CCS is partnering with Howard Center and Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center to offer our community a FREE showing of the documentary film Invaluable: The Unrecognized Profession of Direct Support on Wednesday, November 20 at 6 p.m. at The Film House at Main Street Landing in Burlington. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Jerry Smith of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration.
Invaluable explores the underappreciated and underfunded work of direct support professionals (DSP), the people who support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in living full lives as members of their communities. Through stories and interviews with DSPs, family members, advocates, and people with disabilities from across the country, the film honors the complexity of the work and the immense value it provides to individuals receiving support. And it asks us to act now in strengthening the DSP workforce before the system collapses.
One powerful quote from the film says it all; “We need a million new workers in the next 10 years to do direct support. Where are they going to come from and how are we going to keep them?”
Thanks to a collaborative effort among Vermont Care Partners and area Designated and Specialized Services agencies, Invaluable is being screened at four locations throughout Vermont this month. This is a documentary that is meant for all community members to experience and gain a better understanding of the critical role DSP play in the lives of those who live is developmental and intellectual challenges and their families. We hope you will join us!
To view the trailer for Invaluable: The Unrecognized Profession of Direct Support, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ra7XBiyawk
