Disability Employment Awareness Month is observed every October to celebrate the inclusion and accomplishments of individuals with disabilities pursuing and securing employment or a career path.

Jen McEachen, CHRNet’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Director, is a deafblind individual who has experienced roadblocks after graduating with her adult dogwood diploma and certificate in Applied Business Administration back in 2008. After two years of valiant effort to hunt for a suitable position, on the advice of an employment counsellor, considered volunteering as an option to get her “foot in the door”. Volunteering ended up being a HUGE success.

Jen volunteered for The Canadian Red Cross Society between November 2009 to December 2015, working in a variety of capacities; Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP), Community Fundraising, Volunteer Resources and administration, before she was hired permanently on a part-time basis in Volunteer Resources. Currently, Jen is still employed within the organization.

Jen started her passionate journey in Emergency Management in 2017 when she considered returning to school to the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) where she completed a certificate program in emergency management in 2019. As of this writing, she is working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Emergency / Security Management through JIBC.

After a rewarding fifteen-year career as a professional pet- and house-sitter, Jen decided on a 360-degree career change in 2023 by starting a consulting business geared towards emergency management / Disaster Risk Reduction professionals and disability-related organizations to be able to mitigate, prepare, respond and recover to man-made or climate-related disasters.

Ableism, discrimination and adversity can be overcome when achieving an insurmountable goal. Jen has persevered in pursuing a career no other person with a disability has considered. If you have a goal, don’t let anyone block your path—you can become a “Trailblazer” in your own employment journey.