Since I have this person in my life, from a young age, I was given some cool opportunities. When I was 14, I volunteered at the camp they went to, and shortly thereafter became a support worker. This continued to be what I did for work all through my adolescence, straight into adulthood. Even though I was working in the field, I still did not know what I wanted to take in post-secondary. I considered every career out there before I finally settled on taking disability studies. It took some time to figure this out because I didn’t feel like I was working, I was just hanging out with my friends who needed a little extra support.
Ultimately, I ended up with a degree in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. This is what led me to AAFS—in my final practicum, I was very specific that I wanted to work at a place where autism is the main focus. I remember so specifically getting an email in Mexico about AAFS being an option for me, and I immediately snapped that up. Shortly after starting my practicum with AAFS, I realized that this was where I wanted to be, and it’s where my person needed to be as well.
On the last day of my practicum, I signed my contract to be a staff member. I worked as an SEG for 4 months and then asked Dean for more responsibility. He told me about this idea they had for VAULT, and I quickly jumped on the opportunity. I was still in school full-time but I got VAULT up and running. One of our first members of the program was my person.
Everything I have done at work, I have used this person as a scale for “is it good enough yet?”. Ultimately, the answer is always no, but it pushes me to work harder and make the programs I have better. After being the Vault Facilitator for a year, I became the Adult Program Coordinator, and honestly, I couldn’t be more proud. Every day I get to go to work, be with my friends, and help the people around me grow, as they help me grow.
The person in my life who has inspired all of this is my younger sister Lauren. I can honestly say that AAFS is my home, and Lauren would quickly say the same thing. It feels so good to know that every day she is there, she is home.
Brittany Morrison
Adult Programs Coordinator