Krystal was diagnosed with ADHD (new window) and dyslexia (new window) at the age of four. Her learning disability has affected her ability to read and write. She has also been experiencing anxiety and depression after a personal loss in 2018.
Before coming to the Neil Squire Society, Krystal had been balancing three part-time jobs. She wanted to find one steady job that would help her make ends meet, where she would not have to work outside or do manual labour.
Krystal’s therapist referred her to the Neil Squire Society’s Prairie Regional Office. She joined the Working Together program, which helps people with disabilities develop the skills they need to achieve their employment goals.
Although Krystal has a diploma in graphic design (new window), she was open to steady employment in any field. Working one-on-one with her Job Developer, she learned to edit her resume to reach a broader range of employers.
Krystal met with the AT Specialist and discussed supports she could use in the workplace. This included speech-to-text readers and a scanner pen, which uses optical character recognition (OCR) to scan printed text, type it, and then read it aloud.
Regional Manager Nikki Langdon saw Krystal’s determination and invited her for an interview for the Program Assistant position at the Neil Squire Society. Krystal did well in the interview and secured part-time employment at the Society. Along with this, she was able to maintain her part-time position as an Early Morning Package Handler.
Krystal says, “I am so excited to start my journey with the Neil Squire Society in an office position where I will be putting less physical strain on my body. Everyone was so supportive of my journey towards employment and I am excited to start assisting others who have been where I was.”
The Working Together with Employers and Enhancing Employability
program is funded by the Government of Canada’s
Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities