direct support professional

support coordinator

behavioral therapist

behavior technician

employment specialist

Arkansas Support Network

For a Non-profit as large as it is, the Vocational Services Department sees little funding and is shoved in an office the size of a large walk-in closet with no updated office equipment to work on, pay is not up to standards, management is horrible, and communication is simply not there with the management team. There is no guidance, and the upper management does not care. They are merely in it for the federal dollars they get from the program, but even that is not enough for them to care to provide us with the proper tools we need to run the program in the manner it needs to be run. This is not a new problem; it has been ongoing for several years and brought up in team meetings multiple times, only to fall on deaf ears. It seems they are purposefully letting that division fail for some reason, in essence cutting their nose off to spite their face, and all the while, their clients and the reputation of the entire division and the company suffer within the community. It is unfortunate. In the last year, there has been turnover both in management and a loss of valued team members. Staff is overworked and underpaid. 

I worked with mentally and physically handicapped adults and children in the community. The job focuses around the individual clients, so your hours fluctuate depending on how much time they need and your schedule. I ended up working with a family for most of my time there, and ran into a lot of conflict of interest problems. My direct supervisor informed me that my client's parent was my boss, which caused a lot of tension when my duties as proscribed by the company conflicted with what the client's mother wanted. My supervisor was often out of touch or completely brushed off my concerns on this matter. Considering that such positions are subject to HIPAA regulations and mandated reporter status, the kind of situation I was placed in was very inappropriate.
I loved my clients, and I think ASN does good work, but my particular experience left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I worked with another non-profit that centered on art. My boss and the CEO of ASN made a deal that was supposed to help both non-profits. What the CEO really wanted was to eliminate what he thought was competition. The program I supervised was well known in Fayetteville and helped many people with disabilities. However, the CEO of ASN demanded that me and my staff become ASN employees. Then he began cutting the program down until it became a few clients in a room staring at each other when before it was a lively program that consisted of painting and working with clay. The CEO then started to let my staff go because the program began to fail. Our clients began leaving when he downsized. Finally, he let me go and then lied when I went to file for unemployment. Be advised the CEO has a saying, no one gets unemployment. This was a bad experience for me and my staff along with the clients.

Working with individuals with disabilities to live their best lives. Seeing someone succeed in doing something they previously couldn't and knowing that you helped them achieve that is amazing. ASN provides supported living services to people who need it the most. Overall the work environment is supportive. DSP positions are a professional position requiring self direction, good communication skills, and the ability to follow a person's individual plan. DSP positions require that we respect the person receiving services and their choices as much as possible while insuring their health and safety. If you're looking for somewhere that you can make a difference this is the job for you!
The only cons I have seen is that the pay is not as much as it should be,in my opinion 

The day at work depends how is the client feeling . Most of the time the day is good and peaceful. Days after days I learned how to help and satisfy my client in his house and in the community. The client has choice to hang out with any person has descent behave and a good understanding of relationship.
The most difficult part in the job it's when you don't know how to communicate with the client and he refuses to obey to your order. But the most enjoyable is when the client and staff communicate well. Staff feels like his productive in the society and helpful to the client and society.

The first thing I did at work was taking the client to the community by going to the park, mall,  and doctor appointments. I learn how to be a better team player at the job I work at. Management was ok, but not great. I didn't like how it took five or more phone calls in order to fix the problem. Like getting my employee license up to date. The workplace culture has it's good days and bad days. The hardest part of the job was the people that you were with. There is going to be drama, dealing with the client's family, and getting growled at by a member of the foster family and  a manger being rude/ mean to you. The only enjoyable  part of the job was getting to know the special need clients.

I have alot of freedom from day to day to do things with my client that he and i both enjoy.  Get to interact with co workers and a lot of other people which i enjoy.  The management is good for the most part, sometimes a little rough handling issues when changes are made but that is understandable.  Enjoy being around my co workers and have them to help out with issues that may arise and ask questions when needed.  Hardest part of the job is having to deal with a client who is upset or angry or causing trouble. What i most enjoy about the job is being able to help out people and be a friend to them as well and watching them enjoy themselves doing things they enjoy doing.

I had an excellent experience with this job. Never ever dreamed I would want to do caregiving/work with disabled individuals, but fell in love. Consistent shifts; many opportunities for overtime hours; supportive and understanding management; fast promotion opportunities; great continuing ed classes for license holders; involved ceo and community building events; availability to work with non-personal care/toileting requiring patients/ easy documentation processes/ weekly pay/ fun clients/easy work 

I went into the job thinking it was all about helping people, but there is a lot of abuse of the system. It was a lot of sitting in dark rooms for 48 hours straight with no management checking up on us. They never had a correct paycheck, and caregivers here only make 8.50 an hour. My co-workers would be late every night (they were supposed to get there at 12:00am and release me, but I would get a constant text "I'm at waffle house eating, just leave her (the client with disabilities) alone. I'll be there soon." Then I see on the website that they clocked in for a time that they weren't there (I was) The most enjoyable experience was caring for my clients, although I wish it could have been with a better company with a consistent payment.

The ABA department at ASN is amazing for the most part, and working as a behavior tech can be equally rewarding and challenging. The lead therapists and consultants are amazing and try their best to provide in-person support and be a text away when not in a home with you. The management team is very understaffed though, so some things so slip through the cracks. ASN serves a diverse set of clients, so experiences working with one child can be completely different than working in another home (it's always a learning experience). Hours can be frustrating due to the the vast majority of clients only having after-school availability. Overall, a great experience and company!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 48 salaries reported	$13.29 per hour
Support coordinator 5 salaries reported	$46,500 per year
Behavioral therapist 1 salary reported	$17.25 per hour
Behavior technician 9 salaries reported	$20.58 per hour
Employment specialist 4 salaries reported	$39,000 per year

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