Posted on September 12, 2025
By Michele Jacobs, Penn-Mar Parent
Before moving from Baltimore City to Parkton, MD in 2012, our family prioritized finding a human services provider that could continue offering one-to-one support for our eldest son, Scott, now 35.
Scott is non-verbal and sometimes experiences behavioral challenges related to communication difficulties. But he also makes himself known — he has a contagious laugh and smile that never fails to captivate those around him.
Scott loves all kinds of music and carries around a hand-held radio so he can quickly switch between stations. If he is at a venue with live music, you can always find him dancing right in front of the stage.
Scott can comprehend what is being said and uses hand gestures to better communicate. Most recently, he has been relying on an Assistive Technology (AT) device with photos of people, places, and things that he can reference when signaling his wants, needs, and topics of discussion.
My husband Allen and I were looking for a provider who could give our son the meaningful and engaging life he both desired and deserved. We were extremely fortunate to find Penn-Mar Human Services, which is conveniently located only a few miles from our home. Penn-Mar’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) have changed not just Scott’s life, but ours too.
Scott lives at home but attends Penn-Mar’s Day Program every weekday. The program provides him with the individual attention he needs, gives him opportunities to explore the community every day, keeps him safe, and empowers him to develop friendships. Because Scott can be overwhelmed by large groups, the DSPs who support him make accommodations to surround him with smaller groups of people to ensure his comfort.
He likes to be “on the go,” but after considering several employment opportunities, he and his Penn-Mar team decided he would be best suited running his own business where he could travel from task to task. Consequently, “Scott’s Sweets and Treats” was established. Scott has two candy boxes at local pizza shops. With the assistance of his DSP, he purchases candy from Sam’s Club, delivers the candy and then fills the boxes, selling the candy for fifty cents or three for one dollar. He collects the profits and then uses some to buy himself drinks and snacks.
I often become emotional when speaking about these amazing DSPs who have made such a difference in my son’s and our family’s life. For 13 years, they’ve stood by Scott and by us, finding ways every single day to help him live his best life.
Supporting Scott takes patience and creativity, and his DSPs have shown both of these qualities in abundance. Each has brought their own history and perspective to his person-centered life plan, giving him experiences and insights we could never provide on our own. Year after year, they have stood with him and with us, ensuring he is cared for in every way, and our gratitude is immense.
September 7-13 is DSP Recognition Week. I hope you will join our family — and all the families who have loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) — to say “thank you” to this essential and dedicated workforce for all they do to make this world a better place.