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A Direct Support Professional is a frontline worker who provides hands-on support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their homes and communities. DSPs assist with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, toileting), community access, transportation, skill building, behavioral support, medication administration, and health monitoring. DSPs work in private homes, group homes, day programs, supported employment sites, and community settings. The DSP workforce faces a national crisis — high turnover rates (often exceeding 50% annually), low wages, and chronic shortages make it difficult for families to find and keep qualified workers. The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) has established competency standards and credentialing to professionalize the field.
DSPs deliver the majority of waiver-funded services. Finding and retaining good DSPs is one of the biggest challenges families face. Self-directed waiver options allow families to recruit, hire, and manage their own DSPs at competitive wages.