As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, news, social media and work can be overwhelming. We’ve committed to sharing resources for taking care of yourself but we’re not alone. Many of our colleagues want to share words of encouragement. In the past few weeks, NADSP has shared videos from our partners each week with words of encouragement for direct support professionals. We want you to know that as you continue your essential work in supporting people with disabilities, you are not alone and you are valued for the incredible work you do.

In last week’s Words of Encouragement, Dr. Beth Mount shared a message of hope.  This week, we reached out to our colleagues at  CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. For more than 50 years,  CQL has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people. For more on CQL, visit their lovely new website by clicking here.

In the video below, Peter Leidy, Quality Enhancement Specialist of CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership performs a song of appreciation for this essential workforce.

Looking for additional support during this time? Please note the resources below:

Self Care Resource Page for DSPs (webinars, handouts and additional resources: https://nadsp.org/covid-19resources/

On-Boarding New DSPs in A Crisis (Code of ethics Webinar Series, Competency Webinar Series, Additional Resources): https://nadsp.org/onboarding-in-crisis/

Want to Share Your Story?

If you have additional resources to share, please connect with us at ndama@nadsp.org.

NADSP recognizes the invaluable work that Direct Support Professionals all over the world are doing during this unprecedented time. We appreciate you. We hope you remain safe and well.

Thank you,

The NADSP Team