David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
Methinks it was obvious to all that Jeff Sparks would play dumb once CBC began disabling my comments I suggested he reads before calling me back but Elizabeth
Thibodeau was impressive N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2020/06/half-of-nb-home-care-workers-to-be.html
#nbpoli #cdnpoli
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/jeff-sparks-federal-essential-worker-top-up-disabilities-1.5604224
Half of N.B. home care workers to be excluded from $500 federal top-up
Advocates for disabled ask government to reconsider decision that ignores work of private home care workers
· CBC News · Posted: Jun 11, 2020 7:00 AM AT
Jeff Sparks, seen here with his wife Heidi and their dog Toffi, worries that by not providing the $500 monthly top-up to home support workers who are employed privately, the provincial government is creating a two-tier system that will make it even more difficult to recruit home care workers. (Submitted by Jeff Sparks)
Jeff Sparks was thrilled when he learned his home support workers would be rewarded with a $500 monthly top-up aimed at essential care givers who have continued to work throughout the pandemic.
"It's a big deal for me because … they stayed with me during the pandemic," Sparks said of his four, full-time home care workers. "They self isolated. They took all the precautions and they really maintained my ability to be independent."
Sparks, 45, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder similar to muscular dystrophy and uses a wheel chair. He depends on his team to be able to continue to work and to live in his Quispamsis home with his wife Heidi and their "fur baby" Toffi.
But his elation quickly evaporated when he learned this week that the Higgs government does not intend to offer the top-up to private home care workers, only to those who are employed by home care agencies.
"It's actually quite frustrating," he said of the government decision. "This is about me standing up for the rights of my caregivers who do their best to support me."
Jeff Sparks, centre, requires around-the-clock care. He receives funding from the Department of Social Development and manages a team of home care workers to provide that care, but none of them will qualify for the federal top-up of $500 per month. (Submitted by Jeff Sparks)
Independent workers excluded
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said only home care workers "employed by an agency contracted or funded by the Department of Social Development" would qualify.It goes on to say, "the Department has no way to track independent workers who may or may not have formal training or qualifications, nor would we have any way to confirm their eligibility to the program."
A statement from the office of Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard, said the $500 top-up will be paid only to home support workers employed by agencies. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Sparks, who is a human resources professional, argues the assertion that Social Development has no way to track private home support workers is simply not correct.
He manages his own care with funding provided by the Department of Social Development. Each month Sparks submits logs to government detailing who has provided care to him during the month.
"I'm basically like an agency," Sparks said. "I get a monthly cheque deposited in my bank. I do all the payroll and at the end of each month I have each of my caregivers sign a report with how many hours they worked."
As for questions about "formal training or qualifications," Sparks said the workers he hires are generally better trained than the average home support worker because he trains them to meet his unique medical needs.
"I'd be more comfortable with them than I would be having someone come to me from an agency that didn't receive specific training by me."
Private workers only option for many
In a news release on May 20, the provincial government outlined the program that will provide a monthly top-up of approximately $500 for 16 weeks for essential front-line workers, including home support.This is just a major oversight.
- Haley Flaro, Ability N.B.There was no mention of excluding private home support workers. The only caveat was that in order to qualify, people must earn less than $18 per hour. Sparks said all of his workers would qualify.
He worries the government's decision will impact his ability to recruit staff, which is already "a nightmare," and said it will create "two classes of employees who do the same job."
Haley Flaro, executive director of Ability New Brunswick, said news that private home care workers are being left out is very disappointing and raises huge concerns about inequity.
Haley Flaro, executive director of Ability New Brunswick, estimates private home support workers make up more than half of all support workers and deserve the $500 top-up being provided by government just as much as workers employed by agencies. (CBC)
She estimates 50 per cent of the home care funded by Social Development is performed by private workers, and calls the decision not to provide the $500 monthly top-up to everyone a "disincentive" in a province where there is already a home support worker shortage.
"If private workers disappeared tomorrow every hospital would be overflowing, every special care home, every long term care home. Our health system would be just annihilated."
- Advocate for mentally ill says shortage of home-care workers landed sister in hospital - twice
- Overworked, underpaid & at the breaking point: Personal support worker calls for government aid
- Pandemic pressure on home care exposes rift between Social Development, hospitals
Sparks said, in his experience, agencies simply don't have enough staff to serve people who require 24-hour attendant care, like him.
