DSW Students Participate in We Inspire Week!
Tags: Vol. 5, January 2025, Issue 1
During the week of November 18th, 2024, students and faculty in the Developmental Services Worker program at Humber Polytechnic, and colleges across the province, celebrated the annual WE Inspire Week – WE Inspire Advocacy!
WE Inspire Week is dedicated to honoring the work of developmental services professionals and DSW students across Ontario. This year's theme was advocacy, and our students and faculty engaged in discussions about advocacy across various courses, exploring how students, as future professionals, can become effective advocates.
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, developmental services professionals and individuals with lived experience joined our second-year students, faculty, and community guests for a panel presentation organized by DSW Program faculty Andrea Rutherford and Mackenzie Ketchell. The panel, titled "Changing the Narrative on Life Trajectories: From Advocacy to Employment," focused on employment for people with developmental disabilities and their lived experiences. This event provided students with valuable insights into the positive impact employment has on the lives of people with developmental disabilities and highlighted the role they can play in supporting job seekers.
To conclude WE Inspire Week, on Friday, November 22, 2024, students from Humber Polytechnic’s DSW Program joined over 300 students and faculty from other DSW Programs across the province for a free, virtual, one-day conference. Attendees heard from professionals on topics emphasizing the importance of advocacy, including culture and diversity, justice system support, and presentations from provincial rights group, "Our Voices Matter." The conference ended with the announcement of the winners of the WE Inspire Provincial Video contest. We are proud to share that our very own DSW Program student, Sarah Kindler, won second place for her video on the importance of advocacy and her role as a future DSW. Congratulations, Sarah!
The DSW Program looks forward to celebrating another fantastic WE Inspire Week in Fall 2025!
