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Keystone Human Services (KHS) is a non-profit organization that is a part of a global movement to provide support and expertise to people with disabilities.
Direct Support Professionals play a vital role in creating authentic inclusion alongside people with disability. Keystone Institute India has developed a National Training for Direct Support Practitioners, a curriculum designed to develop a dignified, respected workforce of direct support professionals (DSPs).
Grounded in the principles of person-centered approaches and Social Role Valorization, the training uses a train the trainer method, preparing certified master trainers who in turn develop DSPs who will support people with disability to have full, rich lives in the community.
Vinakshi Singh, the 2024 ANCOR International DSP of the Year, is one such trainer who has taken the principles she learned in Foundations of Direct Support and shared them with others, helping to create a vital, growing network of direct support practitioners across India. She is a Program Manager for the Community Lives project in India, a project developed in partnership between Keystone Institute India, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, The Hans Foundation, the Rural India Supporting Trust, and the Government of Uttarakhand. Through Community Lives, eight women were assisted to leave a government institution to live within a village and become an integral part of the community.
These women are now invited to every village celebration and have established themselves as valued, contributing members of the village – as neighbors, citizens, voters, employees, and more. Vinakshi has helped each woman to not just form a vision for their lives, but to strive for it. Two women have entered the workforce for the first time and another has taken her place as a respected village elder. Throughout her work, Vinakshi has embraced the practice of walking alongside people with disability in equality and respect.
The Community Lives project continues to create spaces for authentic inclusion and support people with disability to live full, meaningful lives based on their own vision.
Congratulations to Vinakshi on receiving the 2024 ANCOR International DSP of the Year Award!