Vermont
Rally at Vermont Statehouse to recognize direct support professionals
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A celebration in Montpelier on Thursday of Vermonters who care for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Direct support professionals, or DSPs, help adults with developmental disabilities with daily tasks, companionship, employment and more.
The care, often paid for by Medicaid, is administered by a network of regional nonprofits.
Thursday on the Statehouse lawn, leaders said these support professionals’ work often goes unnoticed and underfunded.
“We understand that DSPs deserve to be seen, respected and valued by having the DSP job classification recognized, paid well for the important work done on behalf of people with disabilities every single day,” said Gloria Quinn, the executive director of Upper Valley Services.
Nationally, DSPs are grouped with other home health care providers and are not considered their own profession. That means there is little available data to track wages, turnover rates and other things.
They say events like this are a way to move the needle.
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