Episode 11

Episode 11: Dupree Edwards talks about the DSP who wouldn't give up on him.

Published on: 13th May, 2025

Dupree once struggled with tasks like cooking, cleaning, and daily living skills. He felt DSPs gave up on him, but things started to get better when Miss Gail came into the picture. She taught Dupree that freedom has responsibility and she believed that he could achieve his dreams.

Transcript

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;35;13

Chet Tschetter

Hi, my name is Chet Tschetter, and I'll be your host for a closer look, where we'll explore the most current and relevant topics covered in frontline initiative, which is a magazine produced by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Institute of Community Integration. If you're wondering what Frontline initiative is all about, it's about the work that direct support professionals do on a day to day basis as they support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

00;00;35;16 - 00;00;49;12

Chet Tschetter

I'll be talking to authors and taking a closer look at current practices, tools, and resources. So buckle up and let's hear what the authors have to say.

00;00;49;15 - 00;01;00;13

Chet Tschetter

Today's guest is Dupree Edwards, who is the lead state advisor of systems change at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration. Welcome, Dupree.

00;01;00;16 - 00;01;27;19

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Thank you for having me on the Closer Look podcast. You know, I'm just here to, Yeah, just talk about, you know, my experiences, and, I've. I've grown up, I tell you about how I grew up with DSPs and how they, impacted my life, and they made me the person that I am today. So that's what I'm kind of here to talk about.

00;01;27;24 - 00;01;44;03

Chet Tschetter

Awesome. I can't wait to hear what you have to tell us. Yeah, I've invited you to the show because you understand firsthand how a really skilled DSP made a difference in your life, and I know you have a story to tell us, but before you do, will you tell us a little bit about yourself?

00;01;44;06 - 00;01;56;23

Dupree Edwards

My myself advocate, a rapper and magician. I'm a DJ. And I have a really big, bubbly personality. I'm very outgoing.

00;01;56;25 - 00;02;00;21

Chet Tschetter

You mentioned a radio show. Will you tell us a little bit about that, please?

00;02;00;23 - 00;02;08;22

Dupree Edwards

Yeah, cause the Duke bad show, it was a show. It was, you know, KFI radio.

00;02;08;25 - 00;02;11;07

Chet Tschetter

Is that in Minneapolis, Minnesota? Yep.

00;02;11;10 - 00;02;38;16

Dupree Edwards

And they had, one on a Sunday. Create your own radio show. And so I called them and it was like a big application to fill out. And they called me back and they said, what do you want to call it do Bachelor in. And the concept was more of to educate and the people about the educate the community about people with disabilities.

00;02;38;19 - 00;02;58;08

Chet Tschetter

You've had a lot of experience over the years with, DSPs or people who've supported you, some who've been really amazing and others who maybe haven't been, quite as supportive as you would like them to be to. How are DSPs in your life today?

00;02;58;10 - 00;03;06;05

Dupree Edwards

They're wonderful. I mean, they, I guess they've made me the person that I am today.

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Chet Tschetter

Really?

00;03;06;22 - 00;03;07;22

Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

00;03;07;25 - 00;03;08;19

Chet Tschetter

Tell me more.

00;03;08;20 - 00;03;49;08

Dupree Edwards

They taught me so much tools, you know, ways to, you know, about different cooking skills, about, you know, hygiene stuff about, you know, just being just being a human being, you know what I mean? It's, things that I kind of struggled with. You know, even if they think that it was just wasting their time and I didn't really, you know, comprehend what they were saying, but, you know, but as I am now, they really show that it really did benefit me.

00;03;49;10 - 00;03;56;08

Dupree Edwards

So it makes them feel like they did, you know, accomplish something. That they helped me with.

00;03;56;10 - 00;04;07;14

Chet Tschetter

So at the time, you might they might have thought, oh, he's not listening. He's not getting this. But now they can see that you really were paying attention. Yeah. And, applying some of those things to your life.

00;04;07;18 - 00;04;08;03

Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

00;04;08;06 - 00;04;30;02

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. So we know that, There are some DSPs out there who are just fantastic, and really make a difference in people's lives. And I can see you smiling right now because I think you're thinking about someone. And I'm wondering if you would tell us about, is there a DSP who's really made a difference for you?

00;04;30;05 - 00;04;34;06

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Her name is, Miss Gail.

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Chet Tschetter

Yeah. Miss Gail.

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Dupree Edwards

You know, and like I told you in the in the preproduction, that we had a couple weeks ago, I told her that, you know, when she got hired, she really wasn't gonna. Wasn't there to support me. It kind of fell. It kind of. It kind of fell down to that, you know what I mean? She wasn't really my staff at first.

