Team Member

Program Manager

claireforrest@uvic.ca

canassist@uvic.ca

Claire joined CanAssist as the Program Manager for ESYD in August 2024. Together with her team they delivered a $4 million initiative to design the CanWork BC tools and resources, with the aim of increasing awareness and access to employment supports for youth with disabilities. Claire is currently leading the ESYD team to evaluate these tools and resources.

Claire brings over 15 years of experience working with children and young people with diverse abilities, including working as a support worker for autistic children and administering standardized assessments to develop individual education plans. Her research background and love of problem-solving drives her enthusiasm for delivering evidence-based practice. Before moving to Victoria, she evaluated an intervention to support language development in low socio-economic areas in England.

Claire holds a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Bath, England. She is passionate about bringing awareness and understanding to developmental disorders and disabilities, with an approach informed by the social model of disability. She believes in centering young people’s voices and enjoys learning from community partners to address structural inequalities and remove barriers to equal participation.

Outside of work, Claire loves to attend live music performances, go for a run and swim in the sea. She is grateful to be a guest on these beautiful lands which remind her so much of growing up in Scotland.

Claire acknowledges and respects the the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. Claire recognizes the privileges that she has and is committed to not only continuing her learning, but also to actively engage in the work of reconciliation and to amplify the voices of those who are marginalized.