Lori Cooper

Experience

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  Canadian Coast Guard

  Dec 1984 - Mar 1985

  CG Radio Station Support Clerk

  Assisted Sr. Clerk with administrative and financial processes,Pick up and process mail from local general store.Go to town (Halifax) and headquarters (Dartmouth) for pick-up and deliveries of supplies and documents.Provide administrative and purchasing assistance to the station staff.Bring station vehicles to garages for scheduled maintenance procedures and repairs

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  Government of Nova Scotia

  Jun 1985 - Aug 1985

  Typing Clerk - Stocks and Bonds Dept

  Revised consumers' index cards with updated information of their NS Bonds purchase transactions (this was before their computerized data entry).

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  Neptune Theatre

  Sept 1985 - Nov 1985

  Actress, 'Children of a Lesser God'

  Provided comic relief as the character Lydia who has a crush on the leading character.Appeared in several newspapers with positive reviews.

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  Canadian Coast Guard

  Nov 1985 - Sept 1990

  Telecommunications and Electronics Branch Support Clerk (CR-4)

  Provided administrative assistance to Sr. Clerk, Initiated and processed purchases of operational and capital items, Processed travel claims of 30+ employees, Overseen the 2.8 mil budget yearly, Assisted Sr Clerk with annual financial reports, And many other things. Did a secondment of 4 months as a receptionist - compromised with 24 other employees by them taking over telephone duties, while I do their filing and typing in return - worked out VERY well.One shining moment - advocated, reported, and ended the abuse of a hard-of-hearing employee by her supervisor. Show less

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  Saint John Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

  Sept 1990 - Sept 1993

  Employment Counsellor

  - Assisted job seekers with marketing documents, assertiveness skills, job search strategies, job maintenance skills- Supported clients to approach employers to apply for positions- Guest speaker on CBC Radio to discuss employment barriers for Deaf and hard of hearing job seekers - created a shockwave of awareness among the public.- Member of the Premier's Council of Disabled Persons.88 - 90- Co-Chairperson of New Brunswick Disability Awareness Week committee 1989- Collaborated with other Deaf leaders to develop awareness amongst the Deaf population who have been largely made passive by social attitudes enabling oppression (this is now called audism) Show less

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  The Canadian Hearing Society

  Oct 1994 - Mar 1995

  Intern - CHS Equity Training

  Received management training to improve diversity at the management level. (3 months)Internship at the Bob Rumball Centre of the Deaf (3 months)

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  Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf

  Apr 1995 - Aug 2010

  Contracted to teach American Sign Language classes usually 15 people per class, 4 classes per year. Also at the ASL Immersion Camp for most of these years. Intake; placement and reporting of volunteers in all the departmentsScreen and place Community Service Orders candidatesCoordinate volunteer appreciation eventsGive tours of the centreRespond to various requests for information from the publicand many other duties, related and not.

  • ASL Instructor

    Apr 1995 - Aug 2010

  • Coordinator of Volunteer Services

    Apr 1995 - May 2000
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  Deaf and Smart

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2002

  Proprietor

  Public, motivational speakingPromote Deaf people and our abilities to the public and corporations ASL instruction in the workplaceASL tutoring and rust-proofing servicesArticle writing, published

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  Coalition for Persons with Disabilities

  Sept 2002 - Jan 2003

  Employment Counsellor
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  Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf

  Sept 2012 - Dec 2014

  ASL Instructor

  Came out of retirement (by request) to teach American Sign Language - Signing Naturally Levels 1 and 2. Aug 2013 - taught level 3A at the ASL Immersion Camp at Ontario Camp of the Deaf, Parry Sound. Aug 2014 - 1B.

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  Coalition for Persons with Disabilities

  Oct 2012 - Feb 2017

  Temporary placement in this particular position October 2012 - May 2013.Intake and counselling of Deaf and hard of hearing job seekers to enhance their employability and to improve their job search strategies, marketing documents, interview preparation, and job maintenance skills. Occasional communication facilitation at the clients' job interviews. Provide post-hiring support to employers via English/ASL literacy support, conflict resolution and cultural mediation.Generate awareness of Deaf people, their culture and ABILITIES in local community agencies I utilized with the clients. Show less

  • Employment Pah Workshop Facilitator

    Nov 2004 - Feb 2017

  • Employment Specialist

    Oct 2012 - May 2013
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  Abilities to Work

  Feb 2017 - Nov 2024

  - Guide Deaf and hard of hearing job seekers through their job search process- Facilitate English-American Sign Language dialogue to ensure the applicants are able to market themselves to employers and recruiters.

  • Workshop Facilitator, Mentor

    Jan 2023 - Nov 2024

  • Employment Consultant

    Feb 2017 - Nov 2024
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  Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf

  Apr 2017 - Sept 2020

  ASL Instructor

  Uses Signing Naturally 1, 2 and 3.

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  Canadian Hard of Hearing Association

  Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

  Outreach Specialist

  To seek and enlist participation of Deaf/HoH/Deaf-Blind community members, employers and community service providers in the Employment Access Framework Project happening this year.Met and interview individuals with lived experiencesNov 15th - I will be presenting on this at the ODEN Conference (provincial)Nov 29th - I also will be presenting at Disability & Work in Canada Conference (national) 2022 on Nov 29th.