Image of six individuals at Annual Conference. One person is holding an awards.

NADSP Team is pictured in Fall 2019 at the NADSP Annual Conference with JFK Jr. Award winner Tony Thomas.

Over the past few weeks, we have shared Words of Encouragement from from some of our colleagues.  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.

Earlier this week we said, ” At no time in our history has the value of this workforce been more clearly demonstrated than during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Based on the initial findings of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration’s collaborative COVID-19 Survey,  we can’t help but to continue to emphasize that. With this being said, this week’s words of encouragement comes from the NADSP Team.

In our video, each member of the NADSP staff reflects on a different aspect of direct support professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. To watch the NADSP Words of Encouragement, click the video below.

Words of Encouragement from the NADSP Team

 

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