The Workplace — May 2022
March 28, 2024 | Black Hills Works Newsroom
View and download the May 2022 edition of The Workplace by clicking the image below. May’s focus is Specialty Services.
View and download the May 2022 edition of The Workplace by clicking the image below. May’s focus is Specialty Services.
Black Hills Works is thrilled to announce the release of its new career website, aimed at providing prospective employees the tools they need to learn more about what it means to be a direct support professional (DSPs). It’s a career that is life-changing, both for the DSP and the people they support.
Simply, DSPs are at the heart of what we do at Black Hills Works. They help adults with disabilities live, work, and play. They work in homes, at jobs, and within the community, helping the people we support to achieve their goals and overcome various challenges they face. DSPs play a critical role in helping to empower and equip adults with disabilities receiving services with the opportunity to lead independent, meaningful, and full lives. Through person-centered approaches that promote self-determination, the responsibilities of a DSP are vast. This work can include providing support for relationship-building, financial management, personal care, household tasks, transportation, communication, advocacy, and so much more. It’s a job that is intimate and transformational for both you and the people you support. They are so important to the mission of Black Hills Works, we provide robust on-the-job training, leadership development, certifications, and credentialing opportunities to provide opportunities to build skills and income potential.
If you would like to learn more, check out our new career website, and apply today!
Did you know that interacting with a friendly pet can help with many physical and mental issues? Pet therapy can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health. It can release endorphins that produce a calming effect, which can help alleviate pain, reduce stress, and improve your overall psychological state. Pet therapy can also make you feel happier, decrease loneliness, and reduce anxiety. Watching Reina and Crunchy interacting with people that we support provides the proof!
For several years, Carol and Joan have shared their pet therapy dogs with Black Hills Works. Reina and Crunchy visit the Learning Center and Plant Street a couple of times a week, and you can see the smiles that accompany their visits. Kenny was smiling and laughing while Reina did tricks for him. “She is nice and cute,” Kenny shared. Kathy couldn’t get enough of Crunchy, and her laugh was contagious!
“I enjoy seeing the responses of the people supported,” shared Carol. “You can see the comfort while they play, and the improvement of eye-hand coordination for some of the folks!” When asked what she enjoys about bringing Crunchy to visit, Joan shared, “It touches my heart to see their hearts connect with Crunchy. I get to have relationships with the people supported through Crunchy, so we have lots of friends to visit!”
Thank you, Carol and Joan, for sharing Reina and Crunchy with us and brightening our days!
Erin’s life dramatically changed in January 2020 when she accidentally broke her right ankle. At that time, she was living in her own apartment, but due to the nature of her injury, she was moved to Sitka. And though she was working hard to regain her strength, accidents happen and Erin twisted her right ankle in August 2020, requiring a second surgery. As if that wasn’t enough, Erin had to quarantine in November, and she fell again in December, this time breaking her left ankle. Needless to say, all of this took its toll on Erin’s mental health.
At the beginning of 2021, Erin’s team branched out to include a Behavior Support Specialist. Together they implemented some new tools and techniques to help Erin with both her physical recovery and her mental health recovery while continuing to promote her independence. And Erin is knocking it out of the park! She has improved both her emotional and physical health! She is able to walk with a walker now and continues to engage in physical therapy. She is becoming a better friend and is working on managing her friendships. She has come a long way since January 2020, and continues to make progress every day!
Congratulations, Erin, and keep up the awesome work!
View and download the April 2022 edition of The Workplace by clicking the image below. April’s focus is Workforce Development.
Technology impacts nearly every facet of our lives. We rely on technology to communicate with family, friends, and professionals, and to do our jobs. Technology can help us get to where we need to go, whether we are using GPS or requesting rides. Our homes are “smarter” than ever, and our recreation, from movies to online gaming, is technology-driven.
In short, technology processes access to our world and opportunities to thrive.
