If you spend time in one of our offices, you might notice some special artwork on the walls. That鈥檚 courtesy of Ron, a Computer Comfort participant and a very talented artist based in Regina.
Ron is from the Cowessess First Nation, and was looking for ways to market and sell his art when he heard about Neil Squire from a friend and previous client. Ron was interested in participating in the Computer Comfort program to enhance his computer and technology skills.
Ron was born in Bow Island, Alberta where he was raised by his grandmother before she passed away. He was then sent to a farm and endured foster care in Edmonton and Calgary. Eventually, Ron went to Cowessess, where his grandfather wanted to raise him. His grandfather struggled with alcoholism and was deaf, so a decision was made to send Ron to a residential school. Ron spent many years at Marieval Indian Residential School and then he attended Lebret Indian Residential School for nearly a year before going to jail at the age of 16. While sharing his story, Ron briefly reflected that he saw his school from an aerial view in the jail plane as it transported the prisoners across the province, and he wondered what his former classmates were doing.
Ron now experiences symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to his background. Ron struggled in jail, on the streets, and with addictions. At 31, Ron decided he needed to 鈥渟traighten out,鈥 but he had nothing: no training or education, and he was rough from his time in residential school and incarceration.
It was around that time he began making and selling his art. Ron was smart and determined, and he completed his grade 10 at SIAST (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic) in 1996; although Ron lived with addictions to alcohol, drugs, and gambling, he underwent counseling for anger and participated in a life skills course. Ron developed arthritis in his hands and fingers, and he now notices his feet are starting to hurt the same.
Ron鈥檚 recovery has been an important part of his healing journey and story, as he has worked to find support and resources. As a recovering alcoholic and addict, Ron has overcome much adversity, but art remained a constant throughout his life and is something he is passionate about.
Ron shared that the Computer Comfort program helped him overcome his fear and 鈥减补谤补苍辞颈补鈥 of computers and technology and he feels confident in his ability to keep his personal information safe online.
Prior to his participation in the Computer Comfort program, Ron shared that he had lost out on art sales because he did not trust online banking and could not accept email money transfers. Ron was able to activate and verify his online banking and can now send and receive e-transfers making a huge impact on his life as an independent artist.
Ron feels the Computer Comfort program improved his self-esteem and he is more confident and interested in participating in other programs; Ron shared that what benefited him most was a consistent routine, which helps him take his mind off things, and he enjoyed the challenge of typing practice.
Computer Comfort helped him gain the skills and confidence to learn how to navigate a computer using an ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
Now in our Working Together program, Ron plans to continue working with his Job Developer on his employment skills. He wants to continue improving his computer and technology skills to further develop his art into his own business, and he is hopeful his computer skills will allow him to participate in business and keep himself organized.
Looking to the future, he says he looks forward to creating an art business or opening an arts organization, gallery, studio, or arts collective in the future.
November is Indigenous Disability Awareness Month (IDAM). Indigenous peoples of Canada experience a disability rate significantly higher than that of the general population. IDAM brings awareness of these barriers and the issues that Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and their families face every day.