Flaro said approximately 60 per cent of her clients at Ability N.B. depend on private care workers, and she hopes there is still time for the provincial government to change its mind.
"It's creating and isolating and alienating these private workers," she said. "This is just a major oversight."
About the Author
68 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story. David Amos
My hat is off to Jeff Sparks Perhaps he and I should talk ASAP
Johnny Almar
Reply to @David Amos: get a haircut
Lou Bell
Reply to @David Amos: Why ? It would be a total waste of his time
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Johnny
Almar: Methinks lot of folks must have noticed by now that you burst
upon the scene immediately after Johnny "Never been Good" Horton went
"Poof" N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Lou Bell:
Methinks its obvious to me that he agrees with you because he did not
bother to call me back after reading my comments as i suggested to his
partner N'esy Pas?
Elizabeth Thibodeau
I have a small ( 3 bed licensed) home for special needs we locked down on March 12 before gov gave the orders and have worked by myself everyday for the past three months could not take residents out in the public and have been spending twenty four hours a day keeping these people safe and healthy and spending so much extra on food & supplies and trying to keep them happy and upbeat with crafts exercise and games! I am told that with the 80 dollars a day that the governement pays for food and shelter and twenty four hour care for these special needs residents that I i also should hire staff at a cost of 15 dollars an hour out of that 80 dollars!!! ) Now am told No I do not qualify for the top up!!
Johnny Almar
Reply to @Elizabeth Thibodeau: No one should be getting ‘top ups’. That being said, your line of work is way underpaid.
NB is broke and so are the Feds. Universal Health Care is the source of the problem.
Those that can afford it should have to pay or buy private insurance.
Employment Insurance should be funded by individuals and employers. You only get paid what you put in.
Fix those 2 items and there will be money available for you and others like you.
NB is broke and so are the Feds. Universal Health Care is the source of the problem.
Those that can afford it should have to pay or buy private insurance.
Employment Insurance should be funded by individuals and employers. You only get paid what you put in.
Fix those 2 items and there will be money available for you and others like you.
Lou Bell
Reply to @Elizabeth
Thibodeau: Not sure whu you'd need to pay for extra food & supplies .
And you did have them for 24 hours a day before the lockdown . And is
that 80 dollars all you get per day , or is there other monies ? If
that's all you get , yes it's a bit low , but if there are other monies
coming in , which could be the case through families , pensions , or
whatever then that's something completely different . too many times we
get half stories and people are leaving out the other half which very
well could be the case here !
Theo Lavigne
Reply to @Johnny
Almar: Employment Insurance is only funded by individuals and employers.
Government don't put a nickle in the fun...
David Peters
Reply to @Theo Lavigne:
EI would be run better, faster and cheaper if it were done privately in a free market enviroment, imo.
EI would be run better, faster and cheaper if it were done privately in a free market enviroment, imo.
Theo Lavigne
Reply to @David Peters: Please explain why it would ....
David Amos
Reply to @Elizabeth Thibodeau: WOW Trust that you and I should talk
David Amos
Reply to @Elizabeth Thibodeau: You can't say that I didn't try to talk to you correct?
David Amos
Reply to @Elizabeth Thibodeau: Thanks for calling back to make amends
Elizabeth Thibodeau
Reply to @David Amos: Thank you for your words and help much appreciated David!
Theo Lavigne
Reply to @Theo Lavigne: Should be fund
Elizabeth Thibodeau
Lou Bell to answer your question Residents went to a day program once a week and also home visits and outing for special needs) so yes i did have a breather a few hours a week! & No other income ! Hope your using more hand soap, paper towel, hand sanitizer! Sat Safe cheers!
Johnny Almar
And in other news, CBC is ignoring new policing powers that Higgs is going to legislate.
Power to stop, frisk, card, search anyone, anywhere, anytime while under Emergency Orders.
Papers. Can I zee your papers?
Dan Armitage
Reply to @Johnny Almar: sorry man only have a pipe
David Amos
Reply to @Johnny
Almar: Methinks I recall you wanting to make calls to Higgy's minions in
order to rat out your neighbours not long ago N'esy Pas?
Johnny Almar
Reply to @David Amos: Yeah people not from around here travelling here. Nova Scotians and Ontarians to be precise.
Right in the middle of red lockdown.
