Writing on the Wall: Spring 2023

Spring 2023
Wall
<strong>Writing</strong>
Wall
on the
New Flavors, New Places
The Opportunity of Adventures Together
3
6 8
Double Date
Working together to support
a special night out
Functional Communication
Speech and Language services can ease
communication frustrations
Seeking Wonderful People
Cross-team cooperation for optimal
candidate recruiting at job fairs

President’s Corner
John Weatherspoon
Collaboration is key to the work we
do at Wall Residences. Reaching
across teams and agencies to work together
to ensure the best outcome is of
paramount importance. Collaboration
looks like staff from different parts
of our company recruiting together at
a job fair or DSPs and program staff
coordinating their support to bring
people together for a special night of
celebration and fun. This type of partnership
and cooperation happens in
plain sight when sponsors and individuals
socialize together, allowing for
friendships and community to grow. It
happens when staff who serve different
job functions but share a region
gather for training and networking.
Not all the ways we join together to
make a difference are so visible. Collaboration
also looks like Sponsored
Residential Providers and staff helping
to seek out specialized services
like Speech and Language to enhance
an individual’s life. It happens behind
the scenes when we all advocate
for services to our state legislative
members and when those lawmakers
meet with us and are responsive to
the needs of the ID/DD community.
This coming fall will be an extremely
important time for all of us to engage
in this arena as we welcome a new
group of law makers to Richmond
and say goodbye to several key
lawmakers as they retire and return
to private life. We will be
educating the next generation
of support within the General
Assembly.
We learned to collaborate
using technology throughout
the pandemic. While we benefit
from our continued ability
to collaborate across the
state virtually at any time, we
are enjoying increased opportunities
to reach out in person to share information
about the services we provide
and the career opportunities we offer
in the communities we serve. The
in-person listening sessions we have
held with staff and contracted providers
across Virginia over the last three
months have been extremely valuable
and important as we work together to
enhance what we do as an agency.
Throughout this issue, we celebrate
ways we work together and the positive
outcomes teamwork creates. We
are grateful for your partnership in this
important, life-changing work. If you
have ideas for ways to deepen collaboration
in service of our mission of
“Valued Lives, Meaningful Living,”
I am always happy to hear from you.
Above: Parent Provider Nancy Weed, Regional
Coordinator Julie Neal, SLP Lori Klein,
and Director of Therapeutic Services Heather
Cromer at NRV Resource Fair.
Right: QAC Coordinator Amanda Branigan,
Regional Coordinator Amber Hall, Regional
Coordinator Mel Waler, Lead RN Care Manager
Kevyn Burn, and Operations Officer
Amanda Craig dressed for the occasion at an
80’s themed regional coordinator meeting.
<strong>Writing</strong> on the Wall
Spring 2023
Editor and Designer: Marketing Coordinator Angie Covington
Contributors: Director of Clinical & Therapeutic Consultation Heather Cromer, WRAP Program Manager Denisha Gilliam-Spence,
Group Home Program Coordinator Justine Paterson, WRAP Coordinator Joey Warren
2

A Night to Remember
So fun to get dressed up and go out!
In February, Preston, Emma, Shannon,
and Daniel attended the Culpeper
Night to Shine prom together,
with support from DSP Kayla Myers,
WRAP Program Manager Denisha
Gilliam-Spence, and Provider Erin
Quinn. It was a true cross-team
collaboration between In-Home
services, WRAP, and Sponsored
Residential to ensure the perfect night
for all four individuals.
Preparations started in advance as
Kayla assisted Shannon and Emma
with finding just the right dress. The
group spoke with a local consignment
shop and were able to have two beautiful
dresses donated!
On the day of the dance, Kayla,
Denisha, and Erin worked together
to assure everyone was ready on time
and looked their absolute best. They
coordinated to meet at the LOVE
sign in downtown Culpeper to take
pictures before the big event.
Emma and Preston have been dating
for about six years and really enjoyed
their special night out together.
Preston was a total gentleman
who walked his date to the
car and opened her door. He
noted that he loved “eating
Chick-Fil-A and drinking the
tea.” He also enjoyed giving
Emma a corsage, which he
put on for her. Shannon had
the fun of getting ready with
Emma, then attending the
prom with Daniel, who lives
with the Quinns.
As you can see in the pictures,
the four had a wonderful
time. Kayla, who also attended
the event, shared, “I loved
how the prom setting was so
detailed. The decorators did a
fantastic job with the details!”
She loved supporting the individuals
and seeing the interactions
between
them and the
volunteers and
other attendees.
The best part of
all? “The smiles
on everyone’s
faces!”
~Joey Warren
Left: Preston, Emma, Shannon, and
Daniel relax together during the event.
Top: Daniel and Shannon danced the night away at the
Culpeper Night to Shine prom.
Above: A gorgeous sunet framed Emma and Preston
during photos at the Culpeper LOVE sign.
3

