Emmerson returns to Career Connections

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This article was published 29/08/2023 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man has come full circle with an employment agency that helped him find a career more than 20 years ago, at a time when he says he had no purpose.

Phillip Emmerson said when he was younger, he was a “broken human being, having lived through 12 different foster homes, and almost died of alcohol poisoning.”

“I was struggling, I became homeless and was living off couches, if you can believe that for a guy in a wheelchair,” Emmerson said. “And I was wheeling the streets every day trying to find my life.”

When Emmerson was about five days old, he stopped breathing, he said, which caused damage to his cerebral cortex and gave his body the battle of spastic cerebral palsy.

Now 42 years old, Emmerson has used a wheelchair his whole life. He said he used to be mad about that, but a change came about 20 years ago, when he decided he needed a purpose.

“I took some computer upgrading courses, worked as a dispatcher at Wally’s Taxi, and ended up going to Career Connections. That’s when it all started happening for me,” Emmerson said.

Career Connections specializes in helping people with different abilities find employment with resume preparation, counselling, job search, as well as support while the individual is employed, according to Joy Escalera, the organization’s executive director.

But what’s equally important to the mission at Career Connections, Escalera said, is working with employers to break down the barriers that exist when some people hear the word, disability.

“We work with employers and try to explain to them that individuals with disabilities have the same, sometimes more capability than others. Sometimes employers think of individuals with disabilities as more of a liability to them, but in reality, they’re capable. They’re capable of doing the work that they need to do,” Escalera said.

Emmerson said his training with Career Connections elevated him to a level where he could apply and be hired for a job within the Brandon School Division as an educational assistant.

His first job was at Kirkcaldy Heights, and then he worked at Linden Lanes, Valleyview Centennial, Riverheights, and for the last six years at École secondaire Neelin High School.

“I believe that I am a beacon just the way I am. And so, a student in a wheelchair would not just see me but would see me accomplishing something. Then hopefully they would say to themselves, hey, if he can do it, I can do it. I’m just kind of a light on somebody’s path. That’s what I am,” Emmerson said.

While Emmerson worked as an educational assistant in Westman, a national organization that also helps people with different abilities find employment was meeting to discuss creating an award of excellence.

The Canadian Association for Support Employment (CASE) promotes employment and social inclusion of Canadians who are experiencing a disability.

In 2019, CASE decided to create an award that would recognize someone who has made significant contributions and innovations to a workspace in Canada. That’s when Emmerson was nominated by Joy McKinnon, who worked with him in Brandon more than 15 years ago.

“Instantly, I said, we need to nominate Philip Emmerson for the outstanding accomplishments that he’s made in his life and the contributions that he’s made. Often, people with a diversity don’t have the opportunity to experience full citizenship. We say all citizens experience that, but they don’t necessarily. So, that is what’s so impressive about Phil — he is a shining example of knowing that no matter what, you can persevere and get through it,” McKinnon said.

Not only did Emmerson win the award, but it bears his name, the Phillip Emmerson Award for Employment Excellence. He was the first winner, followed by four others who have each been recognized at the national annual CASE conference.

Emmerson said he was surprised and stunned when he was notified.

“Oh wow, it blows my mind, it makes me tear up. I ask myself why and I don’t even know, I have no clue. Usually, with things like that you’re famous or you’re dead, and I’m neither one of those yet,” Emmerson said as he laughed.

As summer holidays wind down, Emmerson’s employment with the Brandon School Division is about to change. He recently accepted a job with Career Connections, the same organization that got him moving in the “right direction” more than 20 years ago.

“This is a full-circle story at the moment,” Emmerson said. “It was a tough decision to leave the school division, and of course, I’m feeling nervous, but I think that’s healthy. I will show up and give it my all.”

He’ll be a good fit with his skills and experience, said Escalera. The organization was one of the recipients of the provincial government’s Manitoba Accessibility Fund, with the mandate of creating specific projects to promote accessibility in workplaces.

“He’s always been a great resource for us even when he was with the school division because he was on our board of directors,” Escalera said. “So, this is good timing because this is a project that I would really want to do with him. I’m excited to be working with him.”

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