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Moving Mountains Awards: Best Practice in Direct Support Workforce Development
Through a partnership between ANCOR, the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP), and The Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration, the Moving Mountains Award recognizes organizations using leading practices in direct support workforce development that result in improved outcomes for people with disabilities.
Organizations applying for the award are required to demonstrate how their direct support workforce practices and philosophy align with the key principles of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). These principles are:
- All direct support professionals benefit from access to well-constructed educational experiences (e.g., competency-based trainings, continuing and higher education) and lifelong learning;
- Certifying highly qualified workers incentivizes continuing education, increased compensation, and access to career pathways for direct support professionals thereby improving retention;
- Values-based and ethical decision making can be learned and infused into daily practice; and
- Strengthening relationships and partnerships between direct support professionals, self-advocates, and other advocacy groups and families improves the quality of support.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Moving Mountains Award. The winning organizations will be honored and will share their initiative during the Reinventing Quality Conference in August 2022. The actual location and format of the award presentation will be based on our ability to gather and celebrate. Winners will be notified in advance. Applications are due on March 31, 2022 by 11:59 pm CST via electronic submission.
If you have questions regarding the completion of the application, please email Jolene Thibedeau Boyd at jtboyd@umn.edu. To learn more about the awards click the "Learn More" button below. For information on previous award winners visit the Moving Mountains Award Past Winners page.