A Season of Change!

By Chris Sapp

Community Connections Specialist, TuscBDD

After 15 years with the TuscBDD, I find myself shifting gears from being an adult services direct care provider to becoming a part of connecting with providers, individuals and families from all over Tuscarawas County to ensure that great services are a part of their everyday lives.

I'm looking forward to using Person-Centered Thinking, coupled with being a Good Life Facilitator, to create strong and supportive relationships with our stakeholders. I find myself being in the fortunate position to partner with other great professionals to discover new and exciting ways to provide trainings specific to developmental disabilities and see best practice standards become common practice county-wide.
I think this position and opportunity came at the perfect time. With the state and federal changes being made that directly affect how county boards serve the residents of their county, we've all been faced with some difficult and sometimes uncomfortable decisions. Change is difficult! Change is hard! Change is scary!

But change can be exciting, too. Change can create opportunities and creative outlets that allow the people we serve to discover hidden talents and strengths that they never knew they had. It's a chance for them to try new things and accomplish personal goals and walk away with a new found sense of pride and accomplishment. Change creates choice. It opens up a new world of possibilities! I remember the first time my parents stepped back and let me make my first big decision on my own and how empowered I felt and how proud I was to see the smiles on their faces. I think I strutted around for days!

I wouldn't be truthful if I didn't say that a part of me isn't still nervous about all of this. It's a big change for my job and it's also a big change personally. My youngest son has a developmental disability and the first conversation I had with his Service and Support Administrator regarding these changes ended with me in tears! After many conversations, and tissues, I decided that I wasn't going to waste one more moment being afraid! If the founding parents and other concerned members of this community could jump in the driver's seat and create great things where there once was none, then by golly, we can certainly handle these changes and build new things on the solid foundation they gave us! No matter how many anxious moments we'll experience together, I believe we'll have double the successes.

Thanks for reading!

Chris Sapp

Wed, Mar 2nd, 2016