ODEN Disability Employment Service Awards

2024 Outstanding Employment Service Professional

Tara Pattison, Executive Director, PATH Employment Services

The Awards Selection Committee was really impressed with the submission to nominate Tara for this award!

This award goes to a career practitioner and employment service professional who demonstrates excellence in working closely with job seekers who have a disability, by removing barriers and increasing employment opportunities for  them.

Tara was nominated directly by a job seeker who has a disability — which illustrates her professionalism, dedication and commitment to clients!

 

PHOTO: A beaming Tara Pattison, Executive Director of PATH Employment Services in Hamilton, ON (left), holds her 2024 DES Award for Outstanding Employment Service Professional. She is flanked by Ingrid Muschta, ODEN Director of Special Projects and Innovation, and Chris Guillemette, Director of Support Services at Community Living North Bay and Vice-Chair of ODEN’s Board of Directors.

2024 Promising Practice and Innovation Award

LiveWorkPlay, Ottawa

This award goes to an Employment Service Provider that has implemented a service delivery program model — a sustainable promising practice — that has significantly contributed to increasing employment opportunities for people who have a disability.

LiveWorkPlay developed a Public Sector Employment Supports Model that really impressed the Awards Selection Committee. The evidence and outcomes outlined in their nomination stood out as an excellent example of an innovative approach to supporting job seekers who have a disability, and fostering disability-inclusive workplaces.

By implementing their employment supports model in partnership with more than 40 federal government agencies and departments, LiveWorkPlay has supported historic public service hiring milestones, including — so far — 42 permanent positions for employees who have an intellectual disability in the Government of Canada.

In addition to earning LiveWorkPlay the Promising Practice and Innovation Award, their Public Sector Employment Supports Model is a featured ODEN case study. You can read about it in the Program Model & Promising Practices compilation.

 

PHOTO: Ingrid Muschta, ODEN’s Director of Special Projects and Innovation (far left) and Chris Guillemette, Director of Support Services at Community Living North Bay and Vice-Chair of ODEN’s Board (far right), pose with the team from LiveWorkPlay. Julie Kingstone, Co-Leader and Director of Operations (second from left), holds their 2024 DES Award for Promising Practice and Innovation. She’s with Rebecca Coxon (Team Lead, Employment Ontario), Anna Nelson (Director of LiveWorkPlay Employment Supports) and Keenan Wellar (Co-Leader and Director of Communications).

2024 Outstanding Employment Service Provider

Community Living Central York, Newmarket, ON

This award goes to an Employment Service Provider that has demonstrated outstanding contributions and dedication to job seekers and the disability employment sector; and that has made a real impact on the sector by increasing employment opportunities for people who have a disability.

The submission nominating the team at Community Living Central York really impressed the Award Selection Committee. It showed that they have demonstrated all-around excellence in employment service delivery; and extraordinary engagement of both businesses and the community.

 

PHOTO: The DES award-winning Community Living Central York team poses for a photo with Ingrid Muschta (far left) and Chris Guillemette (far right). Kylie Braun, Employment Specialist (second from left), Chelsea RM, Wisdom Babalola (Employment Strategist), Amanda Morrison (Employment Specialist), Melanie Marshall (Manager of Community Participation Supports, Employment Services) and Andrew Fagan (CEO).

Award for Outstanding Employment Service Provider

This award recognizes employment service providers who have demonstrated excellence in employment service delivery, increasing employment opportunities for people who have a disability. The recipient of this award shows outstanding outcomes in quality service delivery, business engagement, and community engagement. The award recipient is a high-performing, leading employment service provider in the disability employment sector.

Eligibility criteria

Your organization must:

• Be an ODEN member in good standing
• Demonstrate service excellence and dedication to increasing employment opportunities for people who have a disability

Details and full description of the award

Apply for this award

• MS Forms application
• Accessible application form (Microsoft^® Word format)

Award for Outstanding Employment Service Professional

This award recognizes individual employment service professionals who demonstrate excellence in providing disability employment services and working with job seekers who have a disability by increasing their employment opportunities. The recipient of this award shows passion, commitment, and determination to work with job seekers, while at the same time empowering them in their choices, in eliminating employment barriers.

Eligibility criteria

Your organization must:

• Be an ODEN member in good standing
• Demonstrate excellence in delivering employment support services, with measurable outcomes showing successful employment opportunities, placement and retention for people who have a disability

Details and full description of the award

Apply for this award

• MS Forms application
• Accessible application form (Microsoft^® Word format)