Let’s Send a Message: DSPs Do More

Direct support professionals (DSPs) help make it possible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live full lives in the community.

Thank you to everyone who submitted public comments in support of a Standard Occupational Classification for direct support professionals!

While the public comment period is now closed, our work to recognize, train, and fairly compensate professionals who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities continues. Watch this space as we share more about how we're amplifying the voices and stories of DSPs, and issues that support this critical workforce.

Why Support a Separate Classification for DSPs?

To help states and service providers better address workforce shortages and low wages
To make better policy decisions about disability services
To recognize DSPs’ multiple roles, including caregiving, coaching, and connecting people with IDD to their communities
DSP work is often miscategorized under titles like personal care assistant or certified nurse assistant, leading to inaccurate labor market data

What exactly is a DSP?

DSPs advocate for and teach individuals with IDD about their rights and how to advocate for themselves
They assess needs, preferences and capabilities
They promote positive behavior and manage challenging behaviors
They identify opportunities for social engagement and help people with IDD develop relationships and full lives in the community
All of these roles, and many more, are in addition to daily personal care duties that DSPs perform

ICI's full public comments supporting the creation of a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSPs)

August 6, 2024

To: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

We strongly support the creation of a Standard Occupational Classification code for direct support professionals (DSPs) as a step toward creating long overdue access to community living that was promised to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) when our nation began moving from large, state-run institutions to individualized settings.

Supporting this movement, a foundational aim of the Institute on Community Integration for nearly 40 years, requires the establishment of a competent, professional workforce that can not only care for the immediate health and safety needs of people with IDD, but also support their contributions to the workplace, to their partners and families, and to all aspects of community life. DSPs can make the difference between someone with IDD simply living and someone with IDD who is engaged in a meaningful, productive life.

The Institute has made a long-term commitment to understanding this workforce and developing strategies that help states and disability service providers plan for and train DSPs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ICI collaborated with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals to capture critical survey data about the experiences of the direct support workforce. Even before the pandemic, this workforce was in sustained crisis as the number of people wanting to receive Medicaid Home and Community Based Services in order to live more independent lives overwhelmed the supply of trained workers.

Creating an SOC code will vastly improve the disability field’s knowledge about this workforce, beginning with revealing basic data about the number of professionals working in the field today. Sharing this and other data will greatly help federal and state agencies, other organizations, and businesses serving people with disabilities to set appropriate wages based on a more common set of data.

The role of the DSP has evolved alongside the inclusion of people with IDD in their communities. We’ve moved beyond the medical model to help people find and sustain competitive employment, live and play active roles in their community, and engage in personal relationships. This requires a DSP to be a coach, a mentor, a teacher, a caregiver, a driver, a career counselor, a community connector, and so much more.

People with disabilities are living longer lives today than ever before. They need and deserve access to the skills, coaching, and support that will truly make their lives different, and vastly better, than the institutional settings of the past.

Thank you for your careful consideration to this important issue.

Amy Hewitt

Director, Institute on Community Integration,

University of Minnesota

(A University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities)

Kris Foss

Director, Direct Support Workforce Solutions,

Institute on Community Integration