2020 - The Value of Support - BFTV DOCUMENTARIES

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“The Value of Support” follows developmental service providers as they reflect on their experiences working in group homes, illustrating how underfunding impacts their safety, the resident’s safety, and the quality of life for both groups in the home.

A picture of Rhea DSingh, a subject of the documentary

Rhea DSingh

A picture of Erin Rice, one of the subjects of the documentary

Erin Rice

A picture of Kelly Nobert, a subject of their documentary

Kelly Nobert

Rhea is a DSW and vice-president of her local OPSEU. Passionate about caring for others, Rhea has valuable insight to the current situation in the communities.

Erin works with OPSEU and is an active advocate for DS worker rights. As the main voice of the documentary, Erin knows that things have to change and shares her own story with us.

Kelly is a DS worker who works with individuals in their own home, offering insight into the lives of DS workers outside of the community organizations.

A group of DSWs

Developmental Service Workers

A Developmental Service Worker (DSW) supports individuals with developmental disabilities, often supporting those in community living, or in some cases supporting individuals in their own homes.
DSWs deal with unsafe working conditions, difficult or demanding hours, understaffing and other risks depending on the region/organization they work with.

Organizations are nearing their breaking point. OASIS, 2019.

The Current Situation:

Costs are increasing.
It is increasingly difficult to recruit staff, and turnover rates are higher.
More people are being supported by the same number of staff.
Wait Lists have increased.
Regulations vary by region, leading to a lack of consistency between agencies.

An OPSEU Rally: a large group of people (10-15) stand by a crosswalk in a city with flags and signs.

We are one positive case -- the people who work in the developmental services sector -- one positive case away from a serious crisis. Christine Schmidt, OPSEU Local 686

Erim wearing an OPSEU face mask.

Covid-19's Impact

Like many other fields, the developmental services sector has felt the impact of COVID-19. With outbreaks in some communities and restrictions making effective care difficult, the sector is rapidly nearing a breaking point. Combined with already unsafe working conditions, the pandemic has only increased the stress DSWs face in their day to day work.

Learn More

A Black button with VISIT OPSEU on it

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The Crew

Storey Rode

Storey is the picture editor for The Value of Support.

Andrew Knaggs

Andrew is the sound supervisor for The Value of Support.

He is in his third year of BFTV specializing in Sound Editing and Sound Design. He always start every project with a comprehensive review of the script to see in which ways my sound can mold the project from well-built to indestructible. He is still honing my craft as a sound editor and designer but he has experience with 6 years of sound-specific filmmaking and 9+ years of formal music education. He discovered his love of film sound with work from Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry’s “musique concrete” as well as Walter Murch’s work with American Zoetrope.

Hayley Torio

A photo of a young woman smiling, Hayley Torio.

Hayley Torio is a writer for The Value of Support.

“I am so glad that I was invited to join this documentary because I am constantly learning new things every time I sit down to engage in new research. Before coming onto this crew, I was blind to the hardships that developmental service workers had to face within their occupation. My hope is that when we finish this documentary, and even beyond that, we can open people’s eyes to why the workers in this industry deserve to be heard. It is an honour to share their stories in order to help them reach a wider audience."

Raine Lundy

Raine is the producer, director and writer for The Value of Support.

Ethan Butler

A black and white photo of a young man, Ethan Butler

Ethan is a writer and researcher for The Value of Support.

Ethan is a third year BFTV student at Sheridan College specializing in Directing, Writing and Sound. Filmmaking has been a passion for Ethan, stemming back to elementary school and originally beginning with visual arts.

“I’m excited to help assist in bringing this very important and looked over story to life in order to help make a change for those working with and living with developmental disabilities.”

Hugo Hum

Hugo is the graphics editor for The Value of Support.

Natasha Uhrig

Natasha is the prop artist for The Value of Support.

"The director, Raine Lundy, came to me and asked for a miniature house model to represent a group home to support her film’s story line. With a background in visual art and set design, I was thrilled to take on this challenge and bring a part of this story to life. Personal Support Workers deserve to have their voices heard and proper compensation that reflects their responsibilities – and I think The Value of Support helps to reflect that."

Malcolm Judah

Malcolm is the director of photography for The Value of Support.

Alex Buckenroth

Alex is the assistant editor and DMT for The Value of Support.

Kara O'Donnell

Kara is a writer and a transmedia producer for The Value of Support.

She is a third year BFTV student specializing in Writing and Producing.

"Getting the chance to help share the reality of what these support workers go through means a lot. I hope that with this documentary, we can help to share their stories and bring some of the issues they face to the forefront of people's minds."