When the interactive Timmins sign is lit up this Thursday, it'll be showing support for people with disabilities.
For the first time, Timmins is taking part in the Light It Up campaign that recognizes National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).
Thusday, Oct. 22 the sign at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre will be purple and blue.
According to the Ontario Disability Employment Network, lights on 22 structures in 12 Ontario municipalities are going purple and blue for one night as part of the campaign to recognize "the many ways people who have a disability contribute to businesses and communities across Ontario, and help companies be successful and competitive."
"It will be a first-ever in Canada for and during NDEAM, which was started in the United States in 1946," reads the news release.
Jeannette Campbell, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), hopes the campaign will encourage more businesses to be proactive and intentional about inclusive hiring.
“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still more to do so that everyone can fully contribute to their community and the economy,” she said.
A major barrier, she said, is lack of access to employment.
“Right now, many businesses aren’t thinking about the future as they wrestle with immediate challenges in the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s important for them to take the long view. Some jobs have gone away and may never come back; in other sectors new jobs are being created; and many sectors are facing a labour shortage over the next 10 years. Expanding their base of candidates by seeking out qualified people who have a disability, helps businesses fill needed roles and stay competitive in the long term," she said.
The City of Timmins has proclaimed October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
If you snap a photo of the sign for social media, use the hashtag #LightItUp1022.
