Every day, we get out of bed and take care of personal needs, plan our day, or execute our plan. We might have an occasional curve ball, but we get to choose what we do and how we respond. When I am tired of being around people, I take a retreat. When I want to go to Mass, I find a time and go. When I lose someone I love, I attend their funeral. You get the point. When it comes to our lives, we get to make the decisions about how we live.

The reality for many people with disabilities is they don’t get the freedom and choice to live their life how they choose. There are transportation barriers which require planning several days out to ensure they have access to assessable and reliable transportation. Other times, there isn’t a physical barrier to overcome, but a barrier of perception. People pass out judgement and jump to conclusions that are based in stereotypes or bias. How many times have you heard someone say, “so and so just needs to pull it together and…” (fill in the blank). If only they could take a step back and consider the other possibilities. Maybe, for example, “so and so” is living with depression or anxiety that impacts their brain health.  

A Direct Support Professional is the silent force of support behind a person living with a disability. At Easterseals, we often say that our DSPs are “the magic in the mission.” And we truly mean it. Our mission simply wouldn’t be possible without the selfless, amazing people who deliver our services to our clients and families every day.

 DSPs support our clients in so many ways! DSPs help clients to:

• Maintain their wellbeing with regular doctor visits
• Be financially responsible by helping them with banking and budgeting
• Increase independence by supporting them to find and maintain employment
• Be proactive with overall health by paying attention to their brain health and getting supports if needed
• Stay active and engaged in the community by attending social events and planning outings with peers

The list of daily impacts that DSPs have on the lives of the individuals we serve is far too long to list, but it’s also easy to summarize. DSPs make it possible for individuals with disabilities or special needs to live with independence, hope and dignity. All the thousands of things they do each day boil down to this – they do it because they believe in our mission of 100% equity, inclusion and access for all. They know and understand that our community is better and stronger when EVERYONE has the chance to fully participate. 

This week, September 10^th-16^th, marks DSP Appreciation Week! During this week, we take time to thank and appreciate the incredible hard work and dedication shown by our DSPs. While one week will never be enough time to say THANK YOU for all they do, I will say this: DSPs are the most critical role in our organization. Without them, there is no mission. To all our Easterseals Iowa DSPs, I want to say thank you for your work, thank you for believing in our mission, and thank you for your incomparable compassion and belief in all of the amazing individuals we serve. We are better because you chose Easterseals.

Take some time this week to thank a DSP in your life. Make sure they know their work matters!

If you would like to share a thank you message to our Easterseals DSPs, please email them to kmentzer@eastersealsia.org and we will share them!

Happy DSP Week!

Sherri Nielsen | Chief Executive Officer