Developmental Services Workers Graduate From Centennial College in Two Years

“Students of the Developmental Services Worker program learn about strategies to support people, such as teaching strategies, personal support, resources in the community and impacting the impressions and attitudes of the public positively about people with intellectual disabilities,” says Peg Jenner, the program coordinator of the undertaking at Centennial College. Meanwhile, Penny Lang, a student of the program offers this view of the undertaking: “Our instructors are good at teaching us not only the theory, but they give us examples of what they would do in certain situations and those examples really help us and also develop our critical thinking skills. I’m confident that what I learn now I’m going to be able take to the work place.”

While these testimonials provide a great overview of the two-year undertaking, which results in an Ontario College Diploma, let’s take a closer look at the specifics. To apply, students must possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, they must have taken the compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent. English proficiency will be considered in the admissions process and a program admission session may also be required.

Centennial’s Developmental Services Worker offering boasts a curriculum that reflects current issues and developments. Emphasis is placed on understanding the nature of intellectual disabilities, personal support requirements and technique, communication and facilitation skills, critical and reflective thinking, team skills, time management and accessing resource. Helping people to fill valued social roles, teaching and the provision of personal support are some of the skills developed within this curriculum. Specific courses include: Valued Social Roles, Supports for Personal Health Care, Social Psychology, Pharmacology, Building Responsive Communities, History of Disability, and more.

In semesters three and four, students participate in two placements to gain applied experiences supporting people who have intellectual disabilities within different contexts. Students have the opportunity to take the responsibility for designing and implementing plans or strategies to teach and support individuals and/or work with communities. Facilitation and leadership skills, community development and, positive imagining and competencies for holistic the personal well-being and community inclusion for individuals whom students support are some of the areas they pursue in the placements. Some field placement agencies may require a criminal reference check prior to student placement. Certain criminal convictions may disallow placement in these agencies and program completion may not be possible.

If students want to further their education upon graduation from Centennial College, they may be eligible to participate in an articulated program with selected universities, institutes and professional associations. These partnerships allow graduates to apply academic credit towards further study. The partner of the Developmental Services Worker program is Ryerson University (Disability Studies). Graduates with a B grade average or better can apply to Ryerson’s two-year post-diploma degree completion program, Bachelor of Applied Arts in Disability Studies.

Developmental services workers (DSWs) work with those with intellectual disabilities in their homes, at work and school, and in leisure roles in the community. Their goal is to help to build natural community supports, networks and valued social roles for individuals with intellectual disabilities.