Tanya Allen received
The 2015 Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award
Tanya, Day Habilitation Instructor at our McGregor Day Program, received the 2015 Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award. This recognition is in honor of Thomas A. Maul, who during his tenure as OMRDD Commissioner addressed many of the long standing issues NYSARC Chapters face. Tanya received one of the 4 NYSARC region awards because she consistently demonstrates excellence, creativity and commitment to the people we support.
A true Ambassador to and for our agency, Tanya joined us 6 years ago as a Day Habilitation (Hab) Aide position at our Wilton Day Program. Her leadership skills were recognized and she was promoted to her present position. Tanya continually enriches the lives of the individuals in her program. She interacts with each person and recognizes their potential and abilities. From this, she focuses on providing opportunities for them to have experiences and develop skills in a stimulating environment.
Tanya volunteers her individuals for most projects within our agency and for the community. Tanya encourages individuals to come up with topics of interest and then plans activities and outings around a theme. She promotes productivity and involvement in all aspects of the community by raising awareness of their abilities and through her own connections. As a result, they become engaged in meaningful activities and are valued for their accomplishments. Some of these are:
- ‘In My Shoes’ which is a disability awareness program presented to area 5th grade students
- Postcrossing which is an international post card exchange program
- Sibling Celebration where they created the centerpieces for the event
- Interagency Awareness Day for area nonprofit agencies
- Saratoga County Law Enforcement appreciation program
Tanya is the type of person who puts others first. She is kind and caring with her staff as well as the participants. By displaying a wonderful attitude, Tanya inspires everyone to remain positive and upbeat. She definitely leads by example, is a role model to her staff, prides herself on being approachable and most importantly makes it fun. As a strong advocate for people in her program, Tanya has the utmost respect for the dignity and rights of individuals, their families and their independence. She highly respects and tries to uphold their personal dignity by educating their cultural, religious and other differences.
One mother said, “Tanya encourages individuals, keeps their spirits up, makes them feel like a person, like their wanted, she has no favorites she treats everyone that way.”
Tanya graduated for the College of Direct Support in 2011, was one of our Employees of the Year in 2011, was an Everyday Hero, is enrolled in Supervisory Training and seeks out additional Alzheimer’s courses. One of Tanya’s future goals is to go to college.
Congratulations Tanya!
Tanya accepts her award from President of NYSARC’s Board of Governors Laura Kennedy
Tanya with her family. She often involves them as well as her to enrich experiences and opportunities for people in her program. She willingly attends and supports their activities outside of work.