We had a blast ringing in NDEAM last week with an important annual event—the 2022 Points of Transformation Awards hosted by Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services!  
 
This year’s event was even more meaningful because our own Hayden Howard was awarded the 2022 Employment Award of Excellence. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and for Hayden to be recognized for his outstanding support of people with disabilities in the workplace is an incredible honor.  
 
In the presentation accompanying his award, he was lauded for his holistic support of CIS participants, and the incredible job he does coordinating communication between participants, their support teams, and each participant’s employer and managers. That close coordination has led countless participants to achieve raises, promotions, and greater independence in and out of the workplace.  
 
This year’s NDEAM theme forefronts disability representation as a component of workplace equity. In his fierce advocacy for the people he supports and his commitment to helping them find success at work, Hayden is a true champion of that principle.  
 
Congrats to Hayden, and our deep thanks to all those direct support professionals who have devoted their careers to helping support people with intellectual disabilities or autism.