(Submitted by Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities)
National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week is Sept. 8-14. This week recognizes the invaluable work of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) across the country.
Locally, the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities (WCBDD) is celebrating approximately 500 Direct Support Professionals by hand delivering tokens of appreciation each day during this work week.
The theme for this week is “Wood County ♡’s Direct Support Professionals.”
Some of the gifts include a letter of appreciation from Superintendent Brent Baer, football tickets to an upcoming University of Toledo football game, Wendy’s gift cards and coupons, and other items with messages of appreciation attached. The gifts were made possible through generous donations and will be delivered by WCBDD staff.
“DSPs are the backbone of Developmental Disabilities services,” said Angie Blake, Provider Relations Specialist at WCBDD. “The dedication, creativity, advocacy and boundless energy of DSPs help to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the necessary supports to live, work, and enjoy life more independently in the community.”
According to The President’s Committee on People with Intellectual Disabilities, the United States of America is facing a direct support workforce crisis, in part due to low wages, high staff turnover, growing
demand for services, and the high stress and demands of direct support employment. Ohio has taken positive steps to improve the DSP Workforce Crisis through the collaboration between the Ohio General Assembly and the county boards of developmental disabilities, by providing resources to allow for increases in wages paid to DSPs.
Here in Wood County, specific steps taken to improve the DSP Workforce Crisis include the creation of the Twin Tech Model home, highlighting the assistive technology that is available to support individuals and their care staff, education and training to improve retention of certified DSPs, as well as assistance to set them up for success by providing support to meet compliance requirements.
“We are so grateful for our DSPs. These tokens of appreciation are small in comparison to the impact the Direct Support Professionals make in the everyday lives of the people served,” Blake said.
