Thirtieth Anniversary Issue on Progress and Priorities in Direct Support

In the 30 years that Frontline Initiative has been connecting direct support professionals (DSPs) to the issues that matter, the landscape has changed for the people receiving services from DSPs. In North America, DSPs have historically been considered caregivers and often seen as not more than a glorified baby-sitter. This statement misconstrues the valued role of the DSP and the value of the individual receiving the support. The Department of Labor does not even have a classification for this critical and high impact job. The role of a professional providing person-centered human services is more complex. Rates of pay for Medicaid billable services are low, and do not recognize the complexity. Support provided has always been imperative to the health and well-being of people with IDD, even more so as DSPs provide community support with more independence to support people to be an active, valued, and contributing members of their community.

Michelle Murphey

In addition to being a professional in this field, I am a family member of a person receiving direct support services. I have seen how initial assessments and diagnosis affected our family. I have seen how the person given a label affects how a person views themselves. In my role as a DSP and staff development specialist, I’ve grown professionally in an ever-changing landscape in human services over the past 20+ years. Seeing my role differently began with using language to describe our work as a professional career versus an entry level or steppingstone job. We also use more person-first dialogue identifying a person supported as an individual instead of a client, patient, or consumer. We have higher expectations when planning meetings are led by the person whose life path is being discussed. Despite progress in laws to support people to have more rights and live lives in their communities, there continue to be people who lack full access to their communities still today in 2026!

When we are present and visible in the world – both people with disabilities and DSPs- we help people understand that community living is for everyone, rather than an “Us and Them” atmosphere. I have a sticker on my travel mug that says, “the future is inclusive.” I want to know why we need to wait until the future and not the present? Why does it take us so long? What will it take to keep moving forward? These are questions I ask myself, my family, classrooms full of DSPs and frontline supervisors regularly. Disability advocacy resonates with more people every day. Direct support is needed in an inclusive future, and it needs to be recognized as a profession. It needs a career path. The role of the DSP is complex and deserving of recognition.

Focus on Staff Development and Certification

I am also the staff development specialist and the local administrator for the NADSP E-Badge Academy. In the E-Badge Academy, DSPs complete accredited, competency-based training and complete reflections on their professional practice. Their work is evaluated by others in the profession. DSPs and Frontline Supervisors (FLS) can earn certifications which recognize their growth and mastery in direct support. DSPs and FLSs not only refine skills, but they also enhance knowledge about high quality support. With success in earning certification(s), learners gain recognition for their daily work.

Training and guiding DSPs and FLSs on a professional path is exciting and challenging. For decades, provider organizations and people who rely on support have struggled to find qualified, compassionate, skilled, and knowledgeable DSPs that are dedicated to direct support. There are several reasons for this. Three main issues are low wages paid to DSPs, lack of training needed to do quality support, and short staffing. Earning certifications is a way for DSPs to get training needed, be recognized for increased skill with a wage increase, and keep DSPs in the profession. Such employee recognition programs within organizations help DSPs get noticed for what value they bring to their work.

In my 10 years at the Arc Mid-Hudson, I’ve seen increased efforts in recruitment, retention, and recognition of DSPs and FLSs. Quality direct support is valued by the organization’s administrators, people supported, their circles of support, and in our community. Yet there is always more work to be done!

We can hold DSPs accountable for respect, integrity, compassion, and excellence to elevate the role. Employee recognition programs within organizations help the role get noticed for the value DSPs bring. Outside our organizations, billboards advertise rich, character-building potential in the role of a DSP, bringing recognition to the field and representation of those receiving services. Supported employment programs bring people out of sheltered workshops and into the shared community space with more equity and support, when necessary. People supported and DSPs are represented more commonly in media, in the workplace, as pillars of community businesses.

In the field of human services, I come across people with huge hearts who want to support people with disabilities. Some people consider the work of DSPs as saintly or heroic, but that implies that a person supported is weak, incapable, or co-dependent. This is just not true. To continue to elevate this workforce, we must provide mainstay educational opportunities, demonstrate professionalism in all facets of our work, and empower people with disabilities to strive for equitable opportunities in their communities. We need to continue to educate society by remaining present and contributing to communities. Every day we need to strive for visibility, respect, and recognition. When those doing direct support work are professionals, the people receiving support are more likely to achieve effective interdependent relationships, improving their personal and valued life experiences. The goal is progress, not perfection.