Barbara has long struggled with diagnoses of , chronic fatigue, depression, and the brain fog that goes with all of them.
“But I never considered myself disabled — I didn’t think that I deserved that term,” she explains. “Despite all of the diagnoses, I persisted in thinking that my lack of motivation and energy was laziness and selfishness. I existed for over 10 years trying to manage my symptoms and whenever I couldn’t return to ‘normal,’ I returned to anger and the feeling that I had nothing to offer the world.”
After a course on coping with depression, however, she came to see it differently.
“It really put it firmly in my mind that it was a disease, a disability, not a character flaw,” she says.
Motivated, Barbara moved back to Vernon, BC from the Lower Mainland, and volunteered with the “to see if I could ‘show up’ a couple of times per week to an office job.”
Seeing that she could handle the work — proving it to herself with her volunteer work— she decided to look for employment. An employment consultant put her in touch with Neil Squire’s Working Together Program in Penticton.
“When I found a job, Neil Squire supported my wage so that I could have ‘soft re-entry’ into the workforce and take the time that I needed to become a bookkeeper again,” Barbara says. “Since I was happily working a limited number of hours, I did not need any physical adjustments to my workstation, but Neil Squire was ready to support me if that changed.”
Barbara is now happy with her job as a bookkeeper for , an organization that has been serving people with disabilities since 1993. In addition, she is also helping other small non-profit organizations who need help for a few hours per month.
“It’s just the right amount of work that I can handle, and the joy of feeling that I can contribute to my community again is exhilarating!”
For Independent Living Vernon, meeting Barb was “perfect timing”.
“We are beyond fortunate to have been connected with Barb,” says Executive Director Laura Hockman. “It was the exact time we were looking to train someone to take over for our previous bookkeeper who was with us for over eight years. I instantly felt like Barb would be a fit with our team and mission. She has been an incredible asset to our organization. She was able to set our direct deposit for payroll within two weeks of being hired.
“While the assistance with the wages in the first weeks was valuable, the initial connection and the ongoing support has been incredibly valuable. Being able to find such an incredible employee who is trustworthy, compassionate, and very skilled has provided us with so much relief.”