Social Work Personal Narrative

My first opportunity to work in the social work field came as I gained employment with Tobias House Attendant Care. Working with a diverse group of men (18 – 72 years of age) as a personnel support worker. In the case of the young men (who were transitioning from Bloorview Children’s Hospital), my role was defined as a life skills coordinator and my job entailed teaching these men how to navigate self-directed care. This involved working with the young individuals on how to navigate a life with limited institutional support. This included (but not limited to) teachings around banking practices, hygiene, social interactions, support equipment maintenance, monthly budgeting and research into beneficial programs (education, grants, sources of income other than ODSP).

During my tenure at Tobias House I had the opportunity to be tasked out as the regional coordinator for the “Dave Shannon Cross Canada Tour.” Dave Shannon is a paraplegic lawyer committed to policy and legal advocacy for the protection of human rights and community inclusion for persons with disabilities and Order of Ontario recipient.

Being involved with such a large-scale advocacy project (regional manager of Southern Ontario) had its challenges and initially seemed overwhelming. But, with the assistance of several Tobias House administration staff, we were able to coordinate a procession of over 1500 people in wheel chairs, down Yonge Street from North York City Hall to the Eaton Centre’s Trinity Square. This experience and many others associated with this endeavor taught me how to engage local political processes and staff, work with diverse communities, form coalitions with other support services and, most importantly, advocate on behalf of people living with disabilities. With this knowledge I have had the good fortune to be involved with several community initiatives including the Regent Park Tenant’s Collective, the Toronto Co-op Housing Federation and the Bain

Cooperative.

My volunteer work with the Bain Cooperative revolved the establishment of a ‘Human Rights Policy’ in order to establish protections for its most vulnerable population. I am referring to the subset of the co-op members living with physical and mental disabilities. This work included research into human rights policies as they intersected with the Landlord and Tenant Act, which afforded me an opportunity to increase my knowledge base in areas that relate to both disability issues and the navigation of institutional policies that impact this population. Additionally, our ad hoc committee spearheaded an initiative with the Good Sheppard, community service organization, which saw the realization of the Bain Co-op’s provision of several units for service users of the Good Shepard.
More recently I have been involved in an advocacy campaign involving bringing attention to Canadian Forces veterans who have run into difficulty transitioning into civilian life. Through my social work practicum placement at the Good Neighbours’ Club, I have had the opportunity to advocate for the club’s veterans on several news media outlets. The population I advocated with is comprised of men, over 50 years of age, living with homelessness and suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. These individuals, because of societal expectations of self-sufficiency, have very little governmental funding available to them; therefore, make up one of the most vulnerable subsets of homeless populations. This endeavour has taught me a great deal about advocacy as it pertains to navigating television and radio media outlets. Being able to still the nervousness associated with being exposed in live studio interviews through a remembrance of the desperation of those I am speaking on behalf of. At some point in the distant future (after my studies and additional work related experience) this is an avenue of social work that I would be interested in pursuing.