Effective Relationships with Teams

Direct Support Workforce Update is a new addition to Frontline Initiative. We want to communicate with direct support professionals (DSPs) who support people with disabilities about relevant research, policy, and practice updates. Updates may or may not relate to the topic of the current issue of Frontline Initiative. If you want to contribute an idea to Direct Support Workforce Update or have a question you’d like us to address, please email frontline-dsp@umn.edu

I’ve heard that proposed Medicaid cuts might affect services to people with disabilities and my direct support job. What can I do?

Learn the importance of DSPs advocating and how direct support is funded. In episode 6 of A Closer Look, Amy Hewitt discusses advocacy with Chet Tschetter and suggests how to prepare your message to share with policymakers and others. Amy supports her brother-in-law every day and understands the job of a DSP.

Remind yourself about the important work you do. You are part of a community of DSPs who provide nationwide support. Committed, consistent DSPs like you are critical for people with disabilities to live, work, and enjoy their community. The work of DSPs is complex. Below are things DSPs do in everyday work from recent stories in Frontline Initiative:

• Support people to live the lives they want and deserve,
• Support people to have jobs, pay taxes, and strengthen our country’s shrinking workforce,
• Support people in their educational and professional goals,
• Support people to make decisions and have self-determination,
• Support people to live with the level of independence they want,
• Support people to develop relationships and connect with others in their community,
• Support people to be valued members of their community,
• Provide respite to their families,
• Support in times of crisis,
• Support in weather-related emergencies ,
• Support during physical or mental health crisis,
• Be consistent in peoples’ lives and believe in the people they support.

Take a few minutes to write down the skills you use to support people and note any stories that come to mind about the importance of your support. Here is a five step outline you can use to prepare your message. If you need help with your message, contact us at frontline-dsp@umn.edu, and we will help you draft it.

Speak up to your elected officials. It is now essential to set aside fear or any thought that your opinion doesn’t matter. It does matter! When many people speak up together, we have a louder voice and more power. Find your elected officials’ U.S. House and Senate contact information here. Send an email, a letter in the mail, or pick up the phone to call. Tell them how important your job is to the people you support and to you. All you need to do is talk about what you do daily as a DSP or FLS to support people.

How are direct support professionals recognized for quality work?

Mickey Whitesell, direct support professional from Trinity Services in New Lenox, Illinois, is named 2025 ANCOR DSP of the year. Mickey was nominated for this national award for supporting people to learn about voting and advocacy. He also used skills from his old job as a chef by planting a garden and supporting people to harvest crops, pickle vegetables, create meals, make root beer and ginger ale, and more. Read more about Mickey and other outstanding DSPs in Recognizing Excellence .

Life Unlimited, Inc. of North Kansas City, Missouri, received the 2025 Moving Mountains national award, which recognizes an innovative organization that employs direct support professionals. Recognizing the need to prepare DSPs for providing support, Life Unlimited provides a two-to-four-week comprehensive orientation for new DSPs designed to help them learn about and practice high-quality support. Instead of cutting corners on orientation and onboarding, Life Unlimited invests in its direct support workforce by providing more support, training, and opportunities to build workplace relationships.

E-Badge Academy Earners of the Month. The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals’ (NADSP) E-Badge Academy recognizes exemplary testimonials submitted monthly as E-Badge Earners of the Month. Recently, OJ Taylor was recognized for supporting someone to make Native American food, per the person’s wishes. Jennifer Hardin supported someone to learn a new skill, and Julius Nyabinda reflected on how his behavior at work affected the person he supports.

Are there updates on establishing a Standard Occupational Classification for direct support professionals?

What is a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collects employment statistics using SOCs for many different workforces nationwide. In the past, DSPs have been counted with caregiving positions, like home health aides and personal care assistants. But today, DSPs also support people in actively living their lives, building relationships, and working in their communities. DSPs have different skills that distinguish their work. DSPs need a different SOC to help decision-makers better understand the workforce, support its growth, and build appropriate compensation systems.

Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act was passed to consider establishing a Standard Occupational Classification. In April 2023, the "Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act" was reintroduced in the U.S. Congress. This bill, supported by Republicans and Democrats, required the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a separate SOC code for direct support professionals within the healthcare support occupations category. The bill was introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in the Senate and Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Joe Morelle (D-NY) in the House. By July 2024, everyone on the House Education and Workforce Committee passed the bill. The bill was amended to instruct the OMB to consider establishing a separate SOC code for DSPs rather than mandating its creation. If the OMB decides against creating the SOC for DSPs, they must explain their decision in a report to Congress.

The Office for Management and Budget received over 3,000 comments advocating an SOC for DSPs. The OMB published a notice for public input on revising the SOC Manual in 2028, including the potential addition of "care workers" as an occupation. People in the U.S. were invited to submit comments. More than 3,000 comments from DSPs and others were submitted through NADSP’s call to action.

Learn more about what’s happening at the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, sign up for FYI.

Learn more about what’s happening at the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) at nadsp.org.

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