August 2019
DSP Advocacy: Meaningful Engagement & Organizational Participation
Are the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) at your agency actively engaged in their work?

Do they willingly participate in organizational matters that go above and beyond everyday tasks and expectations?

Do they self-direct with mission and purpose?

Were DSPs engaged, at one time, but became disengaged? If so, why does this happen?

How do we keep DSPs engaged longer and included in positive, organizational culture development?

Would becoming meaningfully engaged improve DSP retention rates and produce better outcomes for the people being supported?
ARC Herkimer tackled these questions and came up with a solution:
forming a DSP Advocacy Committee 

What is a DSP Advocacy Committee?
Arc Herkimer’s DSP Advocacy Committee is a group that’s primarily comprised of DSPs who target and engage with other DSPs. It’s DSP- driven and DSP-focused. The committee’s mission is to “increase meaningful engagement for DSPs while enhancing organizational participation through DSP advocacy”. It’s also intended to recognize and acknowledge fellow “super-stars” -- DSPs who successfully apply the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities’ (OPWDD) DSP Core Competencies and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals’ Code of Ethics. 

Members of the DSP Advocacy Committee meet each month and sponsors staff development opportunities such as:
  • DSP career ladder initiatives, 
  • Educational webinars and featured guest speakers for their meetings, 
  • Self-Advocacy / DSP Side-by-Side learning offered by the Regional Centers for Workforce Transformation (RCWT), 
  • DSP rallies. 

Dylan Brown, Support Manager at Arc Herkimer, leads the DSP Advocacy Committee. Prior to Dylan’s transition into management five years ago, he worked as a “Leader DSP”. In 2007, he began his career as a DSP and has been promoted within Arc Herkimer. He now encourages other DSPs to develop and expand their skills. 
How did the concept evolve?
Shawn Schultz, Arc Herkimer’s Vice President of Supports & Services had a dream and a vision for DSPs. Shawn, a former DSP herself, encouraged, supported and motivated DSPs to start Arc Herkimer’s DSP Advocacy Committee. She, along with retired Arc Herkimer employee, Karen Peterson, mentored the original DSP Advocacy Committee. Karen currently volunteers as the main advisor to the committee. 

At Arc Herkimer, the committee is both advised and supported by select executive staff from within the organization. Through effective leadership, participatory management strategies, and organizational support from all stakeholders, the group has grown. Brown said “The group has fluctuated a bit over the years since 2017 but has maintained a strong presence at Arc Herkimer”. 

The committee’s achievements are recognized as considerable and from this success agency leadership encourages DSPs to become more active and engaged in organizational culture-change, As a result, DSPs feel more included and valued with the ability to gain further opportunities to advance their career. Arc Herkimer’s DSP Advocacy Committee participates in new staff orientation processes.
DSP Advocacy Committee & Measures of Success: Reduced turnover, new DSP career ladders.
The DSP Advocacy Committee has had tremendous impact on the workforce. According to Brown, “involvement in the group has changed the whole trajectory of my career. As a DSP who was pulled in early by the group’s original leader, the experience has provided me the opportunity and motivation to climb the DSP ladder”. Brown reports that “50% of past members are still employed with Arc Herkimer and of that number, 55% have moved up within the agency to leadership roles where they influence other budding DSPs to get involved in the organization”. 

Highlighting the importance of the College of Direct Support and other educational opportunities, Brown says, “the DSPs involved in these professional development opportunities are showing and proving their personal investment in themselves and their positions as a DSP. For the organization, this has a way of making the agency want to invest more in DSPs”. 
DSPs have opportunities to get involved in key systems’ change initiatives. Arc Herkimer is CQL certified (Council on Quality Leadership ©). Given the DSP Advocacy Committee’s positive influence regarding the improvement of quality supports and services, it along with the People Are Beautiful Self-Advocacy group were part of the certification process.  

Additionally, members of the DSP Advocacy Committee have attended #bFair2DirectCare rallies and serve as strong advocates for the wage increase campaign for New York State’s DSPs. 

Members of the DSP Advocacy Committee have also been involved with DSP video marketing projects with the NY Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation and the Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL) of the University of Minnesota. Given his impressive & dedicated efforts, Dylan Brown has a significant role in RTC-CL’s newest documentary by Jerry Smith titled “Invaluable: The Unrecognized Profession of Direct Support”. The documentary film can be found here. 
“Caught Doing it Right Board” Initiative. To boost DSP morale and teach the Core Competencies, the DSP Advocacy Committee launched the “Caught Doing it Right Board; a bulletin board located in the Arc Herkimer Administrative Building, where staff, peers and supervisors post “shout outs” to DSPs for performing tasks in competent, ethical and meaningful manners. The idea originated when DSP Advocacy Committee members realized they were struggling to name the 7 goal areas from the OPWDD DSP Core Competencies.
If you start a DSP Advocacy Committee, here are a few recommendations and tips from Arc Herkimer's group:
#1
All staff experience the impact of the workforce shortage. Freeing up available DSPs to attend Advocacy Committee meetings can be difficult. To alleviate this issue, Arc Herkimer DSP Advocacy Committee practices creative scheduling by staggering meeting times and days. They also invite self-advocates to attend DSP Advocacy meetings (only if the person(s) being supported wants to attend). This offers DSPs another opportunity to attend meetings and also helps foster side-by-side learning, boosts relationships and can strengthen advocacy efforts. Self-advocates who attend meetings are encouraged to participate.  
#2
Arc Herkimer’s Advocacy Committee also suggests that committee’s distribute meeting notices and other materials by using multiple modes of communication such as informational flyers and networking technology. It’s important to send a clear message to all DSPs that their participation is welcome, valued and encouraged. Scheduling and planning the whole year in advance works best.  
#3
It’s important to remember that not all DSP turnover should be “treated equally”. Half of the vacancies at Arc Herkimer are a result of internal staff advancement. Dylan Brown recommends all agencies attempt to encourage the formation of DSP Advocacy Committees as it can do wonders for staff morale and offer opportunities to foster DSP growth. 
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Pictures are from a RCWT Regional Meeting in Region 2 South (Syracuse, NY) where Dylan Brown and DSP Amanda Garcia presented on Arc Herkimer’s DSP Advocacy Committee.
Email Jennifer Parsons, NY Alliance Assistant Director of Workforce Advancement at [email protected] for more information and resources related to supporting your workforce. 
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