Over the past few weeks, we have shared ‘Words of Encouragement’ from some of our colleagues. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, news, social media and work can be overwhelming. We’re committed to sharing resources for taking care of yourself but we’re not alone. Many of our colleagues want to share words of encouragement. 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 this week’s Words of Encouragement, we hear from Drew Smith. In Drew’s video, he discusses how direct support professionals have always brought their best selves to the job no matter what challenges they are facing. Drew also discusses how critical DSPs are to the service system and how they can get involved in policy to make changes.
Drew Smith is a Manager at Alvarez & Marsal – Public Sector Services, LLC. Drew has nearly 15 years of experience working in the fields of intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as behavioral health services with focused expertise in assessment-informed resource allocation methodology, Medicaid data analysis, statewide human services strategic planning, and policy analysis and drafting.
To learn more about Alvarez & Marsal – Public Sector Services, LLC, click here.
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/
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