00;04;59;10 - 00;05;01;25

Dupree Edwards

When I had housemates in my house, you know?

00;05;01;26 - 00;05;03;21

Chet Tschetter

Okay, well, she's there to support other people or.

00;05;03;21 - 00;05;32;18

Dupree Edwards

Yes, you support other people. But when those when that situation got done, she stayed on, and then she became my my, my staff. Okay. And, and that's when that's when everything started to, you know, to go. Well, I mean, she was always there showing me things, helping me. I always tell her that, you know, my goal is like, you know, she wanted to move out of Minnesota so bad.

00;05;32;21 - 00;05;37;15

Dupree Edwards

And I told her, like, by the time you moved to Minnesota, I would be in my own apartment.

00;05;37;19 - 00;05;43;01

Chet Tschetter

All right. By the time you leave this state. Yeah, I'm going to be in my own place. So you guys kind of had goals together?

00;05;43;02 - 00;05;44;10

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Yeah.

00;05;44;12 - 00;05;51;23

Chet Tschetter

So what are some things that, you know, she did that really helped, you know, that she believed in you and your dream.

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Dupree Edwards

You know, I guess, can I just do a little backstory on that question?

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Chet Tschetter

Absolutely.

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Dupree Edwards

Okay. Let's just say a lot of other DSPs just allow me to do whatever I want. Okay. Okay. What I mean is, is that they they care if my roof was dirty. They didn't care how many times I ate in the basement, you know? But Miss Gail, she cared. Yeah.

00;06;20;21 - 00;06;22;17

Chet Tschetter

She looks like she has some expectations.

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Dupree Edwards

Yeah. She said the pre, you know, the real. Why would you want to eat down in the basement? Okay, first of all, you're supposed to eat in the kitchen. You know, you're supposed to make sure you keep things clear. She taught me the ways. And I guess what I'm trying to say, she taught me. You know what it is to understand freedom and what freedom is at.

00;06;46;21 - 00;07;09;21

Dupree Edwards

Freedom is a responsibility. And sometimes you can't do whatever you want to do. And that's what she showed me, that, you know, there's there's choices and decisions that you have to make. And, you know, if you continue to eat downstairs, you know, vice has got to come. Those are the things that that she kind of top is.

00;07;09;21 - 00;07;30;09

Dupree Edwards

She stuck with me. She you know, there's there's other staff that gave up on me because of that. You know that they just. Oh, well, I don't think it's getting to him. I'm not going to wait. I'm not going to do anything but this. This girl, he stuck with me. She she she understood. You know, she she was that person that just said.

00;07;30;09 - 00;07;35;20

Dupree Edwards

I believe that he will get past this. I believe that he will get past this.

00;07;35;23 - 00;08;00;09

Chet Tschetter

So Miss Gail was someone who sounds like she just. She didn't give up on you. And she sounds like she was a good communicator about, like, not only just saying, hey, you need to do this, but really teaching like, the why, the why of it. And when you do this, it'll help get you this kind of keep building on those skills and those things that you need in your life.

00;08;00;09 - 00;08;04;00

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. So that you can just live a life that you want to live.

00;08;04;02 - 00;08;40;14

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Yeah. She tried to say, you know, there will be a time to where you will be able to clean up, where you would be able to make your bed every single day, where you will be able to have a routine, get out of bed. But there's also a time where where sometimes you're going to have support on, you know, on like cooking on like safety stuff or like those days, but, you know, it's probably going to be a balance between where you're probably not going to go full independently, full independently, without without staff.

00;08;40;14 - 00;09;03;00

Dupree Edwards

But you are gradually get there. But you know, but that's what that's the type of thing that she opened up would be about is those artists. And, you know, at that time she might not think I was listening, but, you know, I was at a and she was right. And so is because she's the bad reason why I back it to apartment today.

00;09;03;02 - 00;09;05;01

Dupree Edwards

She's probably one of the bad reasons why.

00;09;05;06 - 00;09;33;22

Chet Tschetter

Sounds like her. I this conversation was, as you said, there's some times when you're going to be able to do all of these things that we do in our apartments, in our houses, and they're going to be some other times when that's going to slip, but you'll get it back. Yeah. And my guess is she maybe was this thought you were seeing yourself as a person who wasn't going to be able to do those things at all?

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Chet Tschetter

Right. Yeah. Is that right?

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Dupree Edwards

Yeah. That's right. That's right.

