{"id":81229,"date":"2026-09-16T12:41:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=81229"},"modified":"2026-09-16T12:41:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:41:27","slug":"glow-dan-crofts-wins-2026-thomas-a-maul-direct-support-professional-excellence-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/glow-dan-crofts-wins-2026-thomas-a-maul-direct-support-professional-excellence-award\/","title":{"rendered":"GLOW\/Dan Crofts wins 2026 Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Press release\/provided photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For over 15 years, Dan Crofts has worked as a direct support professional for Arc GLOW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, he can be found within the IGNITE (Inspiring Growth and Nurturing Independence Through Education) program at Genesee Community College (GCC). In this role, he supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as they participate in an inclusive higher education experience, helping students in developing vocational, social, communication, and independent living skills while participating in IGNITE classes, community outings, job site tours, internships, and audited college courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is for his consistent support and dedication Crofts will be honored as one of the four awardees across the state of the 2026 Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award. This annual award recognizes a DSP who consistently demonstrates excellence, creativity and commitment to providing supports to people who have IDD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like to commend Dan Crofts on the work that he has done with my daughter. We first met Dan about four years ago (give or take) when my daughter first started services through Arc GLOW. A couple of years ago, my daughter started the IGNITE program at GCC, and was overjoyed to hear that Dan had accepted the position with the IGNITE program and that she would be continuing to work with him!\u201d said Elizabeth Newman in a letter of support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow two years later, he has continued to have such a positive impact on her learning and growth, and even though she has graduated from that program, we have been honored to hire Dan on as her self-hired community habilitation staff,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe has been such a positive influence, mentor and roll model for my daughter and all those who he is around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newman isn\u2019t the only one who sings high praises of Crofts; Cathy Barcomb also wrote a letter of support saying he is patient, caring and compassionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn example of this is the day my son was struggling emotionally, and I needed to pick him up from the program. Dan and Daniel were in the classroom when I arrived,\u201d she said. \u201cI proceeded to encourage my son to pack his backpack and to head home with me. After a little bit, he complied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring this time, Dan remained quietly working on his computer, only speaking to say goodbye to us. A few minutes later Dan texted me to let me know that he wasn’t ignoring us but was giving Daniel the space and time to collect himself and be able to leave without getting upset further. Dan understood what Daniel needed at that moment. That is one of Dan’s strengths; his ability to assess a situation and handle it admirably.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his work as a DSP, Crofts is also an accomplished, published author whose work has appeared in various publications. He has written and published an autobiography detailing his own personal experiences as a person on the Autism Spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is his experiences as both a professional and person with lived experience on the Autism spectrum which brings unique insight and perspective to his role. He willingly learns about new topics, technologies, and educational methods that can enhance participant experiences in both classroom and community settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crofts often states that he may wish to remain a lifelong DSP because of his passion for the field and the individuals he serves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award will be presented to Crofts Friday, Sept. 25 during The Arc New York\u2019s Annual Awards Luncheon at the Warren-Washington-Albany chapter of The Arc New York (WWARC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arc GLOW is a public non-profit supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties. To learn more, visit ArcGLOW.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Press release\/provided photo For over 15 years, Dan Crofts has worked as a direct support professional for Arc GLOW. Today, he can be found within the IGNITE (Inspiring Growth and Nurturing Independence Through Education) program at Genesee Community College (GCC). In this role, he supports people with intellectual and developmental \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2774],"tags":[403,6083],"class_list":["post-81229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glow-region","tag-arc","tag-dan-crofts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-l89","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56918,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/09\/13\/genesee-county-arc-glow-ignites-a-new-initiative-at-gcc\/","url_meta":{"origin":81229,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Arc GLOW IGNITEs a new initiative at GCC","author":"aka","date":"September 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Kevin Fisher, direct support professional (DSP), teaches the LIVES students about auditory learning as Dan Crofts, DSP, and Kelly Anstey, senior director of Day and Employment Services, look on Press release\/provided photos BATAVIA \u2014 IGNITE took off at the Genesee Community College (GCC) campus in Batavia! 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Taking place at 4:30 p.m., Oct. 14 at Batavia Downs, Rebecca LeClair, a former Rochester local news anchor, will be the emcee. Arc GLOW\u2019s entertainment will be provided by some of the talented people supported.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GLOW region"","block_context":{"text":"GLOW region","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/glow-region\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/arc-glow-sm.png?fit=600%2C451&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/arc-glow-sm.png?fit=600%2C451&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/arc-glow-sm.png?fit=600%2C451&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75654,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/30\/batavia-arc-glow-ignite-holds-first-commencement-ceremony\/","url_meta":{"origin":81229,"position":3},"title":"BATAVIA\/Arc GLOW IGNITE holds first commencement ceremony","author":"aka","date":"May 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release BATAVIA \u2014 For graduating seniors, Thursday, May 14 marked the end of one chapter of their lives and the start of another. 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