CLBC today recognized Prince George’s Jay Maybin of Waste Management for his exceptional contribution to creating employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities by presenting him with a provincial Widening Our World (WOW) Award. CLBC presents WOW Awards each year to recognize people who are building inclusion for adults with developmental disabilities in B.C.
Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation Don McRae presents a WOW Award to Jay Maybin of Waste Management, Prince George.
Jay was nominated by a local service provider, Employment Action, for the way he led his team to look to hire adults with developmental disabilities for their business. Working together with Employment Action, they have found a way to leverage the diverse talent of adults in Prince George to enhance the company’s business growth and provide jobs for local people with diverse abilities. Jay is one of four people receiving CLBC WOW Awards this year.
Earlier this week, Victoria’s Sheenagh Morrison was presented with a WOW Award for her leadership as a self advocate community leader. Jay received his award at a special presentation in Prince George today at his work place. Two more awards will be presented in other B.C. communities.
As part of Community Living Month celebrations in October 2013, CLBC invited self advocates, families, community members, service providers and Community Council volunteers to nominate outstanding British Columbians. Nominations were reviewed regionally and then by a provincial committee of self advocates and CLBC staff to determine four top candidates.
Since 2009, CLBC has presented WOW Awards to recognize British Columbians who are creating opportunities and building awareness for a vision of full citizenship for people with developmental disabilities, one where they lead good lives, have rich relationships, choices in how they live and employment opportunities.
Quotes:
Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation Don McRae:
“In B.C., we have the goal of becoming the most progressive place for people with disabilities in Canada. It’s great to see Jay Maybin of Waste Management getting this award for breaking down barriers to employment and recognizing the business case to hire from the disability community.”
Doug Woollard, CLBC interim CEO:
“I want to congratulate Jay and all of the WOW nominees for 2013. It is clear from the nominations received that there is a wealth of innovative ideas, activities and initiatives being spearheaded by community champions across the province. These efforts not only raise awareness about inclusion, but help everyone see that through our individual acceptance of diversity, our communities become richer and more vibrant places to live.”
Jill Moore, Employment Action:
“Jay’s actions and leadership approach are innovative and a sign of the times. He and the company are committed to supporting communities to be safer, cleaner and stronger. Its North American “diversity mission” states “we champion an inclusive culture that embraces individual differences and unique needs” and this customized job opportunity proves it.”
Jay Maybin, Waste Management:
“We want to challenge other businesses in our community to think out of the box and hire people who traditionally have not been thought of and who have skills that can contribute positively to our workplace. Building a diverse and inclusive workplace is truly rewarding for everyone involved.”
Profile: Jay Maybin (Prince George), Employer
- Jay Maybin and his team from Waste Management (WM) are employers that went looking to hire adults with developmental disabilities.
- They found a way to leverage the diverse talent of adults in Prince George who want to work to enhance their business growth, creating a win-win solution that provides a long-term job opportunity for people with developmental disabilities.
- Jay and his team took a step by step approach to outline exact job duties, to be clear about what type of employee they were seeking, took time to meet with support staff to identify individual work traits, and met with individual’s family members.
- WM corporate culture supports creating opportunities for leadership by providing hands-on training, supervisors are flexible as to how work gets accomplished and they provide encouragement, working alongside individuals and allowing them to determine their own successful work style to get the job done.
