The Scioto County Developmental Disabilities joined the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in celebrating our local Direct Support Professionals, in recognition of DSP Appreciation Week, on Sept. 11-17.
“DSPs are the folks who work directly with our individuals with disabilities, either through an agency or as an independent provider. They are one of the lifebloods of our organizations. If these services don’t get delivered, then people’s needs don’t get met. There’s no way we could do our job without Direct Support Professionals,” said SSA Director Chad Phipps.
Elizabeth Porter is the program manager for STAR, Inc., which employs DSPs that work with the individuals served by Scioto County Developmental Disabilities.
“We love our DSPs. A lot of our staff stays for a long time and builds connections with our folks, and our folks trust them. We couldn’t provide services without them. We’re a building; we’re not anything without the DSPs,” she said.
In honor of DSP Recognition Week, the Scioto County Board of DD spotlighted their work on social media and gave each of the DSPs working with the program a gift card to the Scioto Ribber in Portsmouth.
Scioto Residential Services also employs DSPs who support individuals served by the Scioto County Developmental Disabilities through its residential program, as well as adult day services.
“We tried to deliver those gifts to our people while they were working on duty and didn’t have to take any overtime to come to us. They were all very happy to receive those gift certificates from the county board with a word of thanks from us as well. It was a pleasant surprise,” said Sarah Hall, Client Services Director for Scioto Residential Services.
Scioto County Developmental Disabilities recognizes the dedication and compassion it takes to be a DSP and is grateful to all those staff who provide direct support every day of the year. For more information about the programs and services at the Scioto County Developmental Disabilities, call 740-353-0636 or visit online at www.sciotodd.org, and like and follow them on Facebook.