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 John Dickerson. John discusses how technology has impacted the way direct support professionals work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
John is the founder and CEO of Quillo. Quillo is an innovative app designed to strengthen organizational culture and relationships. To learn more about John, 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
Loved your video words of encouragement! Thank you!! You remind me of our new CEO. He sends and encouraging email out every Friday to share wonderful stories of ways staff are going “above and beyond” to brighten the day for our beloved friends – and always asks for more great ideas to share across the counties/company, such as a “drive-by birthday party” and a “family parade” for a house in which all the residents actually have family (most of our friends do not) and the house manager had family members drive by and wave while her ladies stood on the sidewalk with staff and waved. He has shared many websites for museums and parks for us to visit with our friends online. And he always includes one or two perfect quotes!! Most of us have never met him because, lucky guy, he started RIGHT before the pandemic!! So he reached out to every employee online and scheduled phone chats with staff as their schedules permitted and has sought input from us in every way.