Scott Robins

My name is Scott Robins and I live in Barrhead, Alberta. I was drawn into the direct support sector 20 years ago by my daughter, who was also a direct support professional and needed a hand when they were short-staffed. At the time, I did not think I would remain in this profession for this long.

I have been interested in supporting people achieve their goals and live in a safe environment from a young age. In high school, I helped homeless people in our town clean up the area they were living to make it safer for them. It was my first exposure to meeting people who had needs that were not necessarily being met in our community. After that experience, I decided to work with youth emergency shelters, supporting the homeless and those vulnerable on the streets and I realized that these people also had dreams and visions but needed help to achieve them.

Working in the disability support sector, I feel invisible and unrecognized in many ways. People don’t seem interested and fewer even understand what we do as support professionals. But I get a lot of satisfaction and a sense of wonder when I get to be a part of celebrating somebody else’s achievements. It’s very rewarding. Working with CCCE and the Direct Support Professionals Fellowship Program, I’m excited to have a platform to change the way direct support work is understood and valued. I now have a network where I’m no longer invisible and I get to see so many other amazing people doing amazing work.