Above and Beyond: The Lives & Careers of DSPs and How to Support Them

Chronic instability in the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce disrupts continuity, predictability, and trust for people with I/DD. The DSP workforce often faces challenges related to poverty that go undiscussed. This webinar will explore how systemic barriers—both inside and outside the workplace—impact DSPs and threaten the sustainability of services.

Data and new research are critical tools in addressing the key challenges facing our workforce. Using national data from the National Core Indicators State of the Workforce Survey for I/DD, as well as new research on DSPs’ lived experiences, we’ll highlight fundamental disconnects between DSPs’ needs and employer perceptions of their needs. Attendees will learn how these insights can inform workforce strategies at every level—from policy to provider practice.

The webinar also features a promising solution: a Georgia-based initiative that helps employers build Employee Resource Networks (ERNs) to connect DSPs with essential supports like housing, childcare, and food access. Together, these approaches offer practical, systemic tools to stabilize and strengthen the DSP workforce.

Presenters

• Carol Britton Laws, PhD, MSW, Clinical Professor, Institute on Human Development and Disability, University of Georgia
• Jennifer Cohen, PhD, Associate Professor, Miami University
• Dorothy Hiersteiner, Co-Director of National Core Indicators, Human Services Research Institute
• Laura Vegas, Director of Quality Initiatives and Supporting Families, NASDDDS