resource Centre.
