James Hanley was bitten by the travel bug early in life as he explored British Columbia and far-away places like Hawaii, England, Paris and Argentina during summer vacations with family. In fact, he enjoyed these experiences so much that he turned his early passion for travelling into a career and attended the Hospitality Management Program at Vancouver Community College after graduating from high school.
James Hanley |
His first summer job was as a Night Houseman at The Rosedale on Robson. James then joined the team at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver where he worked for 9 years as a Mini-Bar Porter, and on a typical day maintained mini-bars in 130 guestrooms over 34 floors. He even held the record of servicing 200 guest rooms in a single day!
Through tough times, James is a model of perseverance, not because of any disability, but because of his ability to focus on what needs to be done to succeed. In March, James was laid off due to restructuring of his role. For many this could be a highly depressing event, but James took this as an opportunity to consider his path. He was interested in career counseling after taking the Career Practitioners program at Simon Fraser University (while working full-time), yet James still loved the hospitality industry.
This spring, James Hanley embarked on a new opportunity at the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, following referral by Mark Gruenheid of the GVBLN. He joined their banquets department as a Server and in banquets setup. There, he feels highly valued and is encouraged to push himself even further by being in front of guests. You can see a genuine sense of pride when James says, “I’ve had jobs where I’ve stayed in the back and it’s now great to be up front serving and interacting more with guests”.
James Hanley has Cerebral Palsy (CP), which affects his speech, walking and fine motor skills. If people have a certain perception of James because of the way he speaks and walks – they are wrong, and these pre-conceived ideas may ultimately cloud the way his potential contributions are viewed.
“Pre-conceived ideas of people like me can be very limiting, as we are able to do a lot more than what people think,” states James, “but thanks to groups like the Workforce Inclusion Initiative (WII-STEP) and the Greater Vancouver Business Leadership Network, people can re-learn that those with disabilities are just like everybody else, the only difference is we have more barriers to overcome sometimes.”
All three of his previous positions in the industry were physically demanding, yet James succeeded and continues to do so. Although it may limit the physical load, the reality is that CP does not affect James’ ability to provide service excellence, nor does it affect his dedication, enthusiasm, perseverance, teamwork, friendly personality, his drive, communication and reliability – all essential qualities and skills to succeed in the tourism industry.
James also puts his Career Counseling certificate to good use by assisting the WII-STEP team during candidate introductions and interviews. “Candidates relate to James and are not afraid of asking questions around what it’s really like to have a physical disability and be in a physical or customer service role,” says Jamie Millar-Dixon, WII-STEP’s Tourism Employment Specialist. “Plus, he has great experience and talks positively about his previous employers – he really is a terrific tourism ambassador!”
James believes the key to anyone’s success when it comes to an employment opportunity, whether you have a disability or not, is to find the right position to match the person’s skills and abilities, ideally a position that allows development of new skills and advancement within the company. “Think of people with disabilities and what we are able to do,” says James, “this can begin to affect what we believe we can do. Luckily WII-STEP and the people behind it open doors to help others succeed, breaking down barriers, challenging perceptions and promoting opportunities for people with disabilities.”
Written by James Hanley and Jamie Millar-Dixon. This article is reprinted with permission from WII-STEP. For more information about this program, visit www.wiistepbc.ca.
