News
AccessAbility Month with Small Business BC
Presidents Group along with our partners Small Business BC, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program, are thrilled to announce the return of AccessAbility month this September, after a great turnout at June’s AccessAbility Week. Whether you’re looking to start, grow or build business resiliency in these challenging times, September’s AccessAbility Month will feature 17 webinars, all with ASL interpretation and closed captioning. The programming for this special month features Small Business BC’s most popular webinar topics—covering subjects as diverse as starting a business, email marketing, and even how to conduct business with the federal government.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ACCESSABILITY MONTH PROGRAMS
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Presidents Group along with our partner at Small Business BC are thrilled to announce the return of AccessAbility month this September, after a great turnout at June’s AccessAbility Week. Whether you’re looking to start, grow or build business resiliency in these challenging times, September’s AccessAbility Month will feature 17 webinars, all with ASL interpretation and closed captioning. We’ve tailored our programming for this special month to offer our most popular webinar topics, covering subjects as diverse as starting a business, email marketing, and even how to conduct business with the federal government.
Did you know that as an employer you can get free help finding candidates, access wage subsidies, get free job coaching for new employees, assistive technology, and training? In celebration of Disability Employment Month in B.C., this webinar will focus on where employers can obtain support and why employing persons with disabilities is good for business.
Join our panel presentation moderated by Trish Kelly of the Presidents Group, along with Rebecca Purdy from the Open Door Group, Nate Toevs from Neil Squire Society, and Dugan Selkirk from Community Futures BC to understand how small businesses can get the support they need to become inclusive employers. This webinar is FREE for employers to attend, as part of AccessAbility Month programming.
Disability Employment Month Webinars
To celebrate BC’s annual Disability Employment Month (DEM), Presidents Group is holding two FREE accessible webinars for business owners, hiring managers and D&I champions!
Now more than ever, businesses are asked to demonstrate their value to their employees, customers, and their community. Disability inclusion is proving to be a powerful way to showcase the social value of your brand and improve business performance.
Whether you are a business owner who has never hired a person with a disability, or a strong D&I advocate in an organization with a track record for inclusion, you’ll benefit from this 1 hour webinar hosted by Presidents Group.
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate what a team member with a disability can contribute to your team
- Explain the 3 key benefits of inclusive hiring, and relate these to your organization
- Present your recommended next steps to your team
RSVP today:
Whether you’re looking to accommodate your employees with compromised immune systems, providing workplace accommodations for a new employee with a physical disability, or responding to the many stresses that come with operating under physical distancing measures—understanding how inclusive employment practices can help you navigate your legal responsibility to accommodate is a timely issue for employers.
Learning Objectives:
- Compare employer vs. employee responsibilities related to disclosure and accommodation
- Identify possible opportunities to accommodate during recruitment, hiring, and retention stages of the employee lifecycle
- Outline resources that can help you achieve the required accommodation
- Adapt internal processes to align with your legal duty to accommodate and duty to inquire
RSVP today:
https://disabilityaccommodations.eventbrite.ca
AccessAbility Week: Presidents Group and Small Business BC
National AccessAbility Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of Canadians with disabilities and promote the benefits of inclusion and diversity within the workforce.
During the week of June 1 to 6, Small Business BC will hold 5 FREE webinars with live ASL interpretation and closed captioning, including “How to Become An Inclusive Employer After COVID-19.” Moderated by Trish Kelly of Presidents Group, along with HR and inclusion experts Jamie Millar-Dixon and Kristin Bower (who recently co-wrote the Untapped Talent B2B Guidebook), this informative webinar will equip business owners with the tools and know-how to build a welcome and more inclusive workplace.
See the available webinars below:
Designing a New Content Marketing Plan for 2020 – June 1, 2020 1:00pm- 2:00pm PST
Starting a Consulting Business – June 2, 2020 9:00am – 12:00pm PST
Marketing for Small Business – June 3, 2020, 9:00am – 12:00pm PST
Mythbusting Federal Procurement – June 4, 2020 10:30am – 12:00pm PST
How To Become An Inclusive Employer After COVID-19 – June 5, 2020 10:30am – 11:30am PST
Presidents Group Events and COVID-19
March 10, 2020 update
Our team has reached a very difficult decision to cancel upcoming Community of Accessible Employers events, including the upcoming Accessible Employers 101 trainings. This action is due to the increased level of concern around transmission of COVID-19 and official public health recommendations to consider alternatives to large gatherings in close environments.
While we recognize that overall risk is still reported as low, we also recognize that many people who are at the centre of our work and would like to attend events face higher risk due to disability or compromised immune systems either personally or within their families. It’s our intention to hold events that are safe and accessible to all.
We will look forward to rescheduling our events once this current issue is resolved.
Interim, please visit https://presgroup.wpengine.com/ to stay up to date on how we can work together to create accessible employment for British Columbians living with disabilities and help businesses thrive.
Learn More:
- Recommendations on protecting yourself and your community, from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
- COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and planning materials, from the BC Government.
- For more information and the latest updates on COVID-19, follow the BC Centre for Disease Control on Twitter, or visit their website.
- For accessible versions of visual graphs and information, visit the National Network of Equitable Library Services’ COVID-19 page.
The Presidents Group Welcomes Our New Co-Chair
Last week, the Presidents Group bid farewell to Craig Richmond, CEO of YVR Airport Authority, s stepping down from his role as co-chair as he prepares to retire in June. He will be very missed!
Taking his place is Lisa Beecroft of Gabi & Jules Homemade Pies and Baked Goodness, alongside Kirsten Sutton of SAP Labs Canada.
Lisa Beecroft is the owner of Gabi & Jules, a small business delivering high quality baked goods in Port Moody. Lisa prioritizes all their baking in a collaborative environment, inclusive of individuals of all abilities. Inspired by daughter Juliana with autism, the bakery currently employs 10 individuals on the spectrum. With a workplace culture that adapts and thrives around their staff’s diverse needs, Lisa is an inclusive champion in our community, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to this senior role for the Presidents Group. Learn more about Lisa in her Leadership Profile.
Presidents Group Official Submission to BC’s Accessibility Consultation
On October 22nd 2019, the Presidents Group hosted a consultation for business on the BC Government’s framework for accessibility legislation in our province.
Sixty attendees, including members of the Presidents Group, our Community of Accessible Employers, and members of the broader business community, shared their perspectives on how the legislation should be designed, what would help businesses become more accessible and comply with standards or regulations.
The feedback, as well as the Presidents Group’s own 13 recommendations, have been included in our official submission. You can download a copy.
Presidents Group Announces Pledge to Measure
September 9, 2019
In celebration of Disability Employment Month, the Presidents Group announced today a new initiative to improve the representation of people with disabilities in the workplace. All 25 companies, which collectively employ over 50,000 British Columbians, will begin publicly reporting the number of employees and senior leaders with disabilities within their organizations. The first public report will be collected by June 2020, and released in the subsequent Fall.
“The Presidents Group has set a vision to make BC the province with the highest employment for people with disabilities by 2030,” said Kirsten Sutton, VP & Managing Director, SAP Labs Canada and Presidents Group Co-Chair. “Although there have been considerable efforts made by companies in recent years, there is still more work to be done to make workplaces even more inclusive. We know that British Columbia’s business community has what it takes to show the rest of the country what is possible.”
The announcement was made at a press conference featuring the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Hon. Shane Simpson and Presidents Group members. The audience for the announcement was a blend of senior leaders and employees with disabilities from many of the member organizations.
The speeches and presentation of a framed copy of the proclamation of Disability Employment Month, was followed by a celebratory lunch catered by Tacofino, and cake by Gabi and Jules.