Success Stories | Providence of Maryland

Success Stories

Austin’s Story

Meet Austin, a caring young man who discovered his love for painting while working with Nakisha, actively improving his fine motor skills. Through collaborative efforts and meaningful friendships with Corey, Trevor, and David, Austin's journey highlights the impact of inclusive support on the lives of people with disabilities.

Austin is someone who loves other people. He enjoys everyday conversation and is a warm, caring, funny young man who easily makes friends. Recently, while working with Nakisha, he discovered how much he also loves to paint! Nakisha herself paints to relax and one day, Austin asked, “Can I help?”, a question we hear from him frequently. That’s when Nakisha and Austin started working on discovery to figure out the best way for Austin to fully engage with the crafts. Nakisha started purchasing adaptive paintbrushes and supplies to help Austin work on holding the brush and painting items on his own. They discovered together just how much Austin loves to paint and participate in creative activities.

One of Austin’s chosen goals is to work on his fine motor skills. Each day he practices relaxation to help him stretch and open his hands and arms. Through painting with Nakisha, he has been able not only to participate in an activity he enjoys, but at the same time, work on his personal goal. He and Nakisha practice taking deep breaths and slowly relaxing his muscles so that he can open and close his hand around the paintbrush. They make a great team and have formed a strong relationship of trust and understanding as they work together each day. To complete painting activities, Austin chooses the paint colors, and together they work on grasping the paintbrush and putting the paint on the brush from a palette. Austin does the rest!

Austin also shared that he has become friends with a great group of guys – Corey, Trevor, and David. They enjoy spending time with each other, visiting together and with other friends, listening to music and winding down in the afternoons together. They all speak so highly of each other and are proud to be friends. Like any of us, people with disabilities deserve to have meaningful friendships. Support and friendship is what helps all of us get through everyday life.

Not only are we proud of Austin, but Austin is proud of himself! Success doesn’t always have to be something big. Success can look like just about anything to anyone and to Austin, success is learning a new skill and strengthening himself to get better and better every day with the support of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) like Nakisha and his friends! Austin and Nakisha continue to make a great team and we know we will hear of more future success when we have teams like them who listen to and respect each other. They are one example of many teams of people we support and DSPs working to make sure they live the lives they desire and spend their lives with the people and in the places they choose every day.

Eddie’s Story

Eddie, a talented artist, recently illustrated a children's book titled "Kitty Kitty Meow Meow" written by his sister-in-law, Jessica. Despite initial uncertainty about the workload, Eddie completed each anime-style illustration in about 30 seconds to one minute, expressing pride in his accomplishment. Jessica has already enlisted Eddie for her next book, showcasing his growing success as an artist.

We recently learned that Eddie illustrated a children’s book, Kitty Kitty Meow Meow, written by his sister-in-law, Jessica. Jessica approached Eddie and asked if he would be interested in lending his talent to her book.

Eddie stated that he “didn’t know how much work it would be” to illustrate a book, but that he was proud of himself for following through and getting the project done! If you know Eddie, you know how fast he can complete a drawing in his anime style. He said that each illustration he completed for the book took him “about 30 seconds, maybe one minute”, to complete.

Jessica has already asked Eddie to illustrate her next children’s book, which they are currently working on! Kitty Kitty Meow Meow can be purchased on Amazon. We are so proud of Eddie and the work he has done to establish himself as an artist!

Brittany’s Story

This story spotlights Brittany and her Direct Support Professional (DSP), Sharon, who joined Providence in February 2022. Sharon's hiring process involved Brittany's active participation in interviews, emphasizing their strong bond. Sharon appreciates the open communication with Brittany and values the positive atmosphere at Providence. Their relationship brings a smile to Brittany's face, and they share moments of singing, creating videos, and more!

Sharon started working at Providence in February 2022 after applying for the role based on Brittany’s individualized job posting. Brittany was very involved in the interview process with Sharon and had some of her own questions to ask her like, “Are you outgoing?” and “Are you willing to do anything I want or need?”. Sharon came to Providence with a background working for nursing homes and felt that would transfer well to Providence.

After interviewing Sharon, Brittany decided she just might be the right person for her, so Sharon was hired. “Once we got along so well, formed a bond, and learned we can be goofy around each other, I knew Sharon was the right match for me,” Brittany said. Brittany and Sharon spend five days a week together participating in activities that Brittany really enjoys like bowling, shopping, going out to lunch, reading at the library, and teaching her own baking class. Brittany waited for a long time to find the right person who could really dedicate their time to supporting her, “It’s so hard to find good people. Me and Sharon are a good match. She’s always watching out for my best interests. We have a goofy relationship, too. We laugh a lot.”

Sharon stated, “I was nervous starting out, but after getting to know Brittany, I felt more comfortable. I was able to ask her anything and she helped me get used to the job. We started joking with each other and she made me feel really comfortable too.” Brittany and Sharon have an open communication policy, making sure that even if one of them is having an “off” day, they share those things so they can be aware of the other’s mindset and feelings each day. Sharon loves working with Brittany, and misses her when she’s not in, “the most fun time with Brittany is when we decide to go watch the planes at BWI and we talk about absolutely anything together.” They love singing together, creating videos, and have even attempted moonwalking in Walmart. Sharon says she loves what she does, “it’s a great atmosphere where I’ve met all different personality types.”

“I love when we are together. My parents and others who know me haven’t seen me smile this much in a long time”, Brittany said.

Our Story

Providence of Maryland (Providence) is a nonprofit organization committed to people, and to a community where every person is engaged, involved and contributing in ways that matter to them.

Since 1961, Providence has been working alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live their best lives.

At Providence, our mission, vision, values, and beliefs guide us in all that we do on behalf of the people we support, their families, and advocates, those who support us in so many ways, and the community at large. everything we do.

We are a leading non-profit supporting over 300 people in Maryland. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive mix of supports and services that are customized and specific to each person and their needs and goals through a person-first planning process. We are committed to supporting people within their community to advocate for and work toward the lives they want.

Our Focus Is On The Person

A community is at its best when every member is an engaged contributor, and everyone is treated with the same dignity and respect. At Providence, we believe that we are each a person first. We each hold a unique presence, accompanied by individual contributions that contribute to our communities and the relationships we build. This person-first mindset is reflected in our language, interactions, and approach to supporting each person to live their best life.