Zeb couldn’t find any work. That’s when a relative suggested he go to the Neil Squire Society’s Working Together program in Penticton, BC (new window).

His goals were to “get a job and gain some knowledge about how to acquire work easier with a disability,” he explains.

Zeb has Ankylosing spondylitis (new window), a chronic inflammation disease which mainly affects joints in the spine and the pelvis. He has difficulty walking.

Before long, Zeb found work at the Bear’s Den (new window) restaurant as a dishwasher through Working Together.

“[He’s an] excellent worker and [I] will be keeping him on,” says Brenda, who has run the Bear’s Den for 15 years, adding that the hiring process was “very easy,” and that she would recommend the Working Together program to other employers.

Pleased with Zeb’s work ethic, the Bear’s Den kept him on staff after the initial wage subsidy period had ended. For Zeb, who wants to go back to school and return to Vancouver, it’s the start of a whole new chapter in his life.

“[My life] has changed a lot in good ways,” he says. “I’m able to use the knowledge I gained to make my life easier.”