Best Practices in Direct Support Workforce Development

The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP), the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) at the University of Minnesota, and the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) are seeking nominations for the 2024 Moving Mountains Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize organizations using leading practices in direct support workforce development that result in improved outcomes for people being supported in their communities.

Organizations applying for the award are required to demonstrate how their workforce practices and philosophy align with the key principles of NADSP. These principles are:

• All direct support professionals benefit from access to well-constructed educational experiences (e.g., competency-based trainings, continuing and higher education) and lifelong learning;
• Certifying highly qualified workers incentivizes continuing education, increased compensation, and access to career pathways for direct support professionals thereby improving retention;
• Values-based and ethical decision making can be learned and infused into daily practice; and
• Strengthening relationships and partnerships between direct support professionals, self-advocates, and other advocacy groups and families improves the quality of support.

The programs/initiatives that are nominated can range from small (a single program) to large (statewide) in scope and can involve just a few or many DSPs. Organizations that have applied previously, but were not selected, are invited and encouraged to re-submit a nomination for this year’s competition. Recipients of this award must exemplify practices that support community living for people with disabilities and lived experiences.

The Moving Mountains Awards team has put together a helpful video about the Moving Mountains Awards. Watch this short video to learn best practices and tips for submitting your application and find answers to frequently asked questions.

ICI, NADSP, and ANCOR are looking for unique and creative initiatives that support community living and contribute to improving workforce outcomes for direct support professionals and their employers. We welcome applications from statewide/regional initiatives, local organizations, and individuals. Up to two awards may be presented each year. This year’s award winners will be honored at the 2024 Reinventing Quality Conference on September 15-17, 2024, in Baltimore, MD. Winners will be notified in advance.

If you have questions regarding the completion of the application, please email the Moving Mountains Coordinators at movingmountains@umn.edu.

For information on previous award winners visit our Moving Mountains Award Past Winners page.