QUESTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

Questions

If you have more questions about our program go to our contact page

and email us or call us at 416.481.2211 Ext 227

1.  How will employment effect my ODSP?

You can earn up to $200 a month without having your income support reduced. If you earn more than $200 a month, only 50 per cent of your net earnings over $200 are deducted from your income support payment.

For example, if you normally receive $600/month from ODSP IS, and earn a net income of $300/month from working, your take-home pay at the end of the month will be $850.00 ($550 from ODSP, and $300 from work).

 Net earnings refer to the money you get after mandatory deductions are made. (It’s the money you take home.)

Mandatory deductions are things like income tax, Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance contributions and union dues.

2. How long is the waitlist?

On average, the current waitlist can vary between 3-4months, depending on how many applicants are on the waitlist.  We have a continuous intake which means, as current participants find employment, new participants can start the program.

3. What if I don’t have an intellectual disability?

In order to be eligible for the Supportive Employment Program at Project Work, you must have an intellectual disability. If you do not have an intellectual disability, the intake coordinator will provide referrals for alternative employment service providers.

4. How often am I expected to attend Project Work appointments?

Project Work’s Supported Employment Program is considered a part-time program.  Therefore you can expect to attend Project Work activities on an average of 2-3 times per week. Appointments may vary depending on arrangements made by your Employment Consultant.

5. What happens once I find a job?

If / when you begin paid employment, your Employment Consultant will provide on-the-job support until you have learned the tasks, routines, and requirements of your new job. Once you are working as independently as possible, you will be transferred to Project Work’s Support and Job Retention Program for long-term job maintenance support which can last up to 3 years.

6. What happens if I don’t find a job?

Participants can be in the Supportive Employment Program for a maximum of 29 weeks. If you are unsuccessful in obtaining employment by the 29th week, depending on your needs at the time, Project Work will provide you with referrals to other service providers, for continued support.

7. What if Project Work’s programs are not for me?

If Project Work does not meet your needs, referrals will be provided.

 8. What if I fall ill while I am in the program?

If you fall ill while in the program, you may be eligible for a medical leave, whereby your participation will be put on hold.  (Your expected end date will be extended by the number of weeks you have missed due to illness.)

9. What is the minimum wage?

Effective January 1, 2018, the general adult minimum wage was increased to $14.00 hr.

 

DEFINITIONS

Intellectual Disability

An intellectual disability is a physiological condition that stems from a great many factors that prevent or impede typical cognitive development.  This disability can appear in one or more of the following: attention, reasoning, processing, memory, communication, reading, writing, spelling, calculation, co-ordination, social competence and emotional maturity. The term intellectual disability is used in preference to terms like ‘mentally retarded’, ‘developmentally delayed’, and ‘intellectually impaired’. An intellectual disability affects 3 per cent of the Canadian population.

Supported Employment

Supported Employment is a way of assisting people with disabilities to find and keep jobs. There are three underlying principles of supported employment—employment is paid, it takes place in an integrated work environment, and on-going, individualized support is provided to assist a person with learning and keeping a job.

Job Coach

A Job Coach provides a service to a job seeker who has a disability and an employer. For a person with a disability the Job Coach provides counselling for job- related issues, one-on-one support to conduct a job search, on –the-job training and support at unpaid work experiences and at paid jobs.

The Job Coach provides employers and co-workers with practical information for training and managing an employee who has an Intellectual Disability. Job Coaches are trained to analyze, conduct work-site assessments and develop techniques to assist a person with an intellectual disability to learn a new job. Because a Job Coach assists with on-the-job training, the amount of time an employer spends training a new employee is minimized.

 

Extra Support

The people in Project Work’s programs have a range of skills, strengths, and abilities. Program participants usually require support and more time to learn a new job. Most participants need support when working with numbers, reading or writing, remembering sequences of tasks, or problem solving. For this reason, all participants in Project Work’s programs have a Job Coach. The Job Coach works alongside a participant until the person has learned the tasks, routines and requirements of a new job. As a person becomes familiar with their duties, the Job Coach gradually spends less time at the workplace.

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