(SOUTIEN À LA PERSONNE HANDICAPÉE
EN ROUTE VERS L’EMPLOI AU QUÉBEC)
ANNUAL REPORT 2011-2012
June 2012
Table of contents
Word from the President and the General Director 4
Mission and mandate 6
Board of Directors 6
Our financial support measures 7
Portrait of our clientele 9
Results 12
Strong collaborations, innovative projects 13
Work together to better progress 13
SPHERE-Québec visits Manitoba 15
Tools tailored for self-employed workers 15
Skills Development: Focus on a model project in the Estrie region 16
Participants who stand out 17
Financial statement 19
Acknowledgements and conclusion 20
List of charts
Chart 1 – Assistance to participants by budget item 8
Chart 2 – Related contributions 8
Chart 3 – Clientele according to the age group 9
Chart 4 – Clientele according to the type of disability 10
Chart 5 – Clientele according to the level of education 11
Chart 6 – Clientele by end date of last employment 11
Chart 7 – Results after participation within a financial measure 12
Chart 8 – Results after participation in the project of Fonds régional d’investissement jeunesse (FRIJ) 12
Chart 9 – Statement for the year ended March 31, 2012 19
Annual Report 2011-2012 / 19Word from the President and the General Director
SPHERE-Québec in 2011-2012
Submitting the annual report each year represents a great opportunity to share our successes, to point out certain issues and to thank all concerned. The year 2011-2012 reflects, in turn, a continuous will and a renewed interest, for the team and collaborators with whom we have worked with for many years, to always surpass ourselves in terms of creating employment access for disabled people in Québec.
SPHERE-Québec and its partners play an active role in society and during our last year 608 disabled people were supported through the financial measures of the organization, dialogue with professionals in the field and the commitment of employers.
In 2011-2012, SPHERE-Québec has had access to an additional $2,864,964 in funding over three years from the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities - national projects. This budget has helped to support disabled people in Québec and has paved the way for a partnership with Manitoba which, like Québec, is facing challenges related to the transition from school to work.
Also, thanks to the Fonds régional d’investissement jeunesse (FRIJ), SPHERE-Québec has supported fifteen young people under 30years of age from Montréal in a project that has led the majority of them to obtaining long-term employment.
Flipping through the report, you will enjoy some practical examples of creative and quality projects. You will also read an article on new tools to support self-employed disabled people in starting their businesses. Elaborated in an approach based on the needs of the individual, together with partners in the socio-economic environment, these tools are a logical consequence of the study undertaken by SPHERE-Québec in 2010 on the needs of the disabled self-employed. Vivat! We are presenting them in June 2012!
Finally, we wish to acknowledge the open-mindedness and efficiency of SPHERE-Québec’s Board of Directors and recognize the hard work of the team that makes a deep impression on the lives of many disabled people in Québec. We greatly thank our partners and employers who do extraordinary work. Lastly, a big thank you to our funders.
We realize that the achievements of SPHERE-Québec are the result of the continued efforts of all!
Enjoy your reading!
Martin Trépanier Nancy Moreau
President General Director
Annual Report 2011-2012 / 19Mission and mandate
SPHERE-Québec is a nonprofit organization originating from the will of people concerned with the employment integration of disabled people.
Our mission is to support a greater number of disabled people in their participation of economic and social life.
Our role:
· Support quality adapted job creation;
· Participate in meetings with experts to allow for the sharing of knowledge and practices;
· Collaborate with local, regional, provincial and national experts in the development of initiatives that promote the emergence of new models of integration at work.
Inclusion through employment, one person at a time, for us it is more than a slogan. It's a way of defining and characterizing ourselves.
Board of Directors
SPHERE-Québec is committed to maintaining solid foundations and to effectively represent the interests of disabled people. We are therefore very pleased to be able to rely on the commitment of our Board of Directors consisting of employers, unions and large organizations that are committed to our mission.