Then there was the neighbour that had a party and they got liqoured and crashed a snowmobile through the ice resulting in a first responders rescue.
Government did nothing to any of them. The partiers should have been at least forced to pay for the unnecessary rescue and environmental cleanup.
Right in the middle of red lockdown.
Then there was the neighbour that had a party and they got liqoured and crashed a snowmobile through the ice resulting in a first responders rescue.
Government did nothing to any of them. The partiers should have been at least forced to pay for the unnecessary rescue and environmental cleanup.
Lou Bell
Reply to @Johnny Almar: Ah the effects of social media ! The world is flat too ! Right Johnny ??
Johnny Almar
Reply to @Lou Bell: Did you get dropped on your head again?
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Johnny Almar: Methinks many would agree that you two deserve each other N'esy Pas?
Roland Stewart
Higgs did not want to give any of this money out from the beginning. I think his plan was to bank it for a rainy day or maybe a day on the golf course with a few friends.
McKenzie King
Reply to @Roland
Stewart: Maybe you should watch the news occasionally. There is no
money to bank. We've been operating at a deficit for years, and with
this pandemic, the deficit has gone off the charts. So, pay attention
and try to think of something intelligent to say based on real
information.
Roland
Stewart
Reply to @McKenzie King: Will do Higgs lol
David Amos
Reply to @McKenzie King: Whose fault has it been that we have been operating at a deficit for years?
Lou Bell
Reply to @Roland Stewart: That thought belongs on social media ! Conspiracy theories are the norm there !
Roland
Stewart
Reply to @Lou Bell:
These are the kind of quotes we read on social media " Unlike the
Liberal MLA's who take their orders from Melanson and the " Shediac 5 " !
may be where it came from.
Jake Quinlan
As long as the teachers get full pay during these things....how many millions in total salary went to teachers from March to June to teachers and guidance councilors not doing anything.
David Amos
Reply to @Jake Quinlan: Good point
David News
Complete joke. Another bureaucrat trying to save money on the backs of the working class.
All they need to do is query their databases to see who receives home-care support funding, correlate the expense report filings and presto you have a list of private home care providers.
Not difficult to do, unless you motivation is not to spend the $
David Amos
Reply to @David News: Welcome back to Higgy's Circus
Lou Bell
Reply to @David Amos: " Methinks SURPRISE ! SURPRISE ! Higgy's Circus , Love Butter Tarts Martha ! "
David Peters
Once again, politicizing healthcare is a very bad idea, imo.
David Amos
Reply to @David Peters: Of course
Graeme Scott
Why is the Dept of Social Development can't seem to get anything right?
David Amos
Reply to @Graeme Scott: Thinks about the money then go figure
Dave Corbin
Social Development gets it wrong...again. It really is rocket science.
David Amos
Reply to @Dave Corbin: Nope it all about the money and who gets it
doug kirby
What’s wrong with this picture...just this week they put out a plea of help from anyone willing to help at the long term care home in Campbellton...it’s specifically said no training required as you will be shown when you get there.....no training ever shows how to have a heart and compassion and willing to help. How home support workers could even been thought of being excluded I agree they want the money for themselves...ms.sheppard seems only ever concerned in the almighty dollar.. these workers allow people to remain at home with one on one care which is way better than any hospital or facility out there....NB should be ashamed
Dan Armitage
Reply to @doug kirby:
definitely dropping the ball on this one. It's a very poor excuse why
they exclude these home care workers equal work equal pay!
doug kirby
Reply to @Dan Armitage: they purposely did that ...that man I swear is going to ruin everything good about NB
David Amos
Reply to @doug kirby: I Wholeheartedly Agree Sir
Kevin Archibald
Maybe if that CERB racket wasn't set up so badly, that so much fraud could be committed so easily, there would have been enough money to go around to those who actually needed it. Right from the start that system was ripe for the picking. Even dead people, and inmates were getting this.
David Amos
Reply to @Kevin Archibald: Who do we thank for that?
Repair Guy
Reply to @Kevin
Archibald: And if people receiving money they don't deserve returned it
there wouldn't be a problem either. If the federal government had gone
through the regular check and balances machinations it would have been
September before those needing it would have seen relief and people
would be screaming bloody murder about that.
