The purpose of this course is to gain 160 hours in the workplace in the field of disability management at an introductory level.
FAQ BDM Courses
WHDM 312: Management Skills for Workplace Health Sciences (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to examine the role of a manager, the management environment, and the skills and knowledge required to perform management functions. Students will also explore the application of management functions to workplace programs, including return to work, occupational health and safety and wellness programs.
Prerequisite: WHDM 209
WHDM 206 (Formerly 310): Decision Making & Data Analysis (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to workplace data collection and analysis activities, and to the role of statistical analysis in general. An overview of how and why data is collected in the workplace, and the role of data analysis in organizational and program decision making, will be followed by a general introduction to statistics and methods of analysis that are used to interpret data. Basic descriptive and inferential statistical techniques will be presented in the context of their use in the workplace.
WHDM 309: Job Analysis, Assessment Reports & Accommodation Technology (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the theoretical and practical background to identify and record job demands, interpret assessment reports, determine when there is a mismatch between individual capacity and job demands, and eliminate these through accommodation planning.
WHDM 307: Mental Health Conditions & Work Retention (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of adverse mental health conditions in general, and from a workplace perspective. Students will examine the concept of mental illness and explore common mental health impairments, including their impact on the workplace, potential treatments, and strategies for retention and return to work.
WHDM 304: Disability, Work & the Law (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to examine the legal underpinnings of disability management established in international treaties, national, federal and provincial law and regulation. Workplace practices that are commonly governed by statutes and regulations in most jurisdictions and the issues and rationale underlying the legislation will be analyzed. Common provisions developed in response to workplace issues and the legislative requirements that underpin the source or cause of the workplace disability, the legal boundaries within which employers and unions are required to operate, and the requirements on the employee will be compared. Students will examine the specific employment and workplace legislation in their own jurisdictions, the regulations through which the legislation is implemented, and how these affect organizational practices. Processes related to identifying, measuring and mitigating risks to health and safety will be explored.
WHDM 303: Introduction to Vocational Rehabilitation (1.5 credits)
In this course, students will examine vocational rehabilitation processes that can be implemented when a physical or mental health condition prevents workers from returning to the job that they carried out prior to incurring a disability. These processes include providing appropriate assessments and counselling to identify an optimum career/job direction; a search for resources, including training opportunities, job coaching, the development of job search skills, and supportive assistive devices and technologies; and identifying funding sources for implementing the vocational rehabilitation plan.
WHDM 302: Physical Impairments & Work Retention (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of physical disabilities, their impact on work activities, and how workers can be accommodated to mitigate the effects of work disability.
WHDM 301: Communication in the Workplace (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of communication, with a focus on the use of effective communication techniques in individual and group situations in the workplace.
WHDM 214: Practicum Preparation and Proposal (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to prepare students for participation in the practicum stream, including how to conduct oneself appropriately in the workplace; how to search for a practicum; how to write introductory letters and negotiate the duties; how to identify the training required in the workplace; how to write a proposal for practicum processes and how they will be implemented in the third and fourth year of the program; and how to participate in physical or mental health first aid, WHMIS, or other training as appropriate preparation for going on site. Students will propose a project and presentation to be completed in the third and fourth year of the program.
Prerequisite: WHDM 212
WHDM 212: Introduction to Professional Ethics (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide a foundation of professional ethics as part of preparation for practicums in the workplace. This is an introduction to professional ethics and a philosophical treatment of ethical principles and ethical theories. The course also looks at the development of applied ethics in contemporary fields, like social work, medicine and healthcare, bioethics, disability management, and human resources. All material is grounded in exercises, initially within the context of reasoning, ethical theory and decision-making and later with more specificity with respect to the field of disability management.
WHDM 211: Independent Study in a Work Disability Issue (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to explore a workplace health science issue relevant to a work sector. Students will be expected to identify a work sector and a relevant issue such as prevention of injury, disability or promotion of health in the workplace. Students will do a literature review of grey, policy and evidence literature and develop a website to share that organizes knowledge and summaries key information to promote and share the knowledge on a workplace issue within a work sector.
WHDM 203: Disability & Society (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide an in depth analysis of the scope and focus of disability policy and legislation from a societal perspective using the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a framework. It will provide students with a grounding in the regulatory framework within which disability policy is deployed through legislation and regulation in a number of areas that are central to disability management including independent living and mobility, education, health, rehabilitation, employment, adequate living standards and social protection. Legal cases that have set precedents in the field will be reviewed and analyzed. Students will critique the application of disability policy and legislation in terms of their impact on equality of participation and full citizenship for persons with disabilities and the role that Disability Management can play in achieving these aspirations.