The Board of Directors for 2011-2012 consist of:
· Martin Trépanier, president, Regroupement des associations de personnes handicapées de la Gaspésie et des Îles
· Steve Vaillancourt, vice-president, Académie du Conseil québécois des entreprises adaptées
· Louis Adam, treasurer and secretary, Société canadienne de la sclérose en plaques
· Lise Boucher, Regroupement des organismes spécialisés pour l'emploi des personnes handicapées
· Serge Leblanc, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec
· Jean-Daniel Daigle, Alliance québécoise des regroupements régionaux pour l'intégration des personnes handicapées
· Gaétane Lacroix, Regroupement d'organismes de promotion des personnes handicapées de l'Estrie
Annual Report 2011-2012 / 19Our financial support measures
The services provided by SPHERE-Québec are part of four financial measures to assist participants. Funding for these measures comes from the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, a program of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
· Targeted salary subsidies
To facilitate rapid integration of a person in lasting employment.
· Work experience
To enable a person to gain meaningful work experience that develops work habits, confidence, interpersonal skills and employability.
· Assistance for self-employed workers
To support a person wishing to work for themself or start a business.
· Enhanced employment assistance services
To enable a person to experience an internship employment, paid or not, that is to say a real work situation with professional assistance.
The flexibility of the financial measures makes it possible to fit the real needs of each participant as evaluated by professional resources. This increases the chances of projects success.
Different categories of expenditures are eligible in each measure. In 2011-2012, 67% of the funds were invested in salaries for the participants. Jobs supported financially by SPHERE-Québec reflect market wages and salary scales in effect in the work place.
In a joint effort, employers and other experts also contribute financially to the employment integration of disabled people, which confirms the leverage of SPHERE-Québec (see Chart 2). Furthermore, the work and expertise of our project officers, counselors in specialized manpower services, employers and other experts are essential elements for successful projects supported by our financial measures.
Chart 1 – Assistance to participants by budget item
Participant wages and payroll contributions / $1,914,785 / 67%
Living expenses / $234,855 / 8%
Support measures (adapted equipment, assistance and other) / $469,935 / 17%
Professional fees for specialized consultants / $57,582 / 2%
Capital assests – improvements to make premises accessible / $31,604 / 1%
Transportation / $131,905 / 5%
Total / $2,840,666 / 100%
Chart 2 – Related contributions
SPHERE-Québec / employeurs / autres partenaires financiers$2,840,666 / $2,212,635 / $304,591
Annual Report 2011-2012 / 19
Portrait of our clientele
In 2011-2012, SPHERE-Québec helped 608 people with disabilities to integrate the work force. The supported clientele shares a primary characteristic of being inexperienced in the labor market, that is to say that our clientele has little or no training or work experience.
Indeed, 85% of the clientele has obtained at most a high school diploma, and one third has never been employed before. In addition, 18% has not worked for 5 years or more. Finally, 64% of the clientele is under 35years old.
Chart 3 – Clientele according to the age group
Age group / Men / Women / Total / %16-25 / 156 / 116 / 272 / 45
26-35 / 65 / 50 / 115 / 19
36-45 / 40 / 42 / 82 / 13
46-55 / 51 / 63 / 114 / 19
56-65 / 10 / 15 / 25 / 4
Total / 322 / 286 / 608 / 100
Chart 4 – Clientele according to the type of disability
Type of disability / Men / Women / Total / %Intellectual / 133 / 112 / 245 / 34
Mental disorders / 102 / 84 / 186 / 26
Motor / 60 / 67 / 127 / 18
Organic / 20 / 27 / 47 / 7
Autism and PDD / 30 / 6 / 36 / 5
Visual / 13 / 15 / 28 / 4
Auditory / 7 / 16 / 23 / 3
Language / 14 / 8 / 22 / 3
Total / - / - / 714* / 100
* A person can have more than one disability.