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Chet Tschetter

Well, thank goodness she had the foresight to know that that was just a place in time, a bump in the road.

00;09;43;20 - 00;09;44;15

Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

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Chet Tschetter

So what advice do you have for DSPs who are just starting out?

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Dupree Edwards

I think just try to observed and get to know the person you know first. And when when somebody, person serve asked you about what their dreams and reality is. Don't try to, I would advise not to try to say, you know, this to say that's not possible. Yeah. You know, and I just want them, you know, to think about the possibilities, what's possible around what they, you know, tell about their, dreams and reality, you know, and I, you.

00;10;35;24 - 00;10;59;18

Chet Tschetter

See the see the barriers in those things that are going to make something difficult. Yeah. It's it's also easy if you have the right mindset to see all the possibilities of how you can do something. Yeah. And it might take different steps, but having that conversation and and figuring out how, how can we make that happen? Just like living in your own apartments, right?

00;10;59;20 - 00;11;01;10

Chet Tschetter

It didn't happen overnight.

00;11;01;12 - 00;11;08;13

Dupree Edwards

Oh, no, it took it took five years to. Yeah, five, five, five years.

00;11;08;15 - 00;11;16;04

Chet Tschetter

But it was it was something you dreamt of. And you had a DSP who believed in that possibility. Oh, yeah. Miss Gail, she was right there with, you.

00;11;16;06 - 00;11;17;11

Dupree Edwards

Know, believe that.

00;11;17;14 - 00;11;20;02

Chet Tschetter

You can do this. Yeah, absolutely.

00;11;20;02 - 00;11;37;23

Dupree Edwards

And and like like like, you know, even though that's DSP has gone out of my life, you know, I do have good staff that try to carry on that. What? Miss Gail left. You know what I mean?

00;11;37;28 - 00;11;40;25

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. I bet you still hear Miss Gayle's voice.

00;11;40;25 - 00;11;41;04

Dupree Edwards

All.

00;11;41;09 - 00;11;42;07

Chet Tschetter

The time. So I.

00;11;42;07 - 00;11;44;03

Dupree Edwards

Hear. I hear her voice.

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Chet Tschetter

She might not be supporting you day to day anymore, but she's, She's in there with you right there.

00;11;49;15 - 00;12;15;20

Dupree Edwards

Like. And we talked about we talked about the, the consequences of losing it, of losing the apartments. And I always remember those things in my in my ear. So they you know, and it's, you know, and I also try to not just think about the negatives of that, but I try to think about what can I do to make myself better.

00;12;15;22 - 00;12;39;19

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. And and achieve and things. And when we talk about new people that are new to the field, you just want to you just want to make sure even though you made it to that dream and reality, you want them to get to understand why are there, they're why you're here and how you made it there to the new DSP so they can understand, you know.

00;12;39;26 - 00;13;07;17

Dupree Edwards

Oh, wow. You know, I could see this or they won't have the question. And I'm not saying that they do question that. Oh what I don't understand why is he the setting. Because he doesn't cook or he doesn't, you know, do the groceries. I do the groceries for them or you know what I mean. Some news, some new staff kid to be like, okay, you know, but they don't think about what, what kind of got you to your dream and reality.

00;13;07;19 - 00;13;12;24

Chet Tschetter

Are you ever involved with interviewing staff before they start?

00;13;12;27 - 00;13;19;25

Dupree Edwards

You know, I do have input, you know, and I do have some input in my company.

00;13;19;27 - 00;13;21;26

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. What kind of input? How does that work?

00;13;21;26 - 00;13;29;09

Dupree Edwards

Well, I just tell them what staff are best in the business.

00;13;29;15 - 00;13;37;19

Chet Tschetter

If you were, given the opportunity to interview, DSP, what's one question that you would ask them?

00;13;37;21 - 00;13;39;12

Dupree Edwards

Why do you want to work here?

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Chet Tschetter

Yeah.

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Dupree Edwards

That's my question. That's I do you probably do I, I was going chat, you know, that's everybody's question. Why do you want to work here. Because I want to. And that's the that should be the forefront. Not that, you know people can cook or people can do this or people could, you know, drive or people can do. It's just about the compassion and how much you care about and how much you've heard about this community.

00;14;07;29 - 00;14;09;28

Chet Tschetter

Dupree. It was really great having you here.

00;14;09;28 - 00;14;28;12

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for having me chat. I'm really appreciate being on the Closer Look podcast. And and thank you for giving me opportunity to come and bring my perspective as a, as a person served, hopefully, you know, I'll make a good impact to the listeners.

