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 Jacquie Dillard-Foss. Jacquie shares her Words of Encouragement in American Sign Language and discusses how direct support professionals have showed up and stepped up. Additionally, she shares how her organization has responded in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Jacquie Dillard-Foss is the CEO and Founder of Strategies to Empower People (STEP Inc.)STEP Inc. began providing services in 1992 in the Greater Sacramento, California area and as of today, STEP serves Napa and Sonoma Counties. To learn more about STEP, 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