Around
Our Wall
Opportunties for growth, fun, and
living best lives abounded for
supported individuals, providers,
and staff over the last quarter.
Enjoy this sampling of all we’ve
had going on. To see more, we
encourage you to follow us on
Facebook or Instagram.
Providers and staff are invited to
share pictures by sending to
marketing@wallresidences.com.
www.wallresidences.com
4

5

Supporting Communication
Wall Therapeutic Solutions is excited
to offer Speech and Language Therapeutic
Consultation across Virginia.
Here are some frequently asked questions
about this valuable service.
Who provides this service?
Lori Klein is a Speech Language
Pathologist with over 12 years of
experience working with individuals
with a range of disabilities and variety
of communication and feeding needs.
Prior to joining the Wall Residences
team, Lori worked for the Montgomery
County Public School system in
Virginia and the South King Early
Intervention Program in Washington.
She is passionate about providing
individuals with improved functional
communication skills to improve their
quality of life.
Who can access this service?
Speech and Language Therapeutic
Consultation is available to individuals
who receive the Community
Living Waiver, Family and Individual
Support Waiver, or Building Inde-
pendence Waiver and have a need for
functional communication support.
Some clients may also choose to participate
in private pay services if they
do not receive waiver services.
We provide assessment
and recommendations
for assistive technology
to support functional
communication.
What does Speech and Language
Therapeutic Consultation look like?
As consultative model, this service
can provide assessment and recommendations
for assistive technology,
low-tech or high-tech, to support individuals’
functional communication.
Our team has a variety of equipment
and devices available to trial. Once
the most appropriate augmentative
communication mode is identified,
the device is requested and provided
based on authorization. We then
provide consultation to the client
and their support team on using the
augmentative communication as it is
incorporated into their daily life.
How long does the consultation
take?
Typically, the time it takes to trial
different devices and fully develop the
client and support staffs’ skills using
the device can range from six months
to a year.
I use words to communicate but
sometimes people have a hard time
understanding me. Can this service
help?
Yes! Speech and Language Therapeutic
Consultation can help build
vocal skills or supplement those vocal
skills with other low and high-tech
supports.
How do I make a referral?
Referrals can be made by filling out a
referral on the Wall Residences website
or by reaching out to Lori Klein
at lklein@wallresidences.com.
~Heather Cromer
Know Someone Who Could Benefit from Our Services?
The Wall Residences Admissions team has staff in all parts of the state to respond to your referral needs and
answer questions about the services we offer. We work quickly to find the right match for longterm success
while striving for the quickest placement in services possible. The Admissions Team is here to serve you.
Alex Jackson
Admissions
Director
(434) 610-7578
Emily Eagle
Central Virginia, Danville,
Charlottesville, Staunton/
Waynesboro/Lexington
(434) 907-5067
Ashea Green
Northern
Region
(202) 760-6411
Brooke Keen
Roanoke, NRV,
SWVA
(540) 541-8563
Lisa Schalasny
Eastern
Region
(804) 380-4309
6

