Moving out and living on your own is something that all young people look forward to. With the help of a rent subsidy, Jason Huish has lived independently in his own apartment since 1995.

But the 26-year-old didn't always manage life well. In his own words,"I used to spend all my AISH cheque in the first two weeks of the month. My apartment was always a mess, and I didn't have proper job skills." Jason needed help, and in 1995 he found the help he needed at the Westlock Independence Network (WIN).

Over the years, a lot of people from WIN have helped Jason learn useful living and work skills. He speaks fondly of one woman in particular, Cheri. He says, "She was tough on me. She told me I was capable of lots of things in life, and she helped me to get focussed and to control my emotional outbursts. With her help, I learned how to write a weekly budget, make a shopping list, keep my apartment tidy, dress appropriately, and balance my cheque book."

The work training program at WIN, where he met his best friend and mentor Dan Ostby, helped Jason's working skills. "I worked as a janitor," he says,"I helped deliver lunches on a food cart, and I shelved books at both the high school and the municipal libraries." Currently, he has just started his first "real" job working as a courtesy clerk at IGA. "I'm really proud of my job," Jason says. "Tom Vesley's my boss. He has four employees with disabilities, and he's very supportive."

In addition to his busy working life, Jason has an active social life. When a friend mentioned that Jason would make a good floor hockey coach in Special Olympics, he got involved. Jason and his team have done well in a number of competitions, and he remains an enthusiastic supporter of Special Olympics.

Jason inherited a love of music from his grandparents and his father. "When I listen to music," he says, "I have a good time. Sometimes it's an anger management technique. My dad used to play the guitar. My grandpa used to be a drummer in a pipe and drum band in Vancouver, and my Grandma used to be pianist for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I also have an uncle who used to play for Blue Rodeo."

"One day," he continues, "I plan to open my own music store in Westlock. I'm going to have murals painted of Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, the Beatles, and Kurt Cobain. I'll sell CDs, cassettes, video game systems, and CD players to other music lovers like me."

"Life has been good to me so far," Jason says. "I've changed a lot since I first came to Westlock. I have WIN, my mother Janet Huish, and my fiancée Desiree Drouin to thank for my being a success today."

Summer 2002 Update

I am an advocate for disabled adults and children because we deserve the same opportunities as nondisabled people. We have the right to go to school, to have employment we like, to have a family, to have a cat or dog, to have a car, and to follow our dreams.