Position: Direct Support Assistant
Years of Service: 26
Jamahl Humbert was named one of the Staten Island DDSOO’s 2024 DSPs of the Year not only because he is a dedicated employee, but because of the respect, compassion and empathy he shows the people he supports.
Team Treatment Leader Suzanne Banner says Jamahl’s willingness to take on extra responsibilities without being asked, his ability to foresee any incident, and taking preventive actions to avoid incidents sets him apart.
“During a recent audit where most of the DSPs were nervous, Jamahl was calm and provided knowledge of the systems in the home. He was part of the walk through, was knowledgeable, and was commended by the auditor.”
Banner says Jamahl is the epitome of a team player.
“He makes himself aware of any issues in the home and reports them to his supervisor. He has done assignments outside of his job description simply because the responsible person was not available,” Banner says. “He takes responsibility for his actions and his work – for example he has assisted his coworkers by explaining the electronic health system to them and then ensuring their assignments were completed.”
Banner says Jamahl believes in assisting the people in his care to reach their goals and to achieve independence.
“He reached out to advocate for people in the home to be enrolled in a program at the local college to learn computer skills,” she says. “He was successful with that, and the people are very happy.”
“Jamahl is the go-to person when the supervisor is off. I can count on the house running smoothly with no incident. He always puts his best foot forward and his performance is top tier,” Banner says. “The people living in the home love having Jamahl working there, and we are happy he is such an asset to our team. He truly is an inspiration.”