Chart 5 – Clientele according to the level of education
Elementary / 69 / 46 / 115 / 19
High school / 209 / 191 / 400 / 65
College / 25 / 27 / 52 / 9
University / 19 / 22 / 41 / 7
Total / 322 / 286 / 608 / 100
Chart 6 – Clientele by end date of last employment
End of last employment / Men / Women / Total / %Less than 5 years / 157 / 137 / 294 / 49
Between 5 and 10 years / 33 / 28 / 61 / 10
Over 10 years / 19 / 32 / 51 / 8
Never had a job / 113 / 89 / 202 / 33
Total / 322 / 286 / 608 / 100
Results
Thanks to the collaborative efforts and contributions of employers and experts, more than half of the participants remained active at the end of their participation within a financial measure of SPHERE-Québec. As for the project of Fonds régional d’investissement jeunesse (FRIJ), the results show that 14 out of 15 young participants are now employed or went back to school.
Chart 7 – Results after participation within a financial measure
Results / %At school / 4
Self-employed / 3
Employed / 48
Unemployed / 45
Total / 100
Chart 8 – Results after participation in the project of Fonds régional d’investissement jeunesse (FRIJ)
Results / Number of participantsAt school / 7
Self-employed / 0
Employed / 7
Unemployed / 1
Total / 15
Strong collaborations, innovative projects
Integrating and maintaining employment for the largest possible number of people with disabilities, particularly in Québec and elsewhere in Canada, is what drives our daily efforts. We achieve this by developing projects with our partners more and more adapted to our diverse clientele.
Work together to better progress
SPHERE-Québec’s team commits itself in several consultation activities that promote employment of people with disabilities. The regional seminars, committees, and other consultations make it possible to create and strengthen alliances and to develop and implement joint projects. The more we are, the greater our strength!
· Regional tables of dialogue for employment and people with disabilities / 54meetings· Committees for specific projects, transition work-life committees and other related topics / 64meetings
· Information sessions with employers and experts / 87meetings
SPHERE-Québec also works with the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and with several chambers of commerce, besides being a member of the Coalition des organismes communautaires pour le développement de la main-d’oeuvre (COCDMO).
Moreover, recently, we joined the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE). This is a Canadian network of experts interested in the participation of disabled people in the Canadian work force. We are very pleased with this new collaboration at the national level. We intend to take this opportunity to share best practices across Canada and to initiate large-scale projects.
Imagine… ton avenir!: tools for transition from school to employment
Noticing a lack of tools to help youth with disabilities integrate the labor market, SPHERE-Québec has initiated the project Imagine… ton avenir! The goal: to develop and test tools that will assist these young people and help them apply their capacities to the labor market in order to increase their chances of integrating employment.
In 2011, SPHERE-Québec has worked with about thirty teachers and experts from Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Québec, who received the educational material with great interest. Over 140students have experienced the tools in special education classes. The kit is now being tested with adults from the Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en troubles envahissants du développement of East-Montérégie.
Teaching materials, the evaluation report and recommendations concerning the project are available on our website.
SPHERE-Québec visits Manitoba
Eager for new ideas and successful partnerships, SPHERE-Québec expands its frontiers!
In 2011, after collaborating with the Franco-Manitoban School Division for a special project, we have established projects with Premier choix (youth employment services), the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, Reaching E-Quality Employment Services and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. We are proud to have helped seven people in the province to integrate a job in a field of their interest.
In February 2012, the SPHERE-Québec team traveled to Winnipeg to meet with about thirty French and English experts working to develop the employability of people with disabilities. Our main conclusion is that we must, in partnership, continue to develop projects out West. Among others, these projects will be about the integration into the labor market of youth and the development of skills: concerns of Québec as well. Many interesting projects are emerging for the coming years.
Tools tailored for self-employed workers
In the last 10 years, SPHERE-Québec has helped hundreds of disabled people start businesses through its Self-Employment Assistance financial measure. With this past experience and by listening to feedback from our participants, we this year designed support tools for business start-up. We want to better serve these customers with special needs.