Direct Support Professionals Fellowship Program

Sue is a social worker at the CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre and is thrilled to serve as coordinator of the Direct Support Professionals Fellowship Program with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. Sue is also a mindfulness teacher responsible for developing and delivering mindfulness programs designed for care providers, caregivers and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Sue comes to the Direct Support Fellowship Program with 30 years’ experience as a DSP; first having provided community-based case management, then in a lead role developing and delivering staff rights training. Sue has also delivered human rights education to persons with disabilities and their support networks at ARCH Disability Law Centre. Sue is excited to work with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence to support and strengthen the lives of care providers across Canada.

Olabisi is a direct support professional with over 13 years of experience delivering care for people with disabilities in Canada and abroad.

Since she began her career as a direct support professional in 2010, she has focused on assisting and encouraging the individuals she supports to achieve their personal goals through the development of life skills.

She worked as a disability support worker and advocate in Nigeria for over one and a half years before moving to the United Kingdom, where she obtained a diploma in health and social care and gained experience working in a long-term mental rehabilitation hospital.

When Olabisi moved to Canada, she maintained her commitment to serving the disability community, and now works at St. Amant’s Community Residential Program in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Olabisi is passionate about helping people foster meaningful connections in their communities.

Lindsay serves as the vice chair of the Alliance of Direct Support Professionals of Manitoba. In this role, she advocates for best practices and professional development opportunities for professionals in her field.

In Lindsay’s DSP work at St. Amant, she is the coordinator of the Foster Services Program for children and youth with disabilities. There, she witnesses the crucial role that dedicated and qualified staff play in ensuring successful transitions for youth. She began her career as a direct support professional in the Community Residential Program in 2009.

Claudiane is passionate about the wellbeing of direct support professionals who work with individuals with severe behaviours. Claudiane is currently completing her master’s degree in psychoeducation at Université de Montréal, where she will be pursuing her studies as a doctorate student in fall 2023. Claudiane comes with 16 years of experience as a special education instructor.

Claudiane recently completed her final internship with the Service Quebecois d’expertise en troubles graves du comportement, where she planned projects related to competency-based training and creating tools for health workers working with people with severe behavioral disorders that are under the health and social services system’s authority. Claudiane brings a warmth to the DS Fellows, representing the interests of Francophone DSPs as well.

Jodie is the vocational counselor at the Chilliwack Society of Community Living where she works with participants of a new service called L.I.F.E.. Jodie is a strong advocate for the individuals she supports, her coworkers and the community at large. Jodie looks forward to serving fellow DSPs as part of the DSP Fellowship Program. Jodie has been working in the social service field for 30 years and resides in the lovely community of Rosedale BC.

Juanita is a proud Black woman born to Caribbean parents.
She is a CUPE member in the Ontario region and is a lead steward for Local 2191. Juanita has served the membership through various elected and appointed positions. She is currently a co-chair of CUPE’s Human Rights and Racial Justice committee in Ontario, and she is the Equity and Inclusion representative for the Social Service Workers Coordinating Committee in Ontario.

Juanita is also the chair of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Region One Under 40 Committee.

Penny has worked with Chilliwack Society for Community Living for 13 years. Penny currently works as a vocational counsellor supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in obtaining paid employment.

Penny has also provided direct support topeople living in supported homes, as a respite worker and as a community support worker in a variety of community inclusion programs. Penny is passionate about supporting people to live with dignity in their community and is equally passionate about the wellbeing of DSPs.

Drucila has been a care provider since 2011. She began her career in the long-term care sector before bringing her skills to developmental services, where she has been working as a direct support professional for four years.

She currently works as a regional rehabilitation worker, providing direct support to residents who have been identified with psychological and social or behavioral challenges as well as developmental disabilities and/or chronic mental illnesses. In her role, Drucila provides skill development support to residents with goals of moving to smaller community settings to be able to thrive in their communities.

Drucila is excited to bring her voice to the Direct Support Professionals Fellowship representing Nova Scotia.

Kiara is a proud and vocal DSP in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kiara has worked on the front line in developmental services for 10 years with Community Living Thunder Bay.

Kiara stays active with her union OPSEU to learn and grow as a DSP and to feel empowered with the knowledge of a worker’s rights. Kiara believes that strong DSPs are best able to provide the most fulfilling opportunities for people receiving services.

Scott is a direct support professional with a strong interest in evidence-based practices and the science of support. Scott has been doing this work for more than 20 years. In addition to providing services, Scott speaks at conferences on a variety of topics related to his extensive experience as a DSP.

Scott shares: “I noticed not everyone is, or wants to be, a leader; some struggle with following. I find myself supporting leaders, learners, followers and those who are undecided, uninformed or in between”.

Scott has passion for breaking down the silos and working toward a fully inclusive community. As part of that, Scott can often be heard talking about the importance of a role he loves – being a grandfather – in addition to his many roles in the community.

Brittany is an inclusion consultant with Inclusion Saskatchewan, a provincial organization that supports individuals living with disabilities and their families.

She attained her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Regina in April of 2019 and joined the team at Inclusion Saskatchewan in November of 2020. Prior to her work at Inclusion Saskatchewan, she worked as a youth services worker for the Ministry of Social Services: Child & Family Programs.

Her experience in the disability sector stems from working as an individual support worker and a summer camp counsellor at Camp Easter Seal. Brittany brings with her a passion for connecting and working alongside individuals living with disabilities in a way that promotes dignity, respect, and independence.

Michelle started her career in human services in 2007, providing direct support to people with lived experience of disability, and currently provides support to people accessing individualized supported independent living services.

Michelle volunteers as an advisor for People First of Manitoba and is the chair of the board for the Alliance of Direct Support Professionals of Manitoba. Michelle is passionate about the professionalization of the direct support field in Manitoba in order to achieve high quality standards of practice and to empower care recipients and their families to lead happy and enriched lives of their choosing.

Michelle studied in the Disability and Community Support Program at Winnipeg’s Red River College Polytechnic and has been certified as a Personal Outcome Measures trainer and interviewer with the Council on Quality and Leadership.