Toby Tolly
Trudeau is giving too much cash away
cant wait for that exciting tax increase to occur
after the next election of course
David Amos
Reply to @Toby Tolly: I can wait
James Smythe
Reply to @Toby Tolly:
It won’t be tax increased, it’ll be paid for with inflation; the silent
wage killer but far more popular political policy decision, since
people don’t see it as a source deduction on their paychecks.
James Edward
Reply to @Toby Tolly: we are in big trouble
Matt Steele
Yep , FREE MONEY for everyone . Welcome to Trudeau's Canada where free money for everyone rains from the skies ; meanwhile the federal deficit spins wildly out of control as it heads towards the TRILLION dollar mark . Sadly , in another year or so , Canadians will end up being taxed into the stone age as the Canadian economy goes into a full recession.... all thanks to Trudeau for trying to buy people's votes with " supposedly " free money .
James Edward
Reply to @Matt Steele: it's going to be bad.
David Peters
Reply to @Matt Steele:
Another cbc article is saying that central bankers can print and spend as much $ as they want(paraphrasing)...but, the obvious questions just were not asked, imo.
Another cbc article is saying that central bankers can print and spend as much $ as they want(paraphrasing)...but, the obvious questions just were not asked, imo.
David Amos
Reply to @James Edward: It already is
James Edward
Reply to @David Amos: correction, it's going to get worse.
David Amos
Reply to @James Edward: YUP
Bill Hamilton
Reply to @Matt
Steele:"Taxed into the stone age" will only apply to those who are
working, not those living off of social programs . Too bad there are
more and more living off of social programs.
Jeff Leblanc
Reply to @Matt
Steele: so no stimulus for anyone? Should have just left them to fend
for themselves? Or did you have a better plan where money is given out
but in less quantities? Or last but least was just this you taking a
potshot at JT?
Theo Lavigne
Higgs better saves some money. Dr Ngola is coming after him, and we are all going to pay for this one, good for the Dr.
Jeff Leblanc
Reply to @Theo
Lavigne: you mean the unprofessional, arrogant, ignorant, unapologetic
Doctor who spread Covid by not following simple instructions? Oh for
sure he should sue for millions. It's not his fault at all right?
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Theo Lavigne: Ya gotta love the circus
Theo Lavigne
Reply to @Jeff LeBlanc: Can you prove he spread the virus? I didn't think so and neither can Higgs
....
....
Jeff Leblanc
Reply to @Theo
Lavigne: and you can't prove he didn't. Therefore no apology will be
coming, regardless if he spread it, he violated numerous protocols and
ethics. He is owed nothing but a stern talking to by anyone he
encounters for the rest of his days.
Theo Lavigne
Reply to @Jeff LeBlanc: He said he can prove he didn't spread it, that's good enough for me.
Jeff Leblanc
Reply to @Theo
Lavigne: oh well if he said it then it must be true. And to think all
this time all he had to do was just deny it. I never thought of that
angle. You are onto something Theo. Maybe you should run for office.
George Smith
There is always some one left behind when Government introduces these programs. And usually it's people who need the programs most. That's how Government thinks and works. They're the ones who set up the systems that leave many behind and then flout it as a wonderful advance in government action. Groups have political clout individuals don't.
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @George Smith: So why make fun of my concerns?
George Smith
Reply to @David Amos: I don't know what you mean and more important I really don't care.
George Smith
Talk of suits by
those who don't want to observe the rules is premature. I doubt any one
will win a court case. The public good argument will supersede all of
them. We sometimes think we are American because of the many American
media stories and entertainment shows. In fact Canada in not based on
individual rights but on the premise of Law and Order.
David Amos
Reply to @George Smith: Did you forget why I appealed a decision made in my favour???
Content disabled
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2017.04.0422.html
News Release
New member named to Premier’s Council on the Status of Disabled Persons
04 April 2017FREDERICTON (GNB) – Michèle Ouellette of Edmundston will join the Premier’s Council on the Status of Disabled Persons.“Michèle will bring significant value to the council,” said council chair Jeff Sparks. “She is a strong voice for those in the northwest, and an advocate for healthy living and community inclusion.”
