Have skills, ready to work

This is Dale Bauld.  He was born with something called Landau-Kleffner syndrome, a rare childhood neurological disorder that involves difficulty in understanding or expressing verbal communication.  On May 18th, he crossed the stage at the college's 47th annual Convocation to receive his parchment for completing his Environmental Technology Certificate program.

His mother Maxine describes what Dale experiences "like hearing underwater."  Despite his challenges in understanding a world that revolves around the spoken word, Dale is high-functioning, hard-working and a stickler for getting the job done right.

Dale, 25, has been a familiar face around Keyano College for a number of years, our former paper-recycling guy.  When he would pop into my office to grab whatever had accumulated in the paper bin that week, he'd always say hello and try to say my name.  To an outsider, what he was saying probably would not have made much sense, but I knew exactly what he was saying.

To Dale, every day is a good day.  In fact, he sends a daily email to Rachel at Keyano, outlining his work activities and plans. Each message begins with same five words: Today is a good day.

Imagine having an employee who comes to work with that kind of attitude, day-in, day-out.  Imagine having an employee who wants nothing more than to be given tasks, and thrives with the opportunity to get them done, no matter how repetitive or boring they might seem to others.  Dale enjoys the familiarity of similar tasks done over and over again; he enjoys the satisfaction of a job well done.

"He never leaves a job until it's done," said Maxine.  "He takes pride in his work."

A very capable young man, Dale is great with computers, has done painting jobs, cut lawns, worked with the culture and rec department over the summer, and has collected tens of thousands of pounds of paper-recycling at the college.  He is looking for an opportunity to contribute. A part-time gig, 3-4 hours a day, 3 or 4 days a week would be perfect.  He has skills and is ready to work.

Maybe you're an employer suffering the headaches of a rotating cadre of workers who come and go with rapid succession.  Maybe you have a job that needs doing, but it doesn't comprise a full-time position, so it remains undone, or picked up by others whose plates are already too full?  Perhaps you see the opportunity in embracing diversity in the workplace?

If you have an opportunity to benefit from Dale's work ethic and dependability, then give Rachel a call.  She'll bring Dale over for a visit and see if there is a fit.  Spending 15 to 30 minutes at the beginning, understanding the communication method that works best with his disability will ensure a long and fruitful relationship.  And weeks from now, when you realize that those tasks that never seemed to get done are being completed with stunning regularity and excellence, you'll reflect back on reading this blog post and how Dale came into your life and your workplace. You'll smile, knowing that it was the best hiring decision you ever made.

If you'd like to meet Dale, call Rachel Powelson at Keyano College at 780-792-5724. She'll set it up.