DSP Stories

Many moments make me proud but especially when I see individuals reach their goals. Watching them trust you to listen to their needs. I especially love seeing them do things they never thought they could, like learning to swim! 

What makes me proud to be a DSP is the time and effort we put into taking care of individuals. It’s always great seeing a smile on their face when doing something they enjoy or haven’t done before, or that’s a new experience for them. Seeing the individuals’ different personalities is so inspiring. I love the way staff all come together as one to support each other and also how we just make sure individuals enjoy their time with one another. I love the work I do, and I really do enjoy my time getting to know the individuals!

As a professional in the human services field, we don’t necessarily look for or expect praise. We do what we do because it’s a noble profession, a needed profession, and a fulfilling profession. However, when accolades come your way from a parent of an individual you serve, it humbles you.  

I work hard to establish a professional and personal rapport with my individuals and their families. Kenyay’s mom, Ms. Dee, wrote a note to me after an ISP, ” I gained an even deeper appreciation for you after meeting three of your peeps AND two of your aides. You really are a gem and I really do appreciate your hard work and caring heart!” Yeah, I shed some happy tears… not gonna lie! 🙂 Ms. Dee, thank you for trusting us with your son! 

I still don’t look for it but when it does happen, I remember all the reasons I chose this career… it’s all for my peeps!

I have had success utilizing my personal contacts to arrange community outings for participants at Camp Hill West. For example, my landlord, Nino Purpura, owns both local JoJo’s Pasta and Pizza Restaurants and was willing to give Mark B, an aspiring chef and restauranteur, a tour of JoJo’s in Upper Allen. My staff returned overjoyed with Mr. Purpura’s kindness in providing a free pizza lunch for participants and staff! 

Likewise, as an alumnus of Messiah University, I received news of an upcoming one-act matinee performance of “Into the Woods.” As a service to the community, Messiah was only charging one dollar per ticket, so I arranged for two wheelchair accessible seats for participants and two standard seats for staff. My greatest joy was reading my staff’s service note for an individual who exclaimed, “This is amazing!” as he beheld his view of the stage from his wheelchair.

I have never worked as a DSP before, so I can’t begin to explain how much this short time with clients/participants has changed my view of what a career should be like. I really came to understand just how rewarding this job can be when I got to go on my first outing with all the participants. They were so excited that I could go with them and happy to have me around. I felt like my presence was so much more than support staff for them, but more of a mentor, teacher, and friend. I truly appreciate the opportunity UCP has given me and the connections I’ve made in supporting our participants. I’m proud to say I have a career as a DSP for UCP Central PA. 

Just today one of my kids took his first steps. I was so proud not only of my kiddo but also the family who has been working with him so diligently. I feel blessed to have been there for his first steps and we caught the second set of first steps on video for Mom to share with the family.  

In the last few months, I have had a number of kids taking their first steps and it is SO exciting!! Families are excited to share and I am always glad to hear about any first!

This year provided a lot of success stories for individuals that I supported.  

When you work with an individual from the beginning and you help them find a job and start working… and when you go back to their job for a check-in and they say “I have been working at this job for 4 years now,” that bring happiness to them and to me. You can see how much joy and meaning that job brings to their life.  

Success is measured for me by the little wins that our participants have at work each day. Completing a new task without assistance, using the task list and completing everything on the list, and smiling at the end of their workday knowing that they had a good day at work.  

I have grown as person since I started working at UCP and that is primarily because of the participants I have supported. I am thankful to each of them for allowing me to be a part of their employment journey.

My name is Ashley Bretzman, and I am a DSP in residential services. I have been with UCP for about a year and a half. I enjoy getting to watch the residents grow and learn new skills they can use in their day-to-day lives. My memorable moment might not seem huge or significant to some, but as a DSP working with a nonverbal resident, I feel it is a huge accomplishment for us both.  We often struggle to help create goals for him as he can be very stubborn and only want to do certain things. However, we established a goal for him to wash his hands after using the restroom and take private time to maintain cleanliness. He has been working on this for a month or two now and has made significant progress.  

