For Melanie Forbes, connection isn’t just a word, it’s the foundation of a career at St.Amant that’s spanned 20 years and impacted many lives.

As Manager of Corporate Education, Forbes supports employees and volunteers through their education and onboarding. She has plenty of lived experience here to share, as she’s continued to advance her education at every step of her career ladder.

“I think we’re never done learning,” she said. “It’s important to me to challenge myself and to continue on in my learning and my career.”

A beloved organization in Manitoba, St.Amant is dedicated to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and autism to live full lives, rooted in dignity and choice. With a team of more than 2000 staff and hundreds of volunteers, the nonprofit offers residential, clinical, educational, and outreach services, always emphasizing person-centred care and inclusion.

Forbes’s career with St. Amant began in 2005, when she started as a direct support professional in the Community Residential Program, a service that empowers adults with intellectual disabilities to live their lives in their own homes in the community.

“We support them to do the things that everybody does in life – go hang out with friends, participate in clubs, see their family, go to church – all that good stuff.”

As an Honours Graduate from RRC Polytech’s Health Care Aide certificate program, Forbes initially considered a career in nursing. However, a few years into her time at St.Amant, she realized that her passion was more in community-focused work. Transitioning to a supervisory Team Leader role, her passion and compass started to align.

“That’s when I started my diploma in Disability and Community Support,” said Forbes. Enrolling in RRC Polytech’s two-year program, she finished the first year, took a break to start her family, and then returned years later to finish off the second year, graduating in 2019.

“It was important to me to challenge myself in my learning and career,” she said. Even now, Forbes is studying at the University of Winnipeg, pursuing a degree in Disability Studies. “At RRC Polytech, I wanted to finish what I had started, and I knew it was a program that my organization valued.”

One standout memory from the program was a media course on disability representation.

“We did an arts project as part of that course, and that was just really fun for me — something that sort of combined my academic interests with my personal hobbies, being sort of crafty,” she recalled.

Beyond technical knowledge, the program found her collaborating with a fascinating, diverse group of students.

“It’s not a lecture style at all. It’s all about learning from one another and sharing experiences,” she said. “You do get some folks that are 35 or 40 or are ready for that next step in their career. It’s a cool learning environment.”

That spirit of connection was carried back to St.Amant, with Forbes bringing her new expertise into roles in corporate education, first as a Training and Development Facilitator and later in her current role.

“I’m still facilitating training – orientation and values-based initiatives like mindfulness, plain language, and training around the Adults Living with an Intellectual Disability Act – but now I’m more so directing the work that happens within our department and supporting the team.”

It’s also led to a leadership role with the Beyond Limits conference, an annual highlight for Forbes, who sits as co-chair and is responsible for pulling together a day of meaningful learning experiences and professional networking for people working within the disability sector.

 “Beyond Limits is a conference for folks supporting people with disabilities or for people with lived experience of disability, as well as others interested in learning about accessibility and inclusion” she said. “It’s a place to learn about research in the field, best practices, and to have opportunities for networking and connecting.”

Regular attendees include different clinical professionals like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language pathologists, leaders within disability organizations, family members, self-advocates, and professionals working in education.

“We also have some people with lived experience of disability that attend, which is really amazing,” she shared. “We strive to include the voice of people with lived experience in our speaker lineup and presentations. That’s so important to us.”

For Forbes, it’s also a chance to reconnect with her RRC Polytech roots.

“I still regularly connect with a lot of the instructors through my involvement with Beyond Limits or through practicum opportunities as we continue to partner with the College.”

Today, many graduates of the Disability and Community Support program work alongside Forbes at St.Amant – often as coordinators within community programs. Practicum students also frequently gain hands-on experience through placements arranged with the organization.

 “When we’re at events like Beyond Limits or talking to the coordinators and the instructors from that program, there’s this sense of community and ‘oh, look at where everybody is now!’ Seeing the different paths that everybody takes, it’s awesome to see that projection.”

For students entering the field, Forbes’s advice is simple: be open and soak it all in.

“Take advantage of that learning opportunity. Enjoy the practicum components where you get to try out different workplace settings and figure out what feels most meaningful for you within this work of supporting people with disabilities,” she said. “It’s a really rewarding career because you get back a lot of great feelings from helping people accomplish their dreams.”

Helping others achieve their goals and advance in this space, similar to what she’s done over 20 years, is what has kept Forbes passionate about her work at St.Amant.

“At the end of the day, no matter what role you’re in, you’re contributing to making life better for people. You’re helping them achieve their dreams and do the things they want to do, and live full and meaningful lives. It feels great to be able to work hard and have an impact on people’s lives.”

Nominated by St.Amant, Forbes was one of 41 incredible graduates featured in the College’s Polytechnic Proud campaign.

Profile by John Gaudes (Creative Communications, 2012).