DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS’ PERSPECTIVES AND ROLE PERCEPTIONS IN THE FIELