Adam Longboat worked as a welder and suffered a workplace injury that tore his shoulder from his socket.
“The thing that drove me to get checked out was not being able to lift my kids without my shoulder popping out of place,” said Adam. “They were one and three at the time, and they didn’t understand at all. They just wanted to play with their dad.”
Adam sought help from the WSIB. His support team included case managers, nurse consultants, and return-to-work specialists. Assessments showed he had no realistic possibility of returning to work as a welder, and no work was available with his employer that suited his functional abilities and requirements.
“It was a little bit terrifying, to be honest, with having kids, having bills, a car, insurance,” said Adam. “But once the WSIB team got into the picture, I was able to relax, do the things that I needed to do and go to school. So, I was able to focus on trying to build my next career.”
Adam started courses at Mohawk College and went on a co-op assignment at an insurance company for a year. While there, he became a voice of truth and reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples and earned awards from Experiential & Work-Integrated Learning Ontario and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada.
Less than a month after graduating he began his insurance career as an associate auto claims representative with an insurance company.
Adam says the moral and practical support he got from his return-to-work team made a big difference to him in his journey to his new career.
"They made me feel like I was cared about – I was not just another number."