A Taste for New Experiences
Shawn and Provider John Gomez
celebrate one year together in April.
The two have filled that year with adventure,
focusing on new experiences
for Shawn. John is part of a large,
international family. When he decided
to become a provider, he hoped
and prayed for the chance to support
someone who would mesh well with,
and ultimately become part of, the
family. With Shawn, he says,”I have
seen that dream come true.”
The two met when John volunteered
at a day program Shawn attended.
Unfortunately, the supports at
Shawn’s group home were not ideal.
One day John and a fellow DSP saw
Shawn on the street, in need of help.
The two stepped in to assist him and
contacted his case worker. John, who
was approved as a Provider, decided
to open his home to Shawn, who
was very happy about the chance to
live with him. They spent their first
few months making sure Shawn was
thriving in the home they share and
Above: John Gomez and Shawn
Above Right: Shawn enjoys a seaside
meal with John’s family in the D.R.
exploring the
community
together.
Their days
are filled with
frequent trips
to Shawn’s
barber, the
movies,
sports outings,
bowling,
and
Shawn’s
favorite activity:
“Eating!”
Once Shawn felt comfortable, the
pair tackled a new goal: adding travel
into the mix of things they do together.
Their first big trip was to New
York City at Christmas. They took in
the sights, including Times Square,
Rockefeller Center, holiday decorations,
and overlook attractions, The
Summit and The Edge. Best of all
for Shawn was exploring new foods.
He tried New York bagels and pizza,
but his favorites were items from the
Spanish food trucks in uptown Manhattan.
Developing a sophisticated
palette has been one side effect of
living with John. A former huge fan
of fast food, Shawn now appreciates
seafood, Spanish style delicacies, and
other new tastes.
A trip to Washington, D.C. was their
second big adventure. This destination
had a bigger goal than merely
enjoying a new city. They were
there to pick up Shawn’s passport!
That passport got its first use on
their biggest trip of all, a visit to the
Dominican Republic. They spent
time with John’s family and enjoyed
beaches, waterfalls, and of course,
the best of the local cuisine! “Shrimp,
fish, chicken, pineapples, plantains,”
Shawn responds when asked what he
liked eating best. John notes Shawn
is a good traveler. Shawn shares his
favorite part, aside from the delicious
food of course, was the beaches. He
loved “looking at the water.”
The pair are focused on goal setting.
A return trip to the D.R. is one wish,
with a goal of getting into the water
this time. A trip to Disney is another
dream they will work together
to acheive. It’s not all play and no
work:learning to save money and
how to budget are skill building goals
that nicely dovetail with Shawn’s
new love of travel, as well as another
new interest, dressing nicely in new
clothes from Tommy Hilfiger and
Nike found at the nearby outlet mall.
At home, in the local community, or
adventuring abroad, John and Shawn
have some very fundamental things
in common, most especially a love
for family and community. John says,
“Shawn is a good dude. What’s important
to him is his family. He likes
to help people.”
~Angie Covington
7

Recruiting DSPs
We all know the last few years have
brought many changes to employee
recruitment, with a competitive job
market for companies looking for
the best talent. Wall Residences has
worked diligently to adjust to compete
in this new employee driven
market and find the best people to
add to our teams.
Cross-team collaboration was exemplified
by our agency’s presence
at several recent hiring fairs. WRAP
Program Manager Amber Castanes,
WRAP Coordinator Kira Appel,
and Central Virginia Group Home
Coordinator Justine Paterson joined
forces for two job fairs in Bedford
and Lynchburg.
At these job fairs, we asked people
if they wanted a job where they
could make a difference.
We said, “Do you want to
support individuals to live a
meaningful, fulfilling, and
person-centered life in both
the home and community?”
If they said yes, then we let
them know we had the perfect
job for them and gave
them information about
being a DSP. We let them
know working at Wall Residences
isn’t just a job, it’s
a privilege to be able to enrich the
lives of others to live their best life.
Wall Residences recognizes the need
for Direct Support Professionals within
Residential and WRAP services
and is working to find opportunities
to educate about our services and
discuss opportunities for employment.
Justine Paterson and Amber
Castanes at the Bedford Job Fair.
If there are additional areas in which
we can further support with this recruitment
as an agency, please let us
know!
~Justine Paterson
Digital Bonus: James in NYC