Enabling careers, autonomy, and prosperity: Using community
organizing and building approaches to improve the educational outcomes of
people with mental illness
Issue title: Partnerships: Creating Vocational Options for
People with Mental Illness
Affiliations: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University,
Kingston, ON, Canada | Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Mental Health
Vocational Task Force, Frontenac Community Mental Health Services, Kingston,
ON, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Terry Krupa, School of
Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Tel.: +1 613 533 6236; Fax: +1 613 533 6776; E-mail: krupat@queensu.ca
Abstract: Objectives: The objective of this regional initiative was to develop
access to educational opportunities for people with mental illness with a view
to ultimately advancing their career prospects. Participants: The initiative engaged a broad range of community
stakeholders including people with mental illness, their families, educators,
mental health service providers and, policy analysts. Methods: The initiative used community organizing and development
strategies to develop solutions to problems related to access to education.
Results: The initiative was successful in mobilizing community
participation, identifying priorities, and translating these priorities into
action plans. Working groups of community stakeholders engaged in initiatives
related to improving access to resources to support education, developing
training for teachers in secondary schools, creating peer support systems, and
developing a pilot supported education program as a partnership between a
college and mental health service. Conclusion: Organized community building provided a foundation for a
broad range of initiatives meant to improve access to educational opportunities
for people with mental illness. Evaluation efforts will need to focus on the
extent to which these initiatives ultimately ledto positive changes in the
careers of people with mental illness.
Keywords: Employment, education, community development, mental illness, vocational rehabilitation
