Direct Support Professionals

Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are dedicated, caring New Yorkers who provide services and support for adults and children with developmental disabilities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What's a DSP?

They are the men and women who carry out incredibly varied and important responsibilities to support New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and help them live safe, fulfilling lives.

DSPs exemplify diversity. Nearly three-quarters are women, many of whom are single mothers, and half are either black or Latino. They are professionals who are highly trained in a wide variety of critical areas that include administering medications, giving first aid and CPR, de-escalating dangerous situations, behavioral intervention, and providing for the safety of those they support.

DSPs must comply with OSHA regulations, fire drills/emergency evacuation procedures, on-the-job Core Competency requirements, and a Code of Ethics developed by National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP).

DSPs must know the laws, regulations and procedures designed to protect individuals.

You would think that a job with all these requirements would pay $20-$25 an hour.

But no. Despite the high demands of the job, DSPs currently earn on average between $10 and $13 per hour. That’s less than people make at fast-food restaurants and big-box stores.

Dealing with an enormous burden of paperwork essential to regulatory compliance and service delivery documentation used for billing Medicaid.

What DSPs Do

The critical work of DSPs include:

Providing services and supports for activities of daily living, including meal preparation, grooming and toileting.
Medication administration, which requires extensive training leading to certification and annual retesting.
Lifting and moving of individuals to meet their mobility needs and the performance of daily activities.
Tube feeding, diabetic & wound care, oxygen administration and they must be knowledgeable of the operation of durable medical equipment including that are used for lifting, bathing and transporting individuals with developmental disabilities.
Transporting individuals with disabilities to all activities throughout the community.
Teaching personal care skills, money management and social skills.
Supporting the delivery of physical and behavioral health services in both routine and crisis situations.
Forming close, trusted relationships with individuals with disabilities and their families, making community living in New York State a reality.
Respecting the human dignity and uniqueness of the people they support and serving as advocates through the promotion of human and civil rights.
Understanding and communicating complex information to others via daily logs, progress reports and electronic means.

What DSPs Need

For nearly eight years, non-profit agencies which serve New Yorkers with developmental disabilities went without a funding increase, leaving Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) at astonishingly low wages despite their critical work. To address this issue, e formed and waged a statewide educational campaign to win funding for a living wage, phased in over six years.

Last year, e asked the New York State Governor, Senate, and Assembly to include $45 million in the 2017-18 NYS Budget to go towards the wages of DSPs. After a year of diligent advocacy and education, Governor Cuomo raised his right hand for hundreds gathered at the NYS Capitol as he stated, “this hand will not sign a budget unless there is $55M in it!”

The final 2017-18 NYS budget included a $55 million appropriation to take effect December 31, 2017 (so the current state fiscal year) and another one of $55 million to take effect in April 1, 2018 (ie, not until the following fiscal year). This amounts to a two-year commitment to help bring DSPs towards a living wage.

That was the start. Our work is not done. The Governor and the Legislature need to continue to support DSPs.

First, the $55 million commitment scheduled to kick in on April 1, 2018 must be included in the new state budget that’s going to be decided next March.

Then Albany needs to keep moving forward with the funds needed to keep the commitment so these workers can receive a living wage.

LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP DSPs FINALLY EARN THE FAIR WAGE THEY DESERVE!

'; var riint = setInterval(function() {jQuery(window).trigger("resize");},100); setTimeout(function() {clearInterval(riint);},2500); }; }, beforeShow : function () { this.title = jQuery(this.element).attr('lgtitle'); if (this.title) { this.title=""; this.title = '

'+this.title+'

'; } }, afterShow : function() { }, openEffect : 'fade', closeEffect : 'fade', nextEffect : 'fade', prevEffect : 'fade', openSpeed : 'normal', closeSpeed : 'normal', nextSpeed : 'normal', prevSpeed : 'normal', helpers : { media : {}, title : { type:"" } } }); } catch (e) {} });