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New Partnership Supports Paid Training and Employment for Youth and Young Adults

Posted on by Deborah Gold

BALANCE and CCRW (Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work) are very pleased to announce a first-time United Way-funded partnership to provide customized support to young adults living with sight loss to participate in…

Youth the Future (YTF) Scarborough!!

A Pre-employment Training Program for Youth living with disability, aged 15-30*

Youth the Future (YTF) is a pre-employment training program through the CCRW. Youth with disabilities, with barriers to employment, are provided job-readiness training and are assisted and supported to find ongoing, entry-level work in Toronto, including Scarborough.

Do You…

  • Have a SIN card?
  • Have basic reading/writing skills?
  • Have a positive attitude?

Are You…

  • Between the ages of 15-30?
  • Not on EI?
  • Unemployed?

This program includes:

6 weeks of PAID, in-class job readiness training:

  • Learn how to effectively job search
  • Interview techniques
  • Create resumes and cover letters
  • Learn all the skills and knowledge you need to be successful in today’s workplace

PLUS!

14 weeks of PAID employment (min 25 hours/week):

  • We support and empower you throughout the transition
  • Continuous feedback and coaching, on-the-job
  • Support to your employer
  • Weekly PAID classroom training throughout

If you live with sight loss, you will receive direct support within both the in-class and on-the-job training, from a dedicated project staff member, in addition to the support and training provided by the YTF program staff.

To learn more and/or to apply, please contact:

Cristina Lopes, Program Facilitator/Job Developer

The Insight Project

BALANCE for Blind Adults

416-576-4413

 

* The YTF Program is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Skills Link program.

Donor Steps Forward to Support #becauseofBALANCE Campaign!

Posted on by Deborah Gold

With just 12 days to go in our extremely successful campaign to build awareness of our clients’ successes and raise funds to support our excellent programs, a wonderful donor has come forward to make us an offer we can’t refuse! Every dollar raised through the campaign, from now (October 30, noon) until the end of the campaign (November 11, midnight), will be matched by this incredibly generous donor! This means that if you donate in the next 12 days and 12 hours, you will double the impact of your donation! To read our clients’ stories, spread the word, or make a donation easily, please click here. OR, call our office at 416-236-1796, ext. 0 and ask for Eleanor.

BALANCE offers year-round Strength and Stability training program!

Posted on by Deborah Gold

BALANCE is pleased to announce that we have established a partnership with Davenport-Perth Community Health Centre in order to bring you an excellent Strength and Stability Fitness Program, tailored to meet the needs of blind or partially sighted person who are over 40 years of age.

Description: A great way to improve your physical fitness, this class provides an opportunity to improve cardio, strength, flexibility and balance while sitting down. It includes a brief standing falls prevention component. Taught by Fazia Ackbarali, a fitness instructor certified by Western University’s Canadian Centre for Active Aging, and the BALANCE yoga instructor, this is a pre-beginners level that will progress to beginners/intermediate level.

Day and Time: Tuesdays, call the office.

Location: Please call the office

Dress: Please wear comfortable clothing such as track/yoga wear, and sneakers.

Pre-registration/Intake: 416-236-1796, ext. 0. Pre-registration is required!

Cost: No Charge.

 

Students Say Thanks and Good-Bye, Summer, 2018

Posted on by Deborah Gold

What we have learned this summer at BALANCE for Blind Adults has far exceeded our expectations.

As students who aspire to have careers in health care, our experiences have broadened our perspectives and knowledge of working with individuals with vision impairments. With the help of the staff and clients at BALANCE, we have become more cognizant of various barriers and as such, strive for inclusion and accessibility in our future career, as well as personal lives. We feel empowered to become advocates for people with vision impairments by educating others about opportunities to create more inclusive communities.

Prior to working at BALANCE, we had very limited exposure to working with individuals with blindness or low vision. It was a big learning curve and it hadn’t occurred to us that there had been so many advancements in the field of low vision and blindness. We realize that every day we take for granted the tools that many people with visions impairments rely on for independence. Just to name a few; Google Home, Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. As well, one of the main learning takeaways from this experience is that the key to a meaningful life is having connections in the community. We have learned that through partnerships with various organizations we can better support our clients and achieve that goal.

As sighted people, we have become more aware of existing features in our community that promote independence and safe travel for people with vision loss. For example, pedestrian crossing activators and the tactile bumps in subway stations. By being more aware of these necessities, we can play our part in reporting to authorities when these tools are not functioning and/or assist someone, if they wish.