00;14;28;16 - 00;14;29;20

Chet Tschetter

Absolutely. Thanks so.

00;14;29;20 - 00;14;30;11

Dupree Edwards

Much. Yeah.

00;14;30;17 - 00;14;48;25

Chet Tschetter

Well, that was Dupree Edwards from the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. I know that many of the folks who listen to this are people who provide supports to people with disabilities, and some of you are the people who are hiring them. And I just want to remind you that who you hire really does matter.

00;14;48;28 - 00;15;07;24

Chet Tschetter

You want to hire folks who can form a successful relationship with people they're supporting, like Miss Gail did with Dupree. If you'd like to hear more from Dupree, drop us a note. Our emails in the show notes. Until next time, be well.

00;15;07;26 - 00;15;18;09

Chet Tschetter

Thanks for joining the conversation. If you would like to reproduce all or part of this podcast, please email frontline DSP at UMD

00;15;18;09 - 00;15;53;22

Chet Tschetter

00;15;53;25 - 00;16;07;23

Chet Tschetter

I'll be talking to authors and taking a closer look at current practices, tools, and resources. So buckle up and let's hear what the authors have to say.

00;16;07;26 - 00;16;18;22

Chet Tschetter

Today's guest is Dupree Edwards, who is the lead state advisor of systems change at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration. Welcome, Dupree.

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Dupree Edwards

00;16;46;03 - 00;17;02;14

Chet Tschetter

00;17;02;17 - 00;17;15;04

Dupree Edwards

My myself advocate, a rapper and magician. I'm a DJ. And I have a really big, bubbly personality. I'm very outgoing.

00;17;15;06 - 00;17;19;00

Chet Tschetter

You mentioned a radio show. Will you tell us a little bit about that, please?

00;17;19;02 - 00;17;27;01

Dupree Edwards

Yeah, cause the Duke bad show, it was a show. It was, you know, KFI radio.

00;17;27;04 - 00;17;29;16

Chet Tschetter

Is that in Minneapolis, Minnesota? Yep.

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Dupree Edwards

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Chet Tschetter

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Dupree Edwards

They're wonderful. I mean, they, I guess they've made me the person that I am today.

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Chet Tschetter

Really?

00;18;25;01 - 00;18;26;01

Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

00;18;26;04 - 00;18;26;28

Chet Tschetter

Tell me more.

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Dupree Edwards

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Dupree Edwards

So it makes them feel like they did, you know, accomplish something. That they helped me with.

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Chet Tschetter

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Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

00;19;26;15 - 00;19;48;11

Chet Tschetter

00;19;48;14 - 00;19;52;15

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Her name is, Miss Gail.

00;19;52;18 - 00;19;53;20

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. Miss Gail.

00;19;53;26 - 00;20;17;16

Dupree Edwards

00;20;17;19 - 00;20;20;02

Dupree Edwards

When I had housemates in my house, you know?

00;20;20;03 - 00;20;21;28

Chet Tschetter

Okay, well, she's there to support other people or.

00;20;21;28 - 00;20;50;25

Dupree Edwards

00;20;50;28 - 00;20;55;22

Dupree Edwards

And I told her, like, by the time you moved to Minnesota, I would be in my own apartment.

00;20;55;26 - 00;21;01;10

Chet Tschetter

All right. By the time you leave this state. Yeah, I'm going to be in my own place. So you guys kind of had goals together?

00;21;01;11 - 00;21;02;19

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. Yeah.

00;21;02;21 - 00;21;10;02

Chet Tschetter

So what are some things that, you know, she did that really helped, you know, that she believed in you and your dream.

00;21;10;04 - 00;21;15;27

Dupree Edwards

You know, I guess, can I just do a little backstory on that question?

00;21;15;28 - 00;21;16;24

Chet Tschetter

Absolutely.

00;21;16;25 - 00;21;38;27

Dupree Edwards

00;21;38;28 - 00;21;40;24

Chet Tschetter

She looks like she has some expectations.

00;21;40;24 - 00;22;05;00

Dupree Edwards

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Dupree Edwards

00;22;27;28 - 00;22;48;16

Dupree Edwards

00;22;48;16 - 00;22;53;27

Dupree Edwards

I believe that he will get past this. I believe that he will get past this.

00;22;54;00 - 00;23;18;16

Chet Tschetter

00;23;18;16 - 00;23;22;07

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. So that you can just live a life that you want to live.

