Personal stories

Disability support work enhances lives.

People enter this field for many different reasons, the people who stay, often talk about the difference it has made in their lives. You may enter the field because you want to make a difference in someone else’s life but, chances are, the experience could make a positive difference in your own.

Disability Support Workers Make a Difference

All Kathy H. really wanted was to live her own life to the fullest.  And that’s exactly what she’s doing, thanks to the staff at Brandon Community Options (BCO).

A forty-something woman living with an intellectual disability, Kathy formerly lived with her mother, Laura, before joining the BCO day program. Kathy has since found the independence she deserved and her mother has the peace of mind that her only daughter is receiving the support she needs to live a good life.

“Kathy’s disability support workers have been absolute gifts,” says Laura. “They focus on ability, to help my daughter build her self-confidence.”

Kathy considers her disability support worker, Sarah, as a “friend” rather than a service provider – a friend who helps her with finances, health care matters and leisure activities. Sarah says the bond is mutual.

“I have been a disability support worker for eight years,” says Sarah. “It’s a really interesting job that allows me to meet a lot of great people and learn a lot about myself, while having the personal satisfaction of seeing people like Kathy grow and progress.”

It is clear that Kathy is happy living in her Brandon group home, participating fully in the life of her community. It didn’t take her very long to appreciate the things that other people take for granted.

“One of the first things Kathy said to me after she moved into the group home was ‘Mom, I’m in the phone book!’” says Laura. “She was so excited to be out on her own and so pleased to feel like her own person.”