August 2006

The Douglas College Newsletter i New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus

IN

Douglas College

 

 

“Mabel has been a tremendous
resource for individuals with

many different issues and
disabilities. that cause them to be
at high risk for unemployment
and years of frustration.”

Libby Russell
Deaf Specialist - CSD

Mabel Izat is about to face the
same challenges her students do

- the launch into a new life. Izat is
getting ready to retire.

Izat has been an instructor with
the Career and Employment
Preparation (CAEP) program (a
part of Adult Special Education)
since 1989. Rick Hansen had
completed his Man in Motion
tour. It was a time when people
began to see those with disabilities
in a different light and, to
understand that with a little help,
that they could have an active
working life.

“Douglas College was one of the
leaders in providing educational
programs for students with
disabilities. In the early stages

of the program we didn't have
automatic doors, Braille in the
elevators, or wheelchair accessible
washrooms. We learned to
improvise and these innovations
came gradually in response to
student's needs and thanks to
CDS (Centre for Disabilities

Services),” Izat says.

The program began with students
with psychiatric disabilities and

was expanded to include students
with sensory, physical or learning
barriers. Today, a class might
include deaf, blind or physically
disabled individuals. CAEP
program delivery needs to take
into account many different
learning styles.

“Students leave knowing more
about themselves. They have
identified their strengths and

are building on them, they also
know their limitations and what
not to do. I worked with the
students to find creative solutions,
ways around the difficulties they
encounter,” says Izat.

“Tt could be as simple as a stool
for someone who cannot stand for
long periods of time or as complex
as negotiating and installing
technical accommodations

in an employer's workspace. I
remember developing pockets on
a wheelchair for a mail delivery
position. Each class creates

a new set of challenges and
opportunities,” Izat says. “The
goal is to find jobs that fit with
abilities, are enjoyable and provide
personal satisfaction.”

The rewards for Izat came when
she heard her students say “I have
options I never thought I'd have,”
or “I have more skills and abilities
than I dreamed.” And later when
they call back for reference or to
tell her about their new job and
new life.

As for Izat’s new life, she is looking
forward to increasing the travel,
gardening, hiking quotient in her
new life and plans to challenge
herself by joining a choir.

She knows her students are in
good hands.

“The College has great resources
and so many people play a part in
bringing a program together. I was
very fortunate to work with such
dedicated staff and faculty and I’ve
learned a lot from students. I'll
miss being here.”

Partners for Life: Roll Up Your Sleeve

You've heard the slogan, Blood:
It’s In You to Give. You may not
know that each individual unit
of blood donated can help save
or improve up to three lives.
Multiply that by the number of
employees at Douglas College,
and that’s a lot of potential.

Meg Stainsby of the English
Department, who gave her first
donation twenty-five years ago
(when a unit of blood was still
referred to as a “pint”), wants to
see us start tapping this potential.
Stainsby has signed Douglas
College up in the Canadian

Blood Services’ Partners for Life
Program. With the help of Marie
Gonzales in Employee Relations,
she is committed to seeing College
employees meet or exceed an
annual blood donation target each
year.

The Partners for Life program
takes a team approach. Canadian
Blood Services (CBS) keeps a
running tally of donations from
each registered organization. The
College sets its annual target based
on the size of the organization.
And that’s where you come in.

Over the course of the Fall

 

semester, Stainsby and Gonzales
aim to encourage at least thirty
(30) College employees to give
blood. These can be first-timers or
old-timers. Every eligible donor
welcome! All each of you has to do
is remember to identify yourself as
a Douglas College employee when
donating, to make sure your unit
of blood “counts.”

How do you become involved?

If you're already a regular donor,
good for you! Keep at it—and
remember to ask to sign the
Partners for Life book at the clinic
when you donate.

Very few of us are regular donors,
however. Nation-wide, fewer than
4% of Canadians donate blood,
so youre much more likely to fall
in the 30% of the population who
say they are interested in giving
blood, but somehow haven't
managed to do so. Yet.

If youre in the “first-timer”
category, then you might like to
visit one of the CBS information
tables being set up in the New
Westminster concourse early in
September.

On Wednesday, Sept. 6th, look

for an information table between

1oam — 2pm. CBS staff will be on
site to answer your questions (like
How often can I donate? What
happens to my blood? And of

course, Does it hurt?).

Then, on Thursday, Sept. 7th,
between 11am — 1:30pm, CBS will
be back with its popular What’
Your Type? booth. Come along
during these times and find out
what blood type you are, and have
more of your questions answered.

Then, to donate, get a team of
4-10 co-workers to donate on the
same day. Have a team member
call Meg Stainsby (English
Department, local 5290), and
she'll arrange appointment times
and a shuttle service for your
group. You will be driven to and
from the temporary New West
clinic that is set up at Jamieson
Court every eight weeks. The first
available clinic date for this shuttle
service in New West is November
30th. If you have a group able to
commit to this date, please call
Stainsby as soon as possible.

If you prefer to donate away from
work, at one of CBS’ permanent
clinics (Vancouver or Surrey),
you can arrange for your own

appointment by phoning 1-800-
2DONATE.

Let’s get some friendly rivalries
going—how many Education
Council members sign up? How
many faculty members from
Nursing? How many staff from
David Lam Campus? How many
Board members? Administrators?

Any internal group or department
wanting to register a challenge

to members of another area are
invited to call Stainsby to set this
up and record donations.

Next year, Stainsby and Gonzales
hope to expand the initiative to
involve student donors, and to
challenge other post-secondary
institutions to match Douglas’
donation rates. Look for further
information in the INside, on
posters, and on the College
website.

Gonzales and Stainsby would also
love to hear from an employee at
David Lam Campus who would
like to volunteer to co-ordinate
the program in Coquitlam.

Quote of the Month Seeing a wet August afternoon will always transport me back to the day Elvis Presley

 

 

Chantal Benoit, leading scorer, takes
home the basketball net for Canada.
Photo courtesy Tim Frick.

Douglas
coach helps
women's
wheelchair
basketball
team win
Gold

Tim Frick, Instructor, Coaching
and Sport Science spent July in
Amsterdam helping the Team
Canada Women’s Wheelchair
Basketball claim the 2006 Gold
Cup.

Dubbed “The Slam in
Amsterdam” Head Coach Frick
helped Canada rebound from
their 2004 loss in the Athens
semi-final and reclaimed their
championship status with a
convincing 58-50 victory.

This is not the first time he has
helped the team achieved success,
over the last twenty years, Frick
has been with the team since 1990
and, along with other members
of the coaching team, lead the
women’s team to Gold Cup
victory in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

In conjunction with the
PacificSport Canadian Sport
Centre and the BC Wheelchair
Basketball Society, Douglas
College Athletics is the main
training centre for women’s

wheelchair basketball in Canada.

“Thanks to everyone for their
emails of support throughout the
journey — and what a journey it
was,” says Frick.

The final results ended with both
Canadian teams — men’s and
womens - as World Champions.

died in 1977, and a cloudy September brings a whiff of 1969; like weather conditions my
songs act for me as a time machine.

— Robyn Hitchcock