Our Mission

To work with people with developmental disabilities to facilitate their participation in all aspects of their home and community life, by building a cooperative work environment where both people with developmental disabilities and Developmental Services Workers can thrive.

Staff Members

At the Developmental Services Worker Co-op our DSW’s enjoy the benefit of not only working in the community with their clients but also of working within a supportive community themselves.
Our goal is to provide a work environment where our DSW workers feel equally as supported as our clients.

Credentials

All of our workers are required to have, at a minimum, the following qualifications: a Developmental Services Worker (DSW) College Diploma, First Aid and CPR Certification and a valid Vulnerable Sector Police Records Check/Clearance. Our workers go through a lengthy probationary period before becoming members of the co-operative, and get feedback directly from clients.

History

The DSW Co-op was founded in March, 2018 to address Ottawa’s need for affordable, high-quality, 1:1 direct support services for persons with developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and to address the need for supportive work-communities for DSWs.

In 2017, when starting on the path to growth, we received several awards including: The William G. Davis innovation fund,  and The Algonquin College student change maker award.