Support professionals deserve recognition
Countryside Association for People with Disabilities is gearing up to celebrate a historic first for the direct support work force. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution marking the week beginning today, Sept. 8, as "National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week."
Without the work of our DSPs, the lives of thousands of Palatine and Waukegan individuals with disabilities and their families would be disrupted. National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week is one small way to demonstrate our gratitude for what they unselfishly do for so many.
At Countryside Association for People with Disabilities, a nonprofit group based in Palatine serving more than 600 children and adults, we are celebrating a week with recognition events highlighting how Direct Support Professionals make a difference in the lives of individuals served.
DSPs work as direct care workers, in-home respite support workers, personal assistants and attendants to ensure that people with disabilities are able to live and work more independently and in community settings. However, low wages coupled with difficult work often leads to high turnover. As a member of the American Network of Community Options and Resources, Countryside Association for People with Disabilities supports the group's National Advocacy Campaign in its mission to increase funding for DSPs and improve the supports for people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that the average U.S. worker makes about $16.75 an hour, while the average DSP makes about $9.26 an hour -meager wages for the close, nurturing and intimate critical support they provide to people with disabilities.
The recognition of National Direct Support Professionals Week is a tremendous achievement and is a terrific way to honor dedicated Direct Support Professionals around the country. We are trying to get the word out about the thousands of dedicated workers that enable people with disabilities the opportunity for independence and to realize their dreams to live in their own homes and work in the community.
Elizabeth Black
Countryside Association
Palatine