I was working my usual 2-10 shift one day when he was in the restroom. I heard him flush the toilet without prompting! Then I heard the sink running. I went to check on him and he was running his hands under the water (and not just his fingertips like he used to do). He reached out to me for soap and then he rubbed his hands together, washing them appropriately. Now after he uses the restroom, either at home or out in the community, he washes his hands, dries them, and throws away his paper towel. I feel this is a major memorable moment because it shows how the routine and effort DSPs put into working with individuals pays off when they use these daily skills to increase their own independence. Moments like this make me proud to be a DSP.

This is my first time working as a Direct Support Professional. I believe working with UCP has been a blessing. The staff have been very helpful in teaching me how to properly support each individual. When I show up for my shift the participant is eager to see me at the door. It gives me joy to know that I am able to help out in some way. I value the sense of belonging in our community. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the team.

The look of excitement when I took an individual out in a paddle boat at Poe Valley State Park was the best! It was the first time he had ever been on one. Even though he quit helping paddle about 10 minutes into the ride, it was a great day. We have many days like this. Any time I can share experiences with the individuals I support makes for a great day. 

Christian, a resident of UCP’s Huntingdon home, has attended speech therapy for about a year now. His ability to communicate improves each day.  He’s using longer sentences, utilizing a communications device, and attempting new words. The look of triumph on his face when he successfully communicates something new is what makes working in this field so rewarding. Our direct care team works so hard to support him through his challenges. It’s remarkable to watch his continuous improvement and see how proud he is of himself. 

As a DSP, we put our whole hearts into making sure our participants are happy, healthy, and valued. I’m thankful for all the bonds I have made over the last couple of years. The moments I will forever cherish are our dance parties and “spa days” on the weekends. I love coming on shift and having someone waiting on me with a big smile because she’s beyond excited to have a dance party, get her nails painted, and her legs and arms massaged. One weekend I wasn’t able to work because of health complications. When I returned to work, I was reminded how much I was missed. Instead of being upset about missing her spa day, the participant was more concerned about my health. So sweet. Our participants do a good job at making us feel valued. 

As a weekend respite DSP, I am the one to say goodnight and good morning to my clients; to be there for them throughout the entire day, learning about their lives, their needs and their wants; and in turn helping them learn independence while they are away from home. Picking one memorable moment is hard so I will share several: Building a relationship and spending the weekend with them; hearing them tell me how much they enjoy their weekends; seeing them wake up in the morning with a smile on their face; and realizing the level of comfort they feel being in this environment… all these things make me happy! Building one-on-one relationships for 24-48 hours at a time is special for them and for me and leaves me feeling grateful for this unique service we provide! 

When I joined the Residential Services’ on–call rotation, I spent a fun week going around to meet all the residents who live in the houses I support! I got to do puzzles with residents in Liverpool, dance at Lisburn, watch music videos and go on van rides with the guys at Royal… and at Greenbriar we made brownies with caramel and nuts on top! Getting to do and learn everyone’s different hobbies was incredibly rewarding. Getting to know so many different participants is just one of many memorable moments since I joined UCP. 

I took CS out to our community pool this summer and she enjoyed herself eating lunch, listening to music and swimming. Most of the day she was smiling and rocking/clapping. We even had several people from the community come over and say hi or try to engage in conversation with her since she has lived in this community her whole life. 

I want to tell you about a memory that makes my heart full of joy and continues to inspire me in this job.  

A couple years ago, before I started working at Greenbriar, Adam’s mother passed away. Staff noted that there were several times over the next year that he would start talking about his mother, causing him to become sad and anxious. Knowing that staff had taken him to his mother’s funeral, I asked about the location of her gravesite. I was told “somewhere in New Jersey.” I felt that maybe the one thing Adam might benefit from was a place he could go and talk to his mom, like we do when we visit a loved one’s gravesite. Knowing that “somewhere in New Jersey” was too far for us to go when the need arose, I suggested we plant a tree in the yard at Greenbriar.  

The staff took Adam to Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill where he looked around until he found the exact tree—a beautiful hydrangea tree—that he wanted to plant. We purchased it and then we took on the task of helping Adam plant his mom’s tree. Adam was so happy to have a tree he could go to and tend to, and a place where he feels closer to his mom. He takes pride in watering the tree and watching it grow. He has since placed lights around the tree and a small angel figurine next to it. He’s always eager to show his tree to visitors.   

It brings joy to my heart to know that this one small effort has made such an impact in Adam’s life, and that he has a place he feels he can go to talk to his mom.