Discussing Disability

In this episode, ASN's Syard Evans talks with Yohannes Seifu, who received ANCOR's 2024 Arkansas Direct Support Professional of the Year award.  The discussion emphasizes the importance of person-centered support, building relationships, developing skills, and promoting career paths in the disability service industry.

In this episode, ASN's CEO Syard Evans taps into the world of disability support through the eyes of Johnniesue and her support system at ASN. We'll hear Arlene, a direct support professional, share her connection with Johnniesue, and gain insights from Syard on building positive relationships. Together, they'll unveil the power of person-centered care, emphasizing open communication and respect in supporting individuals with disabilities. 

This episode of Discussing Disability, hosted by ASN's CEO, Dr. Syard Evans, tackles the challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities in the workplace. Guests Autumn, an individual ASN supports, and Cynthia Pegues, the Director of Vocational Services, share their firsthand experiences and insights. Autumn details the joys and hurdles she faces in her career. Meanwhile, Cynthia sheds light on her role in helping individuals with disabilities through obstacles that they encounter in job finding and various work settings. The episode offers essential knowledge and guidance for individuals with disabilities, employers, and anyone interested in fostering a more inclusive work environment.

This ASN Family Conversation, conducted by ASN CEO Syard Evans, looks at the ever-growing relationship between people with disabilities and their support staff. She is joined by three people who receive services, Andrew, Jared, and Michael, along with a direct support professional named Yohannes. They each share their own experiences, providing valuable insight into the challenges they face and the importance of having a strong support system. Yohannes also discusses the importance of learning and respecting individual needs as a DSP, along with recognizing that he benefits from the relationship as well.

In this episode, ASN's CEO Dr. Syard Evans sits down with Dr. Angie Bassett and discusses her integral roles as a former board member, an educator, and a mother.

To start off the ASN Family Conversations miniseries, CEO Syard Evans sits down with Assistant Director of Quality and Programming Anastasia Litrell and Board Member Cash Acrey to discuss their respective roles within the organization, how they got there, and what motivates them.

In this episode, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, talks with John Peters, an individual ASN supports, one of his direct support professionals, Chibu Dilibe, and Lindsey Parker, the organization's Director of Behavioral Health, about relationships. They cover what makes a good relationship dealing with problems in a relationship, and relationships with family.

In this episode, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, sits down with the organization's Chief Program Officer, Harold Watts, and the Co-director of Quality and Programming, James Wilks, and talks about providing supported living services.

In this episode, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, talks with the organization's Director of Behavioral Health about supporting people during grief, loss, and end-of-life experiences.

In this episode, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, talks with two of her employees, Devonna and Reade, and Roy, an individual served by ASN, about the role of direct support professionals (DSPs).in the lives of people with disabilities.

In this episode, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, sits down with ASN's nurses, Jane and Melissa, to discuss health and wellness for folks with disabilities and as a part of disability services. The conversation extends to mental health challenges created by COVID-19 and the way people reacted to potentially receiving the vaccines.

In this episode of Discussing Disability, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, talks with Lindsey and Jasmine from the organization's behavioral health department about the abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and exploitation (ANME) of people with disabilities. Together, they explore the dynamics of ANME seen in disability services, what it means to provide trauma-informed support, and the importance of informed consent. Lindsey and Jasmine reflect on their own experiences acting as a "translator" or "mediator" to help direct support professionals understand what kind of support someone needs from them. This conversation reinforces the importance of truly supporting people to develop protective factors instead of merely trying to "protect them."

In this episode of Discussing Disability, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, visits with two individuals who receive supports from ASN, Larry and Ricky, and discusses their experiences receiving support services and learning to be effective advocates for themselves and for others.

In this episode of Discussing Disability, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, visits with two workers who receive supports from ASN, Justin and Shay, and two members of ASN's Vocational Services team who support and assist them, Steve and Laramie. Both Justin and Shay share their experiences and provide important insights into the value of work roles and effective support strategies. Justin reminds us all that important conversations and discussions don't always follow a traditional cadence but remain valuable and vital to our collective understanding, and both individuals reinforce the necessity of learning effective ways to ask for help in order to be successful.

Approximately a year or so into the pandemic, CEO Syard Evans, sat down with ASN's Director of Operations, Elaine Lawson, one of ASN's Directors of Quality & Programming, and one of ASN's Division Quality Specialists, Jim Mears to talk about the pandemic and how it had impacted ASN. Jim Mears stepped up in amazing ways in the early days of the pandemic in a way that provided leadership and hope for all of us. Jim shares his experience here.

Approximately a year or so into the pandemic, CEO Syard Evans, sat down with ASN's Director of Operations, Elaine Lawson, one of ASN's Directors of Quality & Programming, and one of ASN's Division Quality Specialists, Jim Mears to talk about the pandemic and how it had impacted ASN. In this section of the conversation, Terri shares her family's experience with COVID-19.

Approximately a year or so into the pandemic, CEO Syard Evans, sat down with ASN's Director of Operations, Elaine Lawson, one of ASN's Directors of Quality & Programming, and one of ASN's Division Quality Specialists, Jim Mears to talk about the pandemic and how it had impacted ASN. Elaine, along with ASN's Chief Operations Officer, Ginnie Trammell, immediately stepped in and assumed the overwhelming task of contact tracing within ASN, and their tireless efforts are a key factor in ASN being able to keep people as safe as possible while continuing to operate at full speed. Elaine shares one of the more challenging aspects of taking on the role of contact tracing.

Approximately a year or so into the pandemic, CEO, Syard Evans, sat down with ASN's Director of Operations, Elaine Lawson, one of ASN's Directors of Quality & Programming, and one of ASN's Division Quality Specialists, Jim Mears to talk about the pandemic and how it had impacted ASN. Here's a piece of that conversation focused on ASN's response to the global pandemic.

Sometimes there are important conversations that occur in-between podcast episodes that we're lucky enough to get recorded. We'll always try to share those when they occur to supplement the important monthly podcast conversations we are having at ASN. In this clip, ASN's CEO, Syard Evans, provides thoughts and insights for fellow providers on the challenges and opportunities we currently face in the disability services system at the Arc of Indiana's recent virtual conference as a part of Quillo's founder, John Dickerson's, keynote address.

The term "Enabling Technology" is showing up more and more in the disability services field, but Enabling Technology isn't as much about gadgets and technological advances as it is about truly person-centered supports that empower people and legitimately support their pursuits of living good lives. Recently, ASN invited some friends from Core Services of NE Tennessee (www.coreservicestn.com) to travel to NW Arkansas and spend some time helping us learn more about Enabling Technology. While they were in town, Dr. Syard Evans sat down with Nick Filarelli and Adam Gothard to talk about what Nick and Adam have learned in the process of Core becoming a leading Tech First provider.

Dr. Syard Evans engages in a conversation with Kasey Hodges about the evolution of providing supports, her journey to becoming Arkansas Support Network's new Ethics and Mission Integration Director, and what she hopes to accomplish in that role.