DSPs In The Spotlight

Text Box:     Joyce Wilson works as a Direct Support Professional for Dreams With Wings (DWW). Her title is Assistant Director of Dream Builders Day Program. Altogether, Joyce has over 10 years of professional experience as a DSP. Five of these years have been with DWW. As you read this article, you will discover why Joyce finds her work challenging and satisfying.
    I came into this line of work by complete accident. I wasn’t sure what I was even applying for when I went in for an interview. I wasn’t even certain what I would be doing when I was hired. After working my first day, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. Now, 10 years later, I know what this work entails and I have grown to love it.
    As a DSP at DWW, I spend the majority of my time working hands-on with our participants. My job is to empower our guys to make quality choices every day. Our goal is to make sure that all of our participants have the most meaningful day possible. We believe that this begins with them making choices about what they do and how they spend their time. AS a DSP, I try not to make any decisions for the people I support, but instead, I try to empower them to make their own decisions. I support a few people who, generally speaking, love to go to the Humane Society and help take care of the puppies. Just because they “generally” love this activity, I try to never “assume” that I know what they want to do. Instead, I have disciplined myself to ask them what they want to do and then to provide a variety of activities for them to choose from. This is what I do at the beginning of every day. Once a person has made a choice, I then seek to provide the supports necessary for them to chase down and live out their dreams. Much of what

Text Box: I do after that is support through modeling appropriate behavior and teaching by example.
Throughout the years, I have been blessed to see several of the people I support make significant progress in their lives. I’ve watched them reach dreams that they never thought they could reach and it is satisfying and rewarding knowing that I played a small part in helping them to reach their dreams. It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another thing to actually see a person accomplish something they never thought they would be able to do for themselves. For instance, I remember supporting one man who was unable to comb his own hair. Every morning for months we worked on this hand-over-hand. We were both shocked when one morning, out of the blue, this man picked up his comb and combed his hair without my help. While that may seem like a small step, for this man it was huge. We spent the morning smiling, laughing, singing together and dancing over this accomplishment. Another lady that I had the privilege of working with was told her whole life that she would never be able to live independently in the community. I entered this lady’s life and began teaching her small things—like cleaning her room, cooking small meals, grocery shopping, and then helped her find a job. It took time, but eventually, this woman was able to do all of these things on her own. She now lives in her own apartment and is doing great. Most importantly to me, she is so happy. She has reached one of her dreams. I was able to be a part of that, and to me—nothing makes me more happy. I could share dozens of those kinds of stories. The rewards that I receive through helping someone else, the smiles I get to put on their faces, this is why I love this work.
This job has taught me perseverance. I’ve learned how to handle stress, how to balance multiple demands, how to adapt to change, and how to fix my attention on the most important things in life and keep those things in perspective. I’ve learned that I can operate outside of my own comfort zone because I see my guys do it all the time. They’ve taught me how to step out and try new things with confidence. While I may not always work at a day program, I can see myself supporting people with disabilities in some capacity for the rest of my life. I’m happiest when I’m helping others. This field offers lots of personal satisfaction.