Yet, according to the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, the “vast majority of people with cognitive disabilities have limited or no access to comprehensible information and usable communication technologies.”
At Black Hills Works, our dedicated assistive technology team helps bridge the digital divide. Thanks to the support of our community, last year they created 898 solutions, costing on average just $44 per person. While not every solution involves true technology, many do and all serve to ensure that the people we support can live, work, and play in our community.
The Coleman Institute has responded to inequities around access to technology with a statement titled, “The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.” They urge access by people with cognitive disabilities to person-centered technology, with the same level of training and privacy we all want. Ensuring access to technology and information for the 28 million people with cognitive disabilities in the United States, they argue, “will create new markets and employment opportunities; decrease dependency on public services; reduce healthcare costs; and improve the independence, productivity, and quality of life of people with cognitive disabilities.”
We agree and will continue to do our part to connect the people we support with the assistants they need to live their lives as integral members of our shared community.
Kristi Noem, Governor of the State of South Dakota, has proclaimed March 2022 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
Her Executive Proclamation which encourages everyone to focus first on the abilities of individuals rather than “disabilities,” aligns perfectly with Black Hills Works’ mission to create a community where everyone participates to achieve a life of full potential. “The most effective way to increase this awareness is to encourage everyone’s active participation in community activities and the openness to learn and acknowledge each individual’s contribution,” states the Governor’s Proclamation.
At Black Hills Works, we embrace this charge each and every day; so much so, you might not have even noticed! The people we support are part of the fabric of our community.
Your artwork from the Suzie Cappa Art Center was created by an artist with disabilities. The exceptional customer service you received at Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, or at Ellsworth Air Force Base, was from employees supported by Black Hills Works. With over 30 homes across our community, chances are good that your neighbors are supported by Black Hills Works.
People with disabilities in our community deserve, as Governor Noem’s Proclamation declares, full access to education, housing, employment, and recreational activities; “individuals with developmental disabilities deserve nothing less.”
At Black Hills Works, we agree completely and are delivering daily on this promise.
You can find Governor Noem’s Proclamation here https://drsdlaw.org/blog/developmental-disabilities-awareness-month-2022/
Robert has grown tremendously over the last year, accomplishing a lot of firsts! Robert attends day services at Plant Street a couple of days a week and has gotten involved in more activities while there. Robert used to struggle with activities that have a lot of noise, lights, or action. Now he is willing to give these activities a try and is doing a great job of being more outgoing and social. He seeks out staff to talk about cars, music, food, cooking, and TV shows. He has a long-standing lunch date with Amy Speidel and does a great job of being flexible and enjoying lunch with different staff if Amy is unavailable. He is handling his anxiety better and doesn’t get as upset when things are loud or disruptive.
Robert started riding the “My Ride” bus system and LOVES it! This is a goal he would not have even tried before. Robert also received his first library card at the Rapid City Public Library. This was quite a test of patience, as there were several items to line up to verify his residency. Robert showed fortitude and commitment to getting that card! The first item he checked out was a Star Trek DVD to watch at home.
Congratulations, Robert, and keep up the awesome work!
View and download the March 2022 edition of The Workplace by clicking the image below. March’s focus is Community Life.
Muhammad Ali once said that “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” urging all of us to help others during our journey through life.
The people we support are no exception! They are an integral part of our community in so many ways, including as caring volunteers.
In 2021, about 25 people supported volunteered weekly, and sometimes several times a week, at Feeding South Dakota, Fork Real, and Meals on Wheels.
They also took on three routes over two days for the City-wide clean-up event and donated socks, hats, and mittens to the School of Mines Holiday Tree made blankets for the Children’s Home Society, and left scarfs and hats for people in need on the president statues.
In total, these 25 caring individuals gave 813 hours of time at area nonprofits in 2021, volunteering a collective 157 times! Their service to our shared community, and the joy they receive in giving back, is something we can all celebrate and learn from by paying it forward.