My name is Alex Masek. I'm 22. I was born in Ottawa and raised in the Overbrook and Vanier area. I was born with one arm, a below-the-elbow amputee.
I work at the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. I've been working there for four years. I coach kids. I run a youth council. I do speaking for the Boys and Girls Club.
Other than that, in terms of my past jobs, I worked at the Rideau cinema, a movie theatre downtown. I helped people with their tickets, served food, and opened and closed the building.
I also worked at Food Basics as a cashier. In terms of my experience as a cashier at Food Basics, with my disability, standing in one spot is hard because of the weight on each one of my arms. Working nine-hour shifts standing in the same place is really uncomfortable. I brought it up with them, and asked them if I could do things differently to feel better, to make my job input a lot better, and to benefit everyone else. I was basically told to suck it up and do the job, so I quit. I went to the Boys and Girls Club, where I got to be the role model I wanted to be, to show the kids who they are, to bring out the skills in them to be exactly who they want to be, to help them become the person they want to be.
What I love about the job is that I can show them that I may have a disability, but I can do this and I can do that. They really look up to me. Half the time people don't see me with a disability because it's so natural for me. I think places need that kind of thing, especially when you're working with kids. Kids love to see that you may have a disability but it doesn't stop you.
I find that every organization, whether it works with kids or other individuals, should have someone representing those who have disabilities so that they can have the knowledge and the experience to see that it doesn't matter if a person has a disability, the person can still get the job done or do it a certain way.
I plan on going to school in September for child and youth studies, and later on take my skills to group homes to deal with kids with behaviour issues and possibly kids with disabilities just so that I can get the information out there and help them become the person they want to be.
Regardless of the disability, you can be the person you want to be.
That is basically everything I wanted to say. Thank you for listening.