Ouellette joins current council members:
- Jeff Sparks, Quispamsis, chair;
- Andrew Daley, Green Mountain, vice-president;
- Linda Ferrier, Fredericton, treasurer;
- Noëlla Hébert, Saint-Louis-de-Kent, secretary;
- Sheila Rogers, Bathurst;
- Christine Evans, Saint John;
- Michael George, Saint John;
- Cheryl LeBlanc, Shediac;
- Dawn Stevens, Fredericton;
- Amelia Barry, Rothesay;
- Marc LeBlanc, Beresford;
- Brent MacPherson, Fredericton; and
- John Wood, Oromocto.
https://www.nbpihcinetwork.ca/jeff-sparks
Jeff Sparks is the National Director of Volunteer Engagement and Organizational Development with Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
He is a quadriplegic and relies on 24 hour attendant care, which he manages himself, for all physical activities of daily living. Diagnosed at 10 months of age with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, he was not supposed to live past the age of 2 years old. 40 years later, there is no slowing him down.
Jeff works full time. In his current Senior Management role, Jeff coordinates corporate and board governance, as well as volunteer engagement and service delivery at a national level, and has managed strategic initiatives related to website, strategic planning and national conferences.
Furthermore, Jeff raises awareness of what it is like to live with a neuromuscular disorder, raising funds for the Mission and striving daily to engage others in the work of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Outside of work, Jeff is a role model and advocate for those with disabilities. He is Chairperson of the Premier's Council on the Status of Disabled Persons and Past President of the Saint John Ability Advisory Committee, a municipal advisory committee which has had several accomplishments under his leadership including implementing an accessible sidewalk policy, enhancing the Para-transit system, training city staff on working with people with disabilities, organizing activities for Disability Awareness Week and advocating for change for several people with disabilities.
Jeff has also advocated on his own behalf for 24 hour attendant care and met with government officials on several occasions for other disability issues. He is also not afraid to speak with the media in order to make his community more inclusive. Jeff has been identified as one of New Brunswick’s 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, attended the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and has been the recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, NB Disability Awareness Week Award and the YM/YWCA Leader to watch.
Related to research, Jeff has acted as the National Director, Research, Programs and Services at Muscular Dystrophy Canada where he supported the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and Granting Programs. Both Jeff and Muscular Dystrophy Canada are interested in research related to finding a cure as well as improving quality of life. Jeff is particularly interested in Research related to Community Health Needs, Interprofessional Collaboration and improving the Patient’s experience.
Jeff enjoys life to the fullest, including Caribbean cruises and spending time with his wife Heidi.
Jeff Sparks
National Director, Volunteer Engagement and Organizational Development
https://www.jenniferpowerscott.com/jeff-sparks-story
SPARKS OF INSPIRATION
By Jennifer Power Scott
When Heidi Sparks looks at her husband, there’s one thing she doesn’t see: his disability.
“From the first time I met Jeff, I never saw him in his wheelchair,”
says Heidi, who emigrated from Germany to Canada in 2014 to start
married life in southern New Brunswick. “We had conversation, we
started talking to each other and built up a friendship.”
The couple’s love story plays out like a 21st-century episode of The Love Boat.
Jeff Sparks and Heidi Schenk met aboard the Explorer of the Seas cruise
ship in 2013 and became friends. When the cruise ended, they spent
months getting to know each other via Facebook and Skype. And then,
exactly a year after they met, they were married in Heidi’s hometown of
Koblenz, Germany. They now live in Quispamsis, a suburb of Saint John.
“I get a lot of questions,” Heidi says. “People asking me the stupidest
questions, like, ‘Can you have a normal life?’ And I say, ‘Why? Why is
there a question?’ After they have known him, they see what is
possible. We do almost everything other couples do. … Of course,
sometimes we are limited, but we find a way to take off that limit.”
Jeff has been breaking limits for most of his 42 years. He graduated
near the top of his Bachelor of Business Administration class at the
University of New Brunswick in Saint John in 1996 and went on to earn a
master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Toronto.
He’s a senior executive with Muscular Dystrophy Canada and a former
chair of the Premier’s Council on Disabilities. He volunteers with
several organizations, including PRUDE Inc., the Human Resources
Association of New Brunswick and the Saint John Ability Advisory
Committee.
All of that from someone the doctors said wouldn’t live past the age of two.
“When I was ten months old, my parents noticed I wasn’t turning or
moving like a normal baby would,” he says. “They took me to the doctor.
They ran a bunch of tests, including two muscle biopsies.”
