Provided photo
Press release
Joy Bookmiller’s passion is helping others.
For the past 31 years, the Corfu resident has been working as a direct service professional (DSP) at Arc
GLOW’s Day Habilitation Center in Elba.
She helps each individual in her room with their daily person-centered goals. Bookmiller explores every
chance to take individuals she supports out for community-based activities, and on nice weather days
she maximizes every opportunity to help individuals to enjoy the extensive outdoor space at Elba Day
Hab.
“When spending time at the site in Elba, Joy immediately stood out as one of the DSPs who truly took
their role to support individuals seriously,” said Kelly Anstey, senior director of Day and Employment
Services at Arc GLOW. “A coworker pointed out to me how Joy made every person feel as included in as
many activities as possible how she always went the extra mile. “I could see this,” Anstey continued. “She presented at once as very serious, but also compassionate and very passionate about serving people.”
(Provided photo)
It is little wonder then that Bookmiller has been selected as one of the four recipients of The Arc New
York’s 2023 Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award. This is an annual award
which recognizes a DSP who consistently demonstrates excellence, creativity and commitment to
providing supports to people who have intellectual and other developmental disabilities.
Bookmiller works at Elba Day Habilitation, a program site certified to serve up to 100 individuals. Many
of the individuals have relatively high support needs, including personal care, eating, navigating Elba and
community sites, and extensive physical support needs.
“While some staff might have had difficulty in such a challenging daily environment, Joy was a dynamo
of positive energy and care. She took everyone into her aura of love and activities, providing each
individual a variety of different opportunities and experiences,” Anthony Lewandowski, retired Day
Habilitation director shared in a letter of recommendation.
Sherri Raab, Day Habilitation director at Elba, said in her nomination Bookmiller has a strong connection
to the individuals she works with. Raab gave the example is Bookmiller’s ability to use manual sign or
specific signing for an individual who has become very comfortable with communicating with her. This
individual has been learning more signing via working with Bookmiller and his speech pathologist, and
has expanded on his signing vocabulary.
“As she role models for other staff, her compassion and thoroughness shines through,” Raab said. “She
demonstrates that she loves what she does, and that she wants that for her coworkers as well. Joy
doesn’t just show by example, she also takes the extra time with new staff to really explain the
importance of reading any necessary materials thoroughly, taking individuals’ personal goals into
consideration and all around demonstrate an adherence to the core competencies.”
Bookmiller will be receiving the award Oct. 27 at the Crowne Plaza Desmond Hotel in Latham.