According to the US Department of Labor, direct support professionals (DSPs) are skilled professionals that support people with disabilities to participate in their communities, including employment. Originally, DSPs served primarily as caregivers for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, helping them with activities of daily living like dressing, shopping, and taking care of the home. With the growth of independent living, the needs of the people DSPs serve have changed and so have their roles. Today, DSPs’ roles go beyond caregiving and focus on supporting people with disabilities to participate fully in their communities, live in integrated settings, and seek competitive integrated employment.

Several NIDILRR-funded projects conduct research and development to support DSPs and their clients, and have developed resources they can use such as:

• The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living and Participation Among People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities conducts research on identifying potential solutions to DSP workforce high vacancy and turnover rates at the employee, employer, and systems levels. Research and development from this center led to the College of Direct Support and the College of Frontline Supervision, Management, and Leadership, available through DirectCourse, a suite of competency-based, online curricula for professionals providing services to people with disabilities. The RRTC also published Impact: Feature Issue on the Direct Support Workforce and People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities.
• The Translating Findings on Supports for Community Life Engagement (CLE) project promotes the use of research-based tools to increase CLE for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. DSPs and other providers can use these tools to support their clients in life activities like work, volunteering, civic engagement, and more. Check out their community of practice, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and lunch break webinars.

NARIC’s information specialists searched REHABDATA and found over 83 NIDILRR-funded articles and research briefs related to DSPs. Our Research In Focus series highlighted some of these NIDILRR grantee research articles in easy-to-read summaries:

• Improving Working Conditions and Benefits for Direct Support Professionals May Reduce Turnover and Improve Services for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Study Highlights the Impact of COVID-19 on the Delivery of Personal Assistance Services for People with Disabilities
• Support Services Teams May Help People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions Receive Support in Their Communities and Reduce Medicaid Costs

Would you like to learn more about DSPs? Contact NARIC’s information specialists to learn more!