We encourage students to apply for positions at Not- for-Profit Organizations because you will be surrounded by some of the hardest working, dedicated and kind people in existence. It is evident that the staff at BALANCE work as hard as they do because they truly care about making a difference in their clients’ lives. Thank you to the staff  and clients at BALANCE for teaching us all that you have and showing us the importance of working with passion and the impact that you can make on someone else’s life.

 

Sam and Tal

Welcome to Naomi Hazlett, Occupational Therapist

Posted on by Deborah Gold
Naomi is smiling and is outside under the trees.
Naomi Hazlett

We are pleased to welcome the newest addition to our staff team, Naomi Hazlett, MSc.OT. Naomi brings a wealth of relevant experience and creative energy to the position.  She is a recent graduate of the occupational therapy program at the University of Toronto, and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and cognitive science, also from U. of T. She has a wide variety of interests and passions including health & wellness, accessibility, education, research, writing, and promoting mental health in all areas of life. Naomi’s strong recreation/leisure background and her deep knowledge of Toronto community and neighbourhoods, will provide BALANCE with added expertise to support, encourage and teach our clients.

A Year in Review

Posted on by Deborah Gold

Our Executive Director Writes About her First  Year on the Job

While I am a bit delayed in posting this, I did indeed write it in April, one year after starting my new adventure in this excellent work place and learning space. Thanks for reading!

One year review:

When I started at BALANCE on April 13, 2016, it was a small organization with a strong commitment to clients, and quite frankly, my initial impression was that BALANCE was an organization that placed clients first, and the staff gave me strong messages that they were looking forward to having my leadership, and hopeful for a great deal of positive growth. I had a lot to work with: the offices had just moved to a new location right across from a subway station; the funding oversight had shifted from the Mississauga-Halton LHIN to the Toronto Central; and we had a shiny new strategic plan (finalized in May/June 2016) from which to develop our plans moving forward.

To say the least, it has been a year of growth and learning, both for the organization and for me. We have generated a positive relationship with our new LHIN, a new source of revenue through a first partnership agreement with Accessible Media Inc., and strong relationships with Reconnect Mental Health/Reconnect Shared Services, LAMP IT services, the Toronto Reference Library and the University of Toronto Occupational Therapy Department, as well as St. Joseph’s Hospital departments, OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre, and others. We have also received two federal grants, one to install automatic door openers on our front doors, and one to hire our summer student through Canada Summer Jobs. In addition, we have developed the strength of the staff as a team, adding three creative new staff members to our small but mighty group. Finally, our client numbers have grown by 50%, with a total number seen in 2016-17 of 151 (we had 101 clients in 2015-16). Our group participation also has increased, and BALANCE is now a going concern, with clients coming and going 5-6 days and evenings most weeks, for a variety of group opportunities.  To illustrate, in the spring of 2016 we had 21 group sessions and 11 individual participations and in the winter of 2017 we had 61 group sessions and 235 individual participations in groups!

I remain grateful for the opportunity to lead in such a warm, welcoming and exciting organization. We continue to serve our clients, and I believe our efforts play out in the number of new and returning clients we have seen this year. Each month, the number of clients returning for service after some years away, has remained high, averaging around 7 per month. One cannot ask for more than an enthusiastic participant who has heard about our new programming or our new instructors, and wants to return. We have certainly been busy and we have been able to provide some unique new programming. The challenge for year 2 of the Strategic Plan is to sustain and grow this activity while achieving a great deal more towards the strengthening of our infrastructure, the realizing of efficiencies and the generation of new revenue streams for BALANCE.

I look forward to the challenge!

 

New Assistive Tech Instructor at BALANCE!

Posted on by Deborah Gold

BALANCE Welcomes Rosie Arcuri to Our Staff Team

With a degree in Psychology and five + years working in the community sector with people with disabilities, Rosie is passionate about helping the visually  impaired achieve their goals.  After working as a Program Coordinator for Independent Living – Montreal (IL-M), she is excited to bring her Vast teaching experience to Balance. Rosie has experience with adaptive technology in both her personal and professional life. As someone with a visual impairment, she has firsthand knowledge of both the helps and hindrances of assistive technology. Furthermore, she has been able to pass on her insights to clients through her work with the Adaptech Research Network at Dawson College and IL-M.  Rosie has also been involved with the Blindness community for years as a member of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), Montreal chapter’s executive board, and she has been a support group animator for the CNIB. She has also worked with people who have other disabilities, such as students, seniors, immigrants, and job seekers. Rosie is bilingual in French and English, and can speak Italian.