00;23;22;09 - 00;23;58;21

Dupree Edwards

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Dupree Edwards

00;24;21;09 - 00;24;23;08

Dupree Edwards

She's probably one of the bad reasons why.

00;24;23;13 - 00;24;51;29

Chet Tschetter

00;24;52;02 - 00;24;53;18

Chet Tschetter

Right. Yeah. Is that right?

00;24;53;21 - 00;24;55;21

Dupree Edwards

Yeah. That's right. That's right.

00;24;55;22 - 00;25;01;27

Chet Tschetter

Well, thank goodness she had the foresight to know that that was just a place in time, a bump in the road.

00;25;01;29 - 00;25;02;24

Dupree Edwards

Yeah.

00;25;02;26 - 00;25;08;20

Chet Tschetter

So what advice do you have for DSPs who are just starting out?

00;25;11;25 - 00;25;54;03

Dupree Edwards

00;25;54;03 - 00;26;17;29

Chet Tschetter

00;26;18;01 - 00;26;19;19

Chet Tschetter

It didn't happen overnight.

00;26;19;21 - 00;26;26;22

Dupree Edwards

Oh, no, it took it took five years to. Yeah, five, five, five years.

00;26;26;24 - 00;26;34;13

Chet Tschetter

But it was it was something you dreamt of. And you had a DSP who believed in that possibility. Oh, yeah. Miss Gail, she was right there with, you.

00;26;34;15 - 00;26;35;20

Dupree Edwards

Know, believe that.

00;26;35;23 - 00;26;38;11

Chet Tschetter

You can do this. Yeah, absolutely.

00;26;38;11 - 00;26;56;02

Dupree Edwards

And and like like like, you know, even though that's DSP has gone out of my life, you know, I do have good staff that try to carry on that. What? Miss Gail left. You know what I mean?

00;26;56;07 - 00;26;59;04

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. I bet you still hear Miss Gayle's voice.

00;26;59;04 - 00;26;59;13

Dupree Edwards

All.

00;26;59;18 - 00;27;00;18

Chet Tschetter

The time. So I.

00;27;00;18 - 00;27;02;14

Dupree Edwards

Hear. I hear her voice.

00;27;02;19 - 00;27;07;25

Chet Tschetter

She might not be supporting you day to day anymore, but she's, She's in there with you right there.

00;27;07;26 - 00;27;33;29

Dupree Edwards

00;27;34;01 - 00;27;57;28

Dupree Edwards

00;27;58;05 - 00;28;25;26

Dupree Edwards

00;28;25;28 - 00;28;31;03

Chet Tschetter

Are you ever involved with interviewing staff before they start?

00;28;31;06 - 00;28;38;04

Dupree Edwards

You know, I do have input, you know, and I do have some input in my company.

00;28;38;06 - 00;28;40;05

Chet Tschetter

Yeah. What kind of input? How does that work?

00;28;40;05 - 00;28;47;18

Dupree Edwards

Well, I just tell them what staff are best in the business.

00;28;47;24 - 00;28;55;28

Chet Tschetter

If you were, given the opportunity to interview, DSP, what's one question that you would ask them?

00;28;56;00 - 00;28;57;21

Dupree Edwards

Why do you want to work here?

00;28;57;23 - 00;28;58;28

Chet Tschetter

Yeah.

00;28;59;00 - 00;29;26;06

Dupree Edwards

00;29;26;08 - 00;29;28;07

Chet Tschetter

Dupree. It was really great having you here.

00;29;28;07 - 00;29;46;21

Dupree Edwards

00;29;46;25 - 00;29;47;29

Chet Tschetter

Absolutely. Thanks so.

00;29;47;29 - 00;29;48;20

Dupree Edwards

Much. Yeah.

00;29;48;26 - 00;30;07;04

Chet Tschetter

00;30;07;07 - 00;30;26;01

Chet Tschetter

00;30;26;03 - 00;30;37;13

Chet Tschetter

Thanks for joining the conversation. If you would like to reproduce all or part of this podcast, please email frontline DSP at UMD Edu.

00;30;37;16 - 00;31;18;17

Pete McCauley

Our show is co-produced at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration by Frontline Initiative. Coeditor Chet Tschetter and ICI technical Director Pete McCauley. Skyler Mihajlov is our editor. Graphic designers are Connie Burkhart and Sarah Curtner. For more information on the Institute on Community Integration and all of our products and projects, please visit ici.umn.edu.

A Closer Look at Frontline Initiative

Episode 11

Episode 11: Dupree Edwards talks about the DSP who wouldn't give up on him.

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