23 Years of Possibility: Regina’s Story

To celebrate Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week, Aspire is proud to recognize Regina Peet and her 23 years of walking alongside people with disabilities, celebrating accomplishments, building confidence, and creating memories together.

For Regina, a career supporting people with disabilities has never been defined by a job title.

Since beginning her career in human services in 2003, she has served in many roles, from Direct Support Professional and Lead Teacher to Support Coordinator, Facilitator, and now the Academy Manager of Life-Enrichment Support at our Possibility Academy in Waukegan. Through every chapter, one thing has remained constant: the relationships at the heart of her work.

For Regina, being a DSP means showing up with your whole heart.

“To me, being a DSP means giving 100% and more” Regina shares.

That commitment means bringing professionalism, respect, kindness, and compassion to each day, while making sure every person feels valued, supported, and safe. Those principles guided Regina during her time as a DSP, and they continue to shape the kind of leader she strives to be today. Over the past two decades, some of Regina’s favorite memories have happened beyond the walls of Aspire’s academies and Community Homes.

She remembers traveling to Springfield for Speak Up Speak Out events, cheering alongside people at stadiums and ballparks for sports games, and watching people she supports take the stage for dance performances.

But what Regina remembers most is not necessarily where they went, but what she saw happen while they were there.

And after spending so many years celebrating the accomplishments of others, Regina experienced a special milestone of her own.

In 2025, Regina received the Direct Support Professional Award from The Arc of Illinois, a statewide honor recognizing one outstanding individual each year for exceptional dedication and care in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The recognition reflects something Regina has carried with her throughout every role and every chapter of her career: a commitment to showing up with compassion, building meaningful relationships, and helping people feel valued for exactly who they are.

But after years of supporting others as they grow, Regina is quick to point out that the learning has always gone both ways. The people she supports have taught her about perseverance, patience, and resilience. They have also reminded her of something much simpler: the importance of finding joy in the little things.

Those lessons continue to motivate Regina and shape the way she leads today. Even as an Academy Manager, she carries the values she learned as a DSP with her, encouraging independence, building relationships, and creating opportunities for people to pursue lives that are meaningful to them.

When asked to describe her experience as a DSP in just three words, Regina chooses:

Rewarding. Meaningful. Inspiring.

Three words that reflect more than a career. They reflect 23 years of relationships, celebrations, lessons, and moments that Regina has been grateful to share with people along the way.

Celebrating the People Who Make Possibility Happen

Regina’s story is a reminder that being a DSP is about so much more than what happens in any one day. It is about showing up consistently, building trust over time, celebrating progress, and being there for the moments both big and small.

Her role may have changed throughout her career, but the heart behind her work has remained the same.

This DSP Recognition Week, we celebrate Regina and the DSPs across Aspire who bring compassion, encouragement, and dedication to the people they support each day. Their work helps create more opportunities for people with disabilities to build confidence, strengthen relationships, pursue their goals, and experience everything their communities have to offer.