The Collaborative of NY recently received a grant through a collaboration between the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) that allows member agencies to offer professional development through the NADSP E-Badge Academy. The Arc of Monroe is excited to announce that we are one of those agencies! Participation provides an opportunity for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and values as they earn NADSP E-Badge Academy electronic badges (e-badges).
Direct Support Professionals provide so much more than just assistance with daily tasks. They advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They empower people to help them reach their goals. They educate others about how to be inclusive and kind to people with IDD. They go above and beyond their daily assigned tasks to make the people they support feel seen and understood. Having the opportunity to credential DSPs and showcase their skills represents a huge step forward in the IDD field. The NADSP E-Badge Academy not only equips DSPs to provide better support for people with IDD, but it also allows others to recognize their hard work and expertise.
Part of the training for earning DSP credentials (Level I, Level II and Level III) includes improving the language staff use when supporting people with IDD.
“This class taught me how to use my words better,” Robin Collier, DSP Level I said. “I encourage my team to go through the class because you learn so much. Some of them don’t know how to speak to the people they support. It’s not that they are mistreating them, they just don’t know what they don’t know. So that’s where we [DSPs who have gone through the class] come in. We can train and teach them and say, ‘these are the words that you can use and things you need to know’ because everyone learns differently.”
Some words may not seem significant when staff use them. Some may not even trigger someone to think about how or why they should potentially say it differently. Bringing awareness to those situations is just one way credentialed DSPs are making a difference, especially as they mentor others working in the IDD field.
“I noticed a change when I write my monthly summaries,” Maxine Bostick, DSP Level I, noted. “Instead of saying, ‘Joe refused to brush his teeth this morning,’ I write, ‘Joe chose not to brush his teeth this morning.’ It’s little stuff like that you don’t realize you’re doing when you write your reports or monthly summaries.”
There are phrases and words that have seeped into everyday DSP vernacular and have been passed down to many generations of staff across the IDD field. Some of those words include “outing” and “community.” These are often used by DSPs when they take the people they support to do something outside of their home. The DSP credential training helps staff think about language like this differently to better support people with IDD.
“When my staff write, ‘We’re about to go out on an outing’ I say, ‘Ok, is there a better phrase to use when we’re writing that?'” Robin said. “I continue to ask them not to use that and instead say, ‘We’re going out to have a good time.’ Let’s use different words because we want to build the people we support up and not bring them down. You wouldn’t say with your family, ‘let’s go out into the community or on an outing,’ so let’s not do that. Getting other staff to learn different language is important.”
This amazing group of DSPs who worked hard to earn their credentials are changing the landscape of service and support for people with IDD. It’s not only helping them and the people they directly support, but it’s infiltrating all of the spaces where they help educate their colleagues.
“It does equip you with the skills set that you need to perform as a DSP,” Tricia Krutchen, DSP Level I, said. “I found myself trying to model and encourage the proper support and how to speak to the individuals, being a strong advocate on their behalf.”
Being an advocate for the people they support is one of the most significant roles a DSP has. Empowering them to live lives of independence goes so much deeper than just assisting them with everyday tasks. Completing badges through the NADSP E-Badge Academy gives DSPs a deeper sense of the importance of their work. As Maxine shared, “It helped me understand the why to my work.”
The Arc of Monroe is incredibly grateful for the DSPs who work tirelessly to empower people with IDD across Monroe County and support them in the best ways possible. It’s an exciting time in the IDD field’s history to be able to offer credentialing opportunities to equip these staff to provide excellent care. It’s even better that The Collaborative of NY member organizations like The Arc of Monroe can offer bonuses to staff who complete the credentialing process through the help of this grant from NADSP and OPWDD. The Arc of Monroe is thrilled to be able to offer this professional development opportunity, as well as an increased hourly rate to staff and look forward to finding more ways to elevate DSPs.
The NADSP E-Badge Academy offers Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and Frontline Supervisors (FLSs) the ability to earn national certification through stackable electronic badges. These badges demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and values that these professionals utilize every day, recognizing the professional development that might otherwise go unacknowledged. Through the NADSP E-Badge Academy, DSPs and FLSs are acknowledged for the experience and education that they bring to the human services field. As part of the grant, participating DSPs will be able to advance through the three levels of NADSP Certification and, upon completion, will qualify for up to $2,250 in total bonuses through a tiered bonus structure.
To learn more about how to become a Direct Support Professional at The Arc of Monroe, visit www.ArcMonroe.org/DSP. To learn more about The Collaborative of NY, visit www.collabfl.org.
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