After Jeff had been in the hospital for two weeks, his mother, Sharon
Sparks, couldn’t wait for answers any longer. She phoned a doctor – and
was told Jeff had spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic
disorder that affects muscle control.
“The doctor said he would be lucky to see his second birthday,” says
Sharon, her voice breaking with emotion at the memory of that
life-changing phone call. “It was pretty devastating. … So many nights, I
thought of him dying and planned funerals. Never did I dream I would
have Jeffrey to be 43 this year.”
The doctors were right about the SMA. But they thought he had Type 1,
the most severe form. In fact, he had SMA Type 2.
“I turned two,” Jeff says, “and guess what?”
Jeff never walked, but he could feed himself and write as a
little kid, and he had his first motorized wheelchair by the age of
five. When it was time to enrol in school, his parents were told he
would be placed in a special needs class. In those days, he says, it
was known as the ‘C.P. program’ – short for cerebral palsy.
“It was basically a place where kids with disabilities could go and sit
all day and colour and not learn,” he says. “My parents knew that I had
no intellectual challenges, so they, with their friends and family,
fought and fought and fought the school board.”
That determination paid off. In grade one, Jeff was in the regular
classroom at M. Gerald Teed School in Saint John. With the help of a
full-time educational assistant, he learned, played and reached his
academic potential.
“There would have been no future for him in that (special needs)
program,” Sharon says. “Jeff was very bright … and very willing to
learn.”
Later, at Saint John High School, Jeff was a grad class rep
and a member of the yearbook committee, and he performed in a production
of Grease. His assistant – the same woman who had been with
him since grade one – did his notetaking in class, while his mother
helped with homework. Among more than 300 graduates in the Class of
’92, Jeff was in the top ten.
Still, it wasn’t always easy being a teenaged boy who couldn’t drive a car or swagger up the sidewalks.
“When I was a teenager and a young man, some of the guy feelings
starting to kick in, and I was a little jealous of the other guys,” he
says. “That was a little frustrating. But I’m very good at focussing
on what I have and not what I don’t have.”
For Jeff, a turning point was landing his first job. At 16, he was
hired as a counsellor at Camp Rotary, which offers programs for kids
with physical, developmental and learning disabilities amid the stunning
scenery of Sunnyside Beach. He worked there for six summers.
“To me, the paycheque wasn’t the big thing,” he says. “It was
the independence. I got away. I didn’t have my parents there to care
for me, so I needed to learn how to manage my own life, direct my own
care. And I got to live the life of a teenager. So, on my days off, I
was sneaking into the bars in Fredericton and doing the things that a
so-called ‘normal’ teenager would be doing.”
Jeff started his degree at UNB Saint John the year he finished high
school. On campus, he was known as a high-energy person who served on
student council and an ability advisory committee. But although he
graduated near the top of his class, he couldn’t find a job.
“I spent a year looking for work,” he says. “No luck, despite the fact
that I had an amazing resume. Back in the early 90s, businesses just
couldn’t see past my disability. They saw the wheelchair.”
Finally, in 1997, Jeff was offered a job with Andersen Consulting, the
multi-billion-dollar international company now known as Accenture.
There was just one catch: The job was in Toronto.
“It was a little scary being halfway across the country from
my family and my friends,” he says. “But luckily, one of my attendants
at the time was looking to make a change in his life. So, he packed and
moved with me.”
When it came to employment equity and open-mindedness toward people
with disabilities, Jeff found Toronto was far ahead of the rest of the
country. He says Andersen Consulting even covered the $100,000-a-year
cost of his 24-hour care.
“At the end of the day, (Andersen) saw my potential, which is the most
important thing,” Jeff says. “They also recognized that it was their
responsibility to have a diverse workforce.”
But not everyone in the company was welcoming. One day, Jeff’s
caregiver said something during a meeting. An employee looked at the
caregiver and said, “I thought you were just the paid hands and feet.”
Offended, Jeff had to set her straight.
“What you’re saying is inappropriate,” he told her. “I need this
person. And they’re a person too. I don’t think of my caregivers as
being hands and feet for me. They’re a part of my life.”
Jeff stayed with the company for four-and-a-half years, completing his master’s degree at U of T in his off hours.
“Achievement is very important to me,” he says. “I want people to see
that I have the potential to go above and beyond expectations. I also
knew it was important to my career – that if I wanted to advance, I had
to have the highest level of education possible.”
