e is also the call to action to remind state leaders that the nearly 100,000 direct support professionals (DSPs) who work for not-for-profit agencies do this work on behalf of the state.
These professionals carry out such diverse tasks as helping people eat to administering medications, need and deserve a living wage for the work they do.
Otherwise, our system of caring for persons with developmental disabilities, created in the wake of the 1970s scandal at the state’s Willlowbrook facility, risks collapse as direct care workers seek better wages in fast food restaurants and big box stores.
Almost all funding for these agencies comes from government, at rates set by the government.
