Job Description
My work involves thinking about the ways that people with disabilities can be seen as ordinary people. I get to be involved in activities and projects that help someone with a disability get a paid job or join a gym or attend night classes or start their own neighbouhood fitness class. Basically I look at all the ways people with disabilities are excluded and then work with people with disabilities and other people in power to fix that.
Career Story
I always thought I wanted to be a teacher. I went to university to get a Bachelor of Arts degree (Child and Youth Studies), which was a program that led right into the Bachelor of Education program at that same university.
When I did my practicums, I realized that while I like kiddos, I was not very good at keeping 25 sets of eyes on me and doing what they are supposed to.
I looked at what about teaching I felt drawn to, and it was about helping people. So, I found a Master of Social Work program and took schooling to learn about how I might become a therapist.
When I did some of my courses that required we practice our skills, I discovered I often wanted to cry about these real challenges people deal with. I kept thinking about their stories and it started to make me feel sad even when I was home. I have my own history and a mood disorder that can be triggered by the stories and realities of others.
Knowing this, I began to think about how I could work in a way that was optimistic and positive and about creating for success. I realized I wanted to make changes way before someone needed to be sitting in a therapist office. I wanted to work to change our entire community, so that the sorts of things I listened to in those therapy sessions didn't actually happen anymore.
Because I worked part time all through my education at an organization that helped people with disabilities with their everyday lives, I knew I really enjoyed working with people who have disabilities.
When I put my idea of changing our communities to be positive and welcoming places and thought about how often people with disabilities are excluded, I knew I found what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in community development. Community Development is another branch of Social Work, just like counselling and therapy.