Supported Living: A Commitment to Care
We’re proud of the support and care our Supported Living staff provide to friends, family, and neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities as Direct Support Professionals (DPSs). Recently, for Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, we gathered some quotes from our DSPs in Supported Living that show why they love working with our clients.
Niki Phillips and Todd Wojciechowski
“I learn a lot from the clients I work with on a daily basis. I learn more about people and more about myself. Seeing clients thrive at something they were previously struggling with is an amazing experience. It is not about changing the people we work with, but about figuring out how we need to adjust ourselves and our own approach for each individual person in order to best support them through their daily living and goals.”
Serena Saunders
Site Manager
Vantage & Boone
Scott Dobbels and Tim Lookebill
“They (the clients) are some of the smartest, sweetest, caring people ever. Being a DSP means having patience and allowing clients to be as independent as possible and helping build a bridge between the community and people that have disabilities, so they can understand each other better.”
Lexi Pfizer
Community Living Instructor
River's Edge
Crystal Michelbook-Eccles and Walter Lenz
“I work hard to establish a foundation of trust with my clients, meeting them where they are at and walking beside them through their journeys. I feel absolutely honored to be a part of so many lives at such an intimate level. I am challenged, personally, by each client to be a better version of myself. I have grown to be more patient, compassionate, and open-minded.”
Aleah Cornett
Community Living Instructor
Valley
Nancy Goudge, Jennifer Miller,
Wendy Horn, Trenton Lloyd
Expanding the Transportation Fleet
It’s much easier for Supported Living clients to get where they need to go with the help of a new wheelchair lift transit van! With this additional vehicle, The Arc has a greater amount of flexibility and support for client outings and appointments. This marks the second wheelchair transit vehicle the department currently owns, adding to the fleet of six Supported Living vehicles.
"It is a fleet, so it’s been exciting expanding and being to hire drivers back on through the pandemic," said Director of Supported Living Jennifer Miller. “What that means is we’ll be getting people back in the swing of things. The van will be used for all (client) leisure, medical, and out of town trips to visit guardians, the Community Center, church, etc.”