Daisy Brown

Daisy Brown will be presenting on Day 1 of the Opening Opportunities conference alongside her mother, Gillian Brown on the theme of Creating opportunities that start with the person: Job development.

About Daisy Brown

Portrait of Daisy Brown

16-year-old Daisy is currently in year 12 at Charters Towers School of Distance Education. She is combining schooling (QCE) with a Cert II in animal studies at Central Queensland University via the Start Tafe Now programme. She loves rap music and reformer pilates.

Daisy has a lifelong interest in animals, particularly horses and dogs. She established her career by undertaking a work experience placement in a vet clinic. Her teammates valued her skills in asking questions, using her initiative and monitoring dogs in surgical recovery. As a result, Daisy was offered an ongoing job at the vet and now works 17 hours a week. Her tasks at work include bathing dogs in the hydro bath and providing laser treatment, pre- and post-operative care, and general animal care.

Daisy’s School-to-Work Journey

Daisy Brown and Gillian Brown

Join Gillian and Daisy to hear how Daisy has used her high school years to explore employment and create a seamless transition from year 12 to working life in a job that is a great fit for Daisy. They’ll discuss

  • Daisy’s experience of distance learning
  • how school-based Work Experience operates under the distance education model
  • how paying attention to Daisy’s interests helped identify potential school-based Work Experience opportunities
  • how they approached the Veterinary practice to ask for a Work Experience opportunity
  • the supports Daisy needed to thrive in the workplace, including:
    • having clear instructions about workplace expectations and clearly listed jobs
    • assistive technology
    • social scripting and helpful phrases
    • staff awareness around the impact of her disability and needs in the workplace
  • the challenges that have arisen and how they’ve overcome them.

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