Opening Doors to Meaningful Work
and a More Inclusive Community
A long-standing partnership between the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) Antigonish and St. Francis Xavier University is opening doors to meaningful employment and fostering a more inclusive campus community.
When Courtney MacLean talks about her work with Sodexo at StFX, her pride is unmistakable. “I do a lot of different jobs,” she says with a smile. “Helping with the salad bar, in MyKitchen, keeping it tidy, helping scan people in, with the desserts, and with the Classic Station.” Ms. MacLean is a participant with CACL Antigonish and has worked with Sodexo at StFX for the past two years through the CACL’s Supported Employment program. Since beginning the job, her hours of employment have steadily grown. Recently, she made the decision to leave another job after being offered more hours at StFX. “It’s a great place to work,” she says. “It’s a great environment. I like that environment. It’s good to have a variety of things you can do.
Courtney pictured with recently retired co-worker, Patricia MacLellan
“It’s great that people with disabilities are recognized working in a public place,” she says, “showing that they are capable of doing the same things as everyone else. It may take them longer, but they can do the task the same as everyone else.”
Her experience reflects the broader impact of the CACL–StFX partnership.
For Ms. MacLean, also a CACL board member, her involvement at StFX extends well beyond the workplace. She has long been connected to the university community through initiatives such as Best Buddies and Motionball. Through Best Buddies, a program that pairs StFX students with people with disabilities, she and her buddy formed a friendship strong enough to take her across the ocean. She travelled to Amsterdam for her buddy’s wedding and visited Paris during the trip. Her connection to StFX also runs in the family. Her mother, Elaine MacLean, worked at the university for 40 years. Today, Ms. MacLean is also a member of the Unifor union. About a year ago, all CACL members working at Sodexo were brought into the union, ensuring comparable wages and benefits. For Ms. MacLean, that means earning a higher hourly wage and benefits. “We deserve it. We work there too,” she says.
Courtney and co-worker, Karen MacIntyre
Greater Sense of Community
CACL executive director Jeff Teasdale '94 says Supported Employment is a personalized service model that helps individuals with disabilities or barriers to employment find and maintain competitive, paid work in integrated settings. It provides customized, ongoing, on-the-job support to ensure long term job success, tailored to the specific needs of the employee. “When an individual is employed, they have a greater sense of community. They have more autonomy. They then have a greater sense of self,” he notes. The CACL and StFX Supported Employment partnership goes back decades, he says. “Former staffer Hector MacDonald worked with StFX Day Care and set up a work placement for Nicole Roberts in the early nineties,” he notes. Currently, there are five CACL Antigonish participants working in Sodexo food services at StFX.
A Model to Replicate Nationally
Mr. Teasdale is hoping to present at the Canadian Association for Supported Employment conference in June in Ottawa specifically about the relationship the CACL Antigonish and StFX have. “StFX leadership and staff have been overwhelmingly accommodating to CACL Antigonish participants and our job coach. The goal is to discuss how this relationship works and how it could be replicated across Canada at other universities working with service providers in their community. There will be job practitioners and employers from across Canada in attendance.” The program makes a big difference, he says.
“Being employed allows an individual to make their own decision and choose their own path. Individuals have a much stronger sense of community, more purchasing power and feel a belonging to the Xaverian community.”
~ Jeff Teasdale, CACL Executive Director
Along with Supported Employment, CACL and StFX have developed many layers of collaboration, he says. They currently work with Sodexo, the Rankin School of Nursing, Faculty of Business, ECHO Marketing, and Impact X. StFX also recently co-hosted the CACL’s annual Business Ability Banquet, which featured Olympian and StFX honorary degree recipient Clara Hughes. Mr. Teasdale says in the past they have also worked closely with the Faculty of Education, the Students’ Union, the Athletics Department, the Department of Human Kinetics and the Department of Engineering. “To pick out a few, Impact X and ECHO have been instrumental in developing a marketing strategy for CACL Antigonish and helped us promote our Clara Hughes event. StFX Rankin School of Nursing students all spend at least one day at the CACL Antigonish volunteering and hearing ‘first voice’ stories regarding health care and how to support folks with diverse abilities.” StFX students continue to play a key role in the partnership’s success. “The students have been amazing whether it's Impact X, ECHO, Nursing, they are all great,” he says.
Meaningful Employment
The partnership between CACL and StFX has grown steadily over the years, creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, particularly within campus dining services run by Sodexo. “We’re happy to support and make that space,” says Bob Hale ’88, Vice-President Ancillary Services. Mr. Hale says inclusion is embedded in StFX’s strategic plan and aligns naturally with longstanding campus involvement in initiatives such as Special Olympics and student volunteering with organizations like Best Buddies and the CACL. “The partnership made sense,” agrees Tim Hierlihy, former Sodexo general manager. “We’re part of the community. Sodexo has been here over 30 years.”
“It’s a big thing for us to help grow the community. We’re big on equity and creating opportunities and seeing people on an equal playing field. This was a natural for us.” ~ Sodexo management
The program has welcomed five employees through CACL so far, each working in roles suited to their strengths, from general cleaning and kitchen facilitation to salad bar and hot prep. Staff members typically begin part-time, with opportunities to grow. The job opportunities give CACL members the opportunity to find a space where they can excel and go from there, he says. Not only is it the right thing to do, opening doors and broadening the scope of the community, Mr. Hale says the program is also helping address staffing needs at the university. Together, CACL and StFX are continuing to open doors—creating opportunities for meaningful work while strengthening a more inclusive campus community.
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StFX is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw People.