Meet Our Team

Danielle graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Master of Occupational Therapy program in 2012 and also holds a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University. During her undergraduate studies, Danielle worked in group homes supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, where her interest in complex wheelchair seating and assistive technology first sparked. She went on to teach high school math and sciences for several years, but ultimately felt called to pursue her passion for seating and mobility. Danielle returned to complete her OT degree and began knocking on the door of Access Community Therapists before she had even graduated, knowing it was here that she would be able to learn and practice seating. After obtaining the recommended experience in long term care, spinal cord injury, spasticity management, wound care, and community rehab, Danielle joined Access is 2016, specializing in complex wheelchair seating and mobility. She serves clients throughout BC and the Yukon, providing direct client care, as well as education and mentorship to referring clinicians. Danielle joined the Seating Management team in 2021 and became a Director of Access in 2023.

Danielle leverages her background in education and her natural teaching abilities to inspire and equip clinicians in her favourite area of practice: complex seating and mobility. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC where she teaches in the Assistive Technology Seating modules. She develops and delivers seating workshops and oversees the broader education initiatives at Access. Danielle has contributed to a textbook chapter on seating and wheeled mobility, and has presented at multiple conferences including the International Seating Symposium.

It seems most things in Danielle’s life involve wheels. When not working with wheelchairs, she can be found rolling skating around the Stanley Park Sea Wall with her dog Sadie, staring into a spinning bowl on a pottery wheel, or driving her two daughters to soccer practice.

Debbie is an occupational therapist who has extensive experience in seating, mobility and other assistive technologies (i.e. for communication, learning, self-care, leisure, productivity and/or environmental control).

She has worked with children, youth and adults with a variety of diagnoses, in a variety of settings in British Columbia, Ontario, Australia and the USA. Debbie graduated with a BScOT from the University of Toronto in 1984, a MHScOT from the University of Indianapolis in 2000, and is currently working towards her PhD in the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia.

Debbie enjoys assisting those she works with to realize their goals for living, often integrating low tech and high tech equipment, modifying their living environment(s), training specific skills and providing education and support.

Diane completed her Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Medicine (OT/PT) in 1983 at U.B.C. After graduation she worked as a PT at the Queen Alexandra Hospital for Children in Victoria and then returned to Vancouver to work as an OT/PT at SunnyHill Hospital providing direct treatment to children and youth with diverse developmental and neurological needs.

Following a couple of years as the Director of Client Care for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in B.C., Diane returned to her passion of supporting clients with direct therapy treatment and started in OT private practice with Access. Her primary work is maximizing the occupational performance of children, youth and adults with sensory-motor, regulatory, cognitive, and social-emotional challenges to reach their goals at home and in their school/work and community pursuits.

In doing this, Diane sees clients with learning disabilities, regulatory and attention disorders, autism spectrum disorder, acquired brain injuries and developmental disabilities. Diane and her husband have raised four young adults and enjoy spending time with them hiking and camping in the great outdoors.

Esther graduated from McGill University with a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy in 2012, following a Bachelor’s of Arts with a major in Psychology. She began her career as Pediatric Occupational Therapist in Montreal and gained experience working in a variety of settings, including schools, daycares and private clinics.

Esther enjoyed a range of OT roles: providing workshops for educators, running classroom groups, and working individually with children in the areas of motor-skill development, emotional regulation and sensory processing. Esther moved to BC in the summer of 2022 and is honoured to have joined the team at Access.

She has expanded her clinical practice to include the areas of community-based adult physical rehabilitation and mental health, and is excited to build on her experience applying the core OT values of collaborative teamwork, meaningful participation, and creative problem solving. When not working or trying to keep track of her four children, Esther enjoys reading, baking, and soaking up the beauty of the West Coast.

Fara obtained her registered nursing degree at BCIT in 2009 and has over fifteen years nursing experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including public health, geriatrics, palliative, acute care, home, and community health.

Fara completed the Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (WOCN) program at Emory University in 2022 and joined Access to provide assessment and consultative treatment for persons at risk of pressure injuries. Fara believes in patient-centered care where barriers are identified, and patients empowered to engage, and participate in, achieving their goals of care with positive outcomes.

In her spare time, Fara enjoys reading books, cooking, and playing with her cat.

Francine received her BScOT degree in 1987 from UBC. She initially worked at Lions Gate Hospital. In 1990 she moved to Northern Ontario with her OT husband and two young daughters in an attempt to pay off their large student loans in an underserviced frigid environment.

There she was exposed to the area of seating and mobility while she worked in community home health. In 1993 with student loans successfully paid off the family moved to London Ontario so her husband could continue his education in pursuit of his PhD. Francine was fortunate to work in the Seating Clinic at St. Joseph’s Heath Centre in London where she cemented her passion for seating and participated in several research projects.

She also participated in the Skin Health Group at St. Joseph’s. In 2000 with one more daughter and a successfully graduated husband there was a move back to BC in search of family, friends, mild winters and work in the area of seating and mobility. She joined Access Community Therapists Ltd. working with adult clients with a variety of needs and conditions including, developmental disabilities, spinal cord injury, severe brain injury and other neurological conditions. Her work involves complex wheelchair seating and mobility consultation, skin health consultation as well as home and vehicle modifications.

Francine has presented at CMSC, ISS and other conferences in the area of seating and positioning. In her spare time Francine loves to run in the park with her dog, garden and travel.

Heather has worked in a variety of nursing roles over the past 22 years. This has included surgical, medical, palliative and community based nursing. In 2009 she completed the Wound Ostomy and Continence program at Cleveland Clinic. She began working as a WOCN and joined the team at Access in 2011.

She enjoys the hands on aspects of nursing as well as the opportunity to teach wound, Ostomy and continence skills to patients, nurses and other clinicians. Since joining Access, Heather has worked on the wound prevention team where she collaborates closely with OT’s and PT’s in ensuring that clients with spinal cord injury, brain injury or amputations remain wound-free. After work, she minds her bees, cycles with her husband and competes in triathlons.

Janice graduated in 1980 with a combine degree in Rehabilitation Medicine (occupational and physiotherapy) and obtained her Master’s degree ( MRSc) from UBC in 2010. She started her career in long term care and then went on to work in acute care as well geriatric rehabilitation. She moved over to pediatrics in 1986 at Sunny Hill Health Centre where her long-term interest in eating, drinking and swallowing problems started.

Janice was one of the founding members of the Feeding Team at Sunny Hill and Team Leader for 24 years and she continues to have a passion for this area. She joined Access in 1996 providing both rehabilitation and specialized consultation in eating, drinking and swallowing to the adult population. Janice is an assistant clinical professor at UBC and has presented at local, national and international workshops and conferences on eating, drinking and swallowing challenges in both adult and pediatric populations. She also rides her bike everywhere, teaches belly dancing, and is the acknowledged skit master of Access.

Jay is a first-generation Canadian born of Chinese immigrant parents. She began her journey as an Occupational Therapist in 2015 after graduating from Queen’s University on a community-based, interdisciplinary mental health team working with folks who live with the impacts of trauma, homelessness, poverty, and substance use in Kingston, Ontario.

In 2018, Jay moved to Vancouver to pursue work in a similar mental health team, and is honoured to join the Access Community Therapist team as of 2023.

Jay’s approach is informed by the belief that though we may struggle, none of us are broken. She seeks to build therapeutic partnerships with clients guided by collaboration and fostering hope for positive change. Jay has continued work in mental health and has expanded her practice to include physical health. Jay finds joy in practicing yoga, creating with her hands, and petting all the dogs she encounters.