Amelia has been a long-time familiar face at Neil Squire, having been both a program participant and a volunteer. When she was looking for work recently, she knew to turn to our Working Together program.

Amelia has Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type III, also known as Brittle Bone Disease, which affects her mobility. She uses a power chair.

“I’m actually pretty independent, but sometimes I need help reaching things or picking things up,” she shares.

She had recently been laid off and was looking for work in her field. Amelia has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography with an environmental focus and a Spatial Information Systems certificate from Simon Fraser University, and has work experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Amelia found the Working Together team very helpful in her job search.

“I’m glad that we had the weekly meetings. It was helpful to do follow-ups on what I’ve been doing and doing follow-ups on my applications, then making suggestions of different jobs available.”

In short order, Amelia’s hard work paid off when she landed a job with the Tsawwassen First Nation as a Referrals Analyst.

Her job involves going over referrals — construction projects or maintenance services, for example — and working with the contractors to address any issues. She’s enjoying the challenges of learning new skills.

“It’s good,” she shares. “The people there are really nice and it’s a pretty easygoing workplace.”

Amelia recommends Neil Squire programs to other people in need, saying that she appreciated that the Working Together program helped her find a job aligned with her career path.

“I think it’s really great that they’re helping so many people with disabilities in gaining employment,” she explains. “They’re very understanding of what sorts of needs a person with a disability has, and if they need any adaptive equipment to do their job, and what sort of stuff they need help with. Also, they’re really good with helping you find a job that’s more related to your career choice.”