Page 9 - Work Force October 2019

Voices of our direct support professionals
The state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) recently honored a group of direct support professionals across the state for their outstanding service and dedication to the individuals they serve.
On this page are voices from a few of these workers. Future editions will include profiles of these and other workers who go above and beyond every day to provide high-quality care to individuals. (See page 3 for related content.)
“After a 20-year career in the United States Air Force, I was looking for another job that could make me happy and know I was still contributing something to our community.
It was just plain luck I fell into getting
a job as a direct support assistant
near my home in Ovid. Everything
immediately fell into place. Even on bad
days, I still leave my group home feeling
a sense of accomplishment knowing I have helped a fellow human being live a better quality of life.
Working with people with developmental disabilities is an incredibly rewarding job. If you want to make a ” difference in the lives of others, this is the job to have.
— Deborah Wilkins, direct support assistant, Finger Lakes DDSO
“I get an incredible amount of professional fulfillment from what I do. There are things that you and I do every day that individuals struggle with.
For example, I was working with an individual who wouldn’t pour water into a glass. I turned it into a game and said to her, ‘I bet you can’t pour that water into a glass.’ She said, ‘I bet you I can,’ and she did it. The individual would
also congratulate me and give me a high-five when I poured the water. Being a part of the individuals accomplishing these type”s of goals is why I get up and go to work every morning.
— Stephanie Daniel, developmental assistant 2, Long Island Developmental Center
“I want to help [our individuals] have better lives. I care”for everyone as if they were my family.
— Linette Boon, direct support assistant, Capital District DDSO
In her 30 years working for Taconic DDSO, Sonia Ashe has worked in a variety of settings, from group homes to a job training program to the first independent living apartments for which OPWDD held a pilot program.
Even if she is going to be
off on a particular day, she makes arrangements to ensure her individuals attend their
community programs and proceed with any other plans that have been made.
Like many of her co-workers, she enjoys planning outings in the community that her individuals will enjoy. Ashe has been with OPWDD long enough to see how the individuals benefit from
going further and further into community settings.
“I really would like the individuals I serve to have the most enriched lives they can have. I love to help them have the same things that the rest of us are able to do without constraints. Everyone is a human being. Everyone deserv”es to be treated with dignity and respect.
— Sonia Ashe, direct support assistant, Taconic DDSO
“Anything that’s good, I want to be
a part of. There’s a quote that says, ‘If
I can help someone as I travel along life’s way than my living shall not be in vain.’ I truly believe that you have to help someone in order for your life to have meaning.”
— Ella Nelson-Bernard, Direct Support Assistant, Bernard Fineson DDSO
October 2019
The Work Force 9