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This is the first in a series of weekly bulletins that will help you
prepare for NYSACRA's Legislative Day
on
Tuesday, January 31, 2006. DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL
PROFILES 2006
For the sixth consecutive year, NYSACRA
will once again be implementing our Direct Support Profile Campaign
directed toward all state legislators and Governor Pataki. Once
again, we want to share the view of the work of direct support
professionals and the major influence they have on the lives of
people with developmental disabilities. If you have direct
support professionals, agency administrators, family members or
consumers who want to share their views on the hard work, complex job
and dedication, while making wages that are not commensurate with
that responsibility, please share them with us! 1. WE NEED TESTIMONIALS A.
Letters or stories coming from a family or individual receiving
services should describe the vital relationship that has been built.
These letters/stories should describe how important our direct
support professionals are in lives of people receiving services. We
know that every agency has families and/or individuals receiving
services who are willing to write on behalf of direct support
professionals. Please encourage them to share their feelings with
their legislators.
The consumers and families should also convey stories about the
direct support workers they know who work many overtime hours or take
on a second job just to make ends meet, so they won’t be like many
others who have left to work in other jobs. These testimonials are
very effective and show the level of connection and concern between
the direct support professional and the person receiving services, as
well as their family.
B. Letters directly from your Direct
Support Professionals should explain the types of support they
provide that are so critical to the people we serve. They can also
describe something special about a particular individual with whom
they work, their firsthand observations on the impact that constant
turnover has on the quality of care, or a general statement about all
the people they serve and why they do the work they love – despite
the low wages.
Continued
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