Doris Enberg is a founding Governing Board member for the In-Home Supportive Service (IHSS) Public Authority of Marin. Her many interests and activities include enjoying her lovely backyard, taking walks on the beach in her scooter with her significant other and his dogs, reading and helping in the community. Whatever Doris does in life she is an example of someone who enjoys life despite her physical disabilities.
Doris was raised in a small town in Minnesota. As a child, she contracted polio but learned to remain physically mobile and active despite her physical challenges. As an adult, after her four children reached school age, Doris began experiencing post- polio symptoms which are known to cause increasing muscle weakness, pain, and fatigue. She moved to Northern California and obtained an Associate of Science Degree in Behavioral Sciences from the College of Marin. Several years later Doris became very ill and her post polio symptoms dramatically escalated. In order to stay safely in her home, Doris sought and received in-home support services.
No long after, Doris was nominated to be a founding member of the Governing Board for the IHSS Public Authority of Marin. As a Board member, Doris serves on the Labor Management Committee and has also served on the Registry Committee and the Legislative Committee. As a member of the Labor Management Committee, she values being an advocate for increased provider wages, provider health care benefits, and caregiver training. When asked what she appreciates most about the Public Authority, she responds, “It’s something that is really new and on the cutting edge. Many states are not where we are in providing in home support. We are developing a wonderful program.” Of her role on Board, she says, “I have gotten a lot out of being on this board. It has enriched my life.”