Compassion and Fierce Advocacy: Dungarvin’s Nikkita Lightsey Named DSP of the Year for Oklahoma

This year, seven of Dungarvin’s Direct Support Professionals were named DSPs of the Year for their respective states by the American Network of Community Options & Resources (ANCOR), a national association representing 2,500 organizations providing services to people with disabilities.

Dungarvin has been publishing articles about these outstanding DSPs during the last few months, and today’s feature about Nikkita Lightsey marks the end of this series. Check out the other stories about Dungarvin’s DSP of the Year recipients:

• Elaine Bahe, New Mexico
• Earlean Rivers, North Carolina
• Rose Musgrave, Indiana
• Fatmata Bayoh, New Jersey
• Diane Butler, Nevada
• Maria Francisco, Oregon

Nikkita is ANCOR’s DSP of the Year for Oklahoma, where she consistently goes the extra mile to support individuals with disabilities. Her nomination, completed by her supervisor Angela Wheeler, is packed with examples of the many ways Nikkita has gone above and beyond to support and care for the people she serves.

“Some people are born with a caregiver’s heart – Nikkita is one of those people,” Angela said. “She is kind and patient, with the ability to bring out the best in people – not only those with disabilities, but everyone she encounters.”

One of many examples of Nikkita’s compassion involves her experience working in a home in which the father of a child with disabilities worked 12-hour days, then came home to take care of his child. To help relieve some of his duties, Nikkita cooked the family dinner during every one of her shifts before leaving for the day, event though this was not part of her job. “It took me nothing, but means everything,” she said.

Nikkita said she felt honored and grateful when she was recognized as DSP of the Year for Oklahoma. About her DSP career, she said: “It’s very meaningful to me because I get to be a positive influence in people’s lives and make a difference for them. This has been a wonderful experience for me. I want to thank Angela Wheeler and all of Dungarvin for the wonderful things they’re doing to honor all of us.”

Nikkita is a fierce advocate for the people she supports. For example, one woman she worked with began acting out with disruptive behaviors. She had limited communication abilities, so was unable to tell people why she was distressed. Nikkita took her to a doctor. However, two different visits, including to an emergency room, failed to diagnose a problem.

But Nikkita didn’t give up. She continued advocating her, taking her to yet another emergency room and refusing to leave until they figured out what was causing the woman’s discomfort. This time, the ER staff discovered that her gallbladder had gangrene, and she needed immediate surgery.

“If Nikkita had listened to the medical professionals initially, rather than her instincts and observations, that individual would likely not be with us today,” Angela said.

The individuals Nikkita supports are lucky to have her in their corner. And Dungarvin is proud to have her on our team! Congratulations, Nikkita, for this well-deserved award.

To explore career opportunities at Dungarvin, please visit Employment – Dungarvin.