Building Community through Direct Support

By: Tonia Nifong

Direct Support Professionals are an integral part of the foundation that helps people with disabilities to actively participate in the community. As part of Direct Support Professionals Recognition week, The Arc Pikes Peak Region is pleased to spotlight the individuals and organizations below, recognizing the incredible value of their contributions to our community! Join us by reading their stories. You can also learn more about the various types of direct support here.

Host Home: William, Mark & Ty – “The Boys”

After formerly working in youth corrections, William was inspired to become a Host Home Provider by an advocate with The Arc Pikes Peak Region — the rest is history. For nearly two decades, William and his family have opened their home to two outstanding individuals who also happen to have an intellectual or developmental disability. As a Host Home Provider, William provides Professional Direct Support to Ty and Mark, and the two have become “part of the family.”

“To my family and I, these gentlemen are not clients; they are part of the family. They attend my son’s baseball games, my daughter’s ROTC marches, and other family events. They go on vacations with my family, and they don’t go into respite,” William said. “Our family is pretty laid-back, and we’re always on the go.”

As a Host Home Provider, William encourages Mark and Ty to participate in activities and interests they enjoy, getting to know them as individuals. “I enjoy anything having to do with the military,” Mark said. “My brother was in the military. I also love video games, Air Force games, and amusement parks!”

“I like to watch TV – especially history and sci-fi,” Ty said. “I also used to like wrestling. I like going to Goodwill and enjoying soda.”

“Our family and our kids adore Mark and Ty as if they were family, because they are,” William said. “They’re ‘my boys.’”

Supported Employment: Community Outreach

Another area in which direct support professionals help people with disabilities to thrive in life is supported employment. For more than 30 years, Community Outreach has supported people with disabilities in finding and keeping their jobs, while also providing residential services and supports. The mission of Community Outreach is to provide individualized services and supports to people with developmental disabilities by helping them to make connections and contributions at work and in community life. In honor of Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, we chatted with Karin Cowan, employment services program director with Community Outreach, about the incredible service they provide the Colorado Springs community.

Community Outreach takes a comprehensive approach to their employment supports. “We provide job coaching, job supervision, resume building, mock interviews, networking, hands-on coaching and more,” Karin said. “We provide individualized services that capture the nuances of each person’s situation, teaching supervisors how each person communicates, etc., to help them succeed in their employment.

The goal is to help people find long-term success so that they can participate in their communities. “We specialize in providing long-term supports so that people can get and keep jobs,” Karin said. “Typically, these people have an intellectual or a developmental disability, but they may also have other types of disabilities,” she added. “One client who we have supported in her employment with Walmart for 10 years comes to mind. We still provide supports, advocating with her employer and providing coaching for job duties. She takes such great pride in her work, that she will put on knee pads to make sure the bathroom floor is spic and span.”

Community Outreach helped one gentleman who works at Born Again Used Books to “come out of his shell” socially. “At first, he was very good at alphabetizing books, but struggled to interact with customers,” Karin said. “One of our employment consultants taught him to interact with others by simply conversing with him about things he enjoys. The process drew him out and helped him learn how to talk with other people.

Community Outreach believes that work is part of what defines you. “When you work, it’s part of what you talk to others about. You have money to do things outside of work with friends,” Karin said. “What would it look like if you were at home all day?

If you or somebody you know with a disability would like help finding employment, please contact community outreach at communityoutreachcos.com or 719.578.1227.

Vocational Day Program: Blank Canvas Café at Dream Catchers

 

Blank Canvas Café at Dream Catchers is a vocational day program run by Ariel Clinical Services. This creative program offers job training and employment opportunities to people with disabilities and at-risk youth.

In addition to serving a variety of locally roasted coffee, tea, breakfast, pastries, salads and paninis, the café “provides a trendy space for local artists and handmade goods from The Studio.” The studio “specializes in handmade goods, utilitarian art, and home décor. Products are sustainable, and made from reclaimed wood, donations and upcycled materials. All proceeds are recycled back into the program for adults with developmental disabilities and at-risk youth.

Tim, a long-time employee at Blank Canvas Café, works two days per week alongside 9 other employees learning food preparation and kitchen cleanliness skills. “I love coming to my job and getting paid. I like to make the rosemary lemonade and the curry mango chicken,” Tim said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to learn some barista skills and how to brew coffee,” he added. “My favorite part about my job is the fun and excitement. It’s also fun to make art in The Studio.”

You can enjoy delicious food, incredible art, and a wonderful atmosphere at Blank Canvas Café at Dream Catchers. Interested citizens who would like to donate to this program can also purchase a ceiling tile at Blank Canvas Café, decorate it with their art, and bring it back to the café to adorn the ceiling.

You can learn more about Blank Canvas Café here.

On behalf of the team at The Arc Pikes Peak Region, we extend our gratitude to all of the various Direct Support Professionals who work tirelessly to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities be a valued part of our community!