In 2001, Jeff’s near-idyllic big city life fell apart. The company
downsized, and he was laid off. After six fruitless months of searching
for work in the Big Smoke, he says he had no choice but to go home to
Saint John.
“I moved from being totally independent in a fully-accessible apartment
… to having to move back in with my parents,” he says. “So that was
difficult for all of us. Big shift. I spent about three or four years
after that looking for work.”
Jeff found temporary contracts with UNB Saint John, the New Brunswick
Community College and a human resources management company, and he
started a couple of small businesses along the way. Then, in 2005, he
heard about a job opening with Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which works to
enhance the lives of people with neuromuscular disorders. At the time,
he was a volunteer member of the organization’s national board of
directors.
“I resigned from the board, applied for the job, and was
successful,” he says. “And I’ve been there ever since. … I live with
the disease, so I know personally the benefits of what the organization
does. But seeing the impact that it has on other families, systems,
governments and professionals really is what makes me proud of my work.”
Jeff works at an office in his modern, sprawling bungalow on Minstrel
Drive. As Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s National Director of Volunteer
Engagement and Organizational Development, he has full-time hours and a
flexible schedule. He manages his own 24-hour care, and employees do
his keyboarding and some other tasks.
But while Jeff enjoys the convenience of working from home,
his job requires him to travel several times a year. Flying with a
custom-built motorized wheelchair that cost $55,000 can be an ordeal.
“I am very conscious about it getting broken,” he says. “I have had
significant damage flying in the past. So when we travel, I take two
caregivers with me. We take everything off my wheelchair that can break,
pack it up in a big Tupperware container, put it in baggage with my
chair.”
On top of that, Jeff has to endure uncomfortable airport
wheelchairs as he goes through security and boards airplanes. Still,
giving up travelling is not an option.
“Number one – I know it’s important for my job,” he says. “And it gets me out. I love seeing the world.”
Jeff travels not just for work, but for fun too. He has
been on five cruises, his “vacation of choice” because of the superb
wheelchair accessibility on ships. When he boarded the Explorer of the
Seas in New York City with his mother, brother, two caregivers and his
brother’s girlfriend four years ago, he couldn’t have guessed he was
about to meet his future wife.
Heidi, who was aboard that ship to celebrate her fortieth birthday, calls her husband a fighter.
“I think that’s his personality,” she says. “If he has an idea, he
makes it happen. That’s how he was raised, with all the attention in his
family, especially his mother and dad. That’s what he’s fighting for.
Everybody has a chance to live a normal, independent life.”
Jeff says he likes the way Heidi doesn’t see his wheelchair – and he wants others to be more like her.
“It’s not the disability, he says, “It’s the person. I’m not a disabled
person. I’m a person with a disability. And the disability is only part
of who I am. And I have the same needs, wants, desires, feelings as
somebody who’s not in a wheelchair.”
As for his future, Jeff is continuing to build his career as a senior
executive – and he’s considering running for provincial or federal
office one day. For him, the key to success is being optimistic and
persistent.
“A lot of people give up when they face great challenges, and they
think it’s not worth the energy,” he says. “But if my parents didn’t put
the effort into me being the engaged citizen that I am today, I
wouldn’t be where I am.”
https://www1.gnb.ca/0017/specialCareHome_new/iframe/CQdisplay-e.asp?Reg_Name=THIBODEAU%27S+SPECIAL+CARE+HOME
Facility : THIBODEAU'S SPECIAL CARE HOME
Region : MIRAMICHI
Mailing Address : 1876 P.O. BOX 377, ROUTE 420 , RED BANK, NB, E9E 1A2
Contact : ELIZABETH & ANDRE THIBODEAU
Phone : (506) 836-1010
Language : ENGLISH
Approved Spaces : 3
Inspection Report 2014
Inspection Report 2015
Inspection Report 2017
Inspection Report 2018
Inspection Report 2019
Region : MIRAMICHI
Mailing Address : 1876 P.O. BOX 377, ROUTE 420 , RED BANK, NB, E9E 1A2
Contact : ELIZABETH & ANDRE THIBODEAU
Phone : (506) 836-1010
Language : ENGLISH
Approved Spaces : 3
Inspection Report 2014
Inspection Report 2015
Inspection Report 2017
Inspection Report 2018
Inspection Report 2019
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