The 2021 MITC DSP Winner

MITC has awarded a total of $5,000 to Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who stand out and go above and beyond to provide exemplary service during the current emergency.

MITC values the hard work put forth by DSPs everyday, and is hoping to show our appreciation through these prizes!

After receiving 684 nominations from hundreds of agencies, the 2021 winners of the MITC DSP Awards was chosen. After reading through his incredible story, Matthew Green was chosen as the $1,000 grand prize winner.

Matthew is a DSP at Aspire Living & Learning, a private, non-profit human service and educational organization, serving individuals in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland. 

Matt Green is not your usual DSP. In fact, he’s a behavior analyst who usually is supporting DSPs to help individuals learn new communication and social skills to replace behaviors that aren’t serving them well.  All that changed during the pandemic when one of our most challenging individuals was about to become homeless. 

Aspire was arranging for 24-hour emergency staffing, when Matt stepped forward and said he would be willing to move in with him for a couple of months if they provided some relief staffing and continued the 2:1 day supports. The individual didn’t have a home, and Matt’s home was not suitable. Matt then leased a home on his own and changed his legal address. They moved in together and began a two-month journey that had a great ending.

Because the pandemic was raging, Matt increased his personal risk substantially by choosing to live in a staffed situation where multiple people were coming and going. He could have chosen to continue working remotely as a behavior analyst, had he wanted to.

While Matt was relieved of his other responsibilities, he continued to touch base with others in difficulty and remained an active team member. He went well beyond anything Aspire would have asked him to do.

Because of Matt’s tireless work, Aspire’s understanding of the individual’s needs increased substantially. 

Matt is truly committed to the success of each person he supports, even when that requires great personal sacrifice on his part.  He does so with a consistent positive attitude. He goes the extra mile, the extra 1000 miles really!