When you look in the dictionary, the word "hero" is described as a figure admired for their noble qualities, endowed with great strength and admired by others for their special achievements, abilities or personal qualities. Each year as we consider the nominations for the ARRM Cares Award, this term comes to mind.
Heroic not for what they do, but how they do it
People with disabilities don't need "heroes" to achieve their goals, that's not what this is about. But it is the unique set of abilities Direct Support Professionals possess to assist people in calling up their own abilities to overcome obstacles and reach the best life of their choosing which we find heroic. It is the great strength, patience and determination they possess to work through challenging situations, often with little public recognition.
Diane Berg, 2018 ARRM Cares Winner
Take Diane Berg, for example. Diane has supported people as a member of The Phoenix Residence team for more than 39 years. That is a level of dedication to the people she works with, the organization and the work which is almost unheard of in our field. In addition, she has spent that time being a tireless advocate and creator of life-enhancing experiences for those being supported by The Phoenix Residence staff. ARRM was honored to select "Berg" as a 2018 ARRM Cares Winner.
Dedicated DSPs
Such heroes exist throughout the ARRM membership. This year we received just shy of 100 nominations for the ARRM Cares Award, and each submission tells a story of a DSP deserving of recognition.
Take DeMario Butler of Mains'l Services, Inc. DeMario has worked at Mains'l for four years, demonstrating a determination to stay the course and build relationships with people, allowing him to find new and unique strategies for helping people address barriers in their lives. This includes creating a completely personalized way of communicating with one individual via just their eyes! Developing these kinds of bonds has helped people who were struggling find new levels of independence and create lives based on what's important to them and what they want to achieve.
Stay tuned
ARRM will be sharing other stories of ARRM Cares Winners and nominees over the next several weeks to showcase why the work of direct care staff is so important and why it deserves both celebration and advocacy for higher wages and supports for the people who do this job. Stay tuned!
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