Dungarvin’s direct support professional (DSP) staff are essential to our success as a provider organization, and in fulfilling our mission of “respecting and responding to the choices of people in need of supports.” It is particularly gratifying to have the accomplishments of our DSP personnel acknowledged and commended by others. We are proud and excited to announce the Dungarvin winners of the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) 2015 DSP Recognition Awards. This is the eighth year of this prestigious awards competition.

Per ANCOR, the goal of this program is “. . . to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by obtaining the resources to recruit, train and retain a sustainable direct support workforce. The awards honor and recognize the dedicated individuals who continually enrich the lives of the people with disabilities they serve.” This year Dungarvin submitted 37 nominations across 12 states for this competition. It is exciting to announce that Dungarvin employees were selected for seven awards.

Our State DSP award winners include:

Carla Buterbaugh, Dungarvin Colorado and Lisa Buckentin, Dungarvin Minnesota

Kathey Kinsey, Dungarvin New Mexico and Shawn Torres, Dungarvin Nevada

Glory Honea, Dungarvin Oklahoma and Tara McIntosh, Dungarvin Oregon

Jeanne Gebhardt, Dungarvin Wisconsin

All winners will be offered to attend the 2015 ANCOR Conference taking place in Washington D.C. May 3rd through May 5th. They will represent Dungarvin at the DSP of the Year celebration and receive recognition for their award from Dungarvin and from ANCOR. While there, hopefully they will also have time to check out the sites in the D.C. area and meet their State representative to advocate for DSPs.

The fact that Dungarvin DSPs have been recognized with these awards by ANCOR for the past eight years is a testament to the caliber of our Direct Support Professionals, and how they are impacting the lives of the individuals we support. We extend congratulations to all of our winners of the 2015 DSP of the Year Awards, as well as to all of our nominees. ANCOR will be sharing the nomination stories of the national and all state winners on their website and in a special photo-packed supplement to LINKS, ANCOR’s monthly electronic newsletter.

Dungarvin is proud to highlight the opening of its Partial Community Inclusion Adult Day Program in Norwalk, California!

This is the second of Dungarvin’s two new programs in the Southern California area with Harbor Regional Center, which began over two years ago. With the support of the Dungarvin’s National Central Office, this previously unused building space has become an exciting and inspiring environment for exceptional programming.

Like its sister program in Long Beach, the Norwalk location design offers a number of concentrated, yet spacious areas such as a full kitchen, salon, library, computer lab, art room and more. With its theme “Bringing the Beach to Norwalk,” the whimsical atmosphere of this program is inviting and uplifting.

The program will operate both a morning session and an afternoon session. The people we serve will participate in either one of the two sessions for four hours per day, Monday through Friday. Each participant will spend (at minimum) one-third of his or her time involved in community-based activities, accessing natural supports and public resources. Whether at the base site or in the community, the people we serve will be offered opportunities and experiences that are individualized, focused on skill enhancement, emphasizing abilities and strengths, and responsive to his or her choices.

We are pleased to offer services in Norwalk and look forward to seeing the people we serve integrating into the local community as a result of the collaborative efforts between the city of Norwalk, Harbor Regional Center and Dungarvin.