Graduating year: 2019
Hometown: Richmond, BC
Stream: Bkin Interdisciplinary Stream
Employed by: Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA)
Position: Project Worker
Chariisa Yu has just completed her co-op placement with the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) in Richmond, BC. DDA has over 50 programs dedicated to individuals with developmental disability in Richmond and Vancouver. This non-profit organization provides services to over 1,600 individuals each year. DDA supports infants, children, youth, adults, and families. They seek to create a safe, welcoming, and enriching environment in each program.
Chariisa worked with the Holiday Options program, accompanying up to six adults with developmental disabilities on their holiday trips, which meant she got to do a lot of travelling over the summer. “I travelled to Harrison Hot Springs, Salt Spring Island, and did an Alaska Cruise.” She says she really enjoyed the variety of work involved. “I was the primary caregiver of the adults, which meant being responsible for their activities, meals, medications, and finances, to name a few. I really enjoyed creating itineraries and planning what to do during the trips, as well as getting to know the adults and developing a relationship with them since the trips would be for one week.”
The position also presented her with some unique challenges, including managing the schedule during the trips and planning activities for a group of individuals for five days. “The activities needed to cater to the needs of all six adults with a developmental disability, so it was sometimes challenging to find that middle ground,” she says. “Additionally, it’s a lot of responsibility to care for a significant number of people for an extended period of time.”
This unique co-op position comes highly recommended by Chariisa, as she says it gave her more understanding of a wide range of varying needs, including cerebral palsy, visual impairment, speech impairment, autism, and mobility impairment. “It’s a really cool job since you get to travel and gain experience working with adults with developmental disabilities,” she says. “If a student has an interest working with people with disabilities but is uncertain of their preferred population or haven’t had a lot of experience working with people with disabilities, this is an awesome place to start!”
The knowledge she gained from this co-op placement means that she now has an idea about what areas she’d like to focus her attention when she graduates. “The job gave me a clearer direction of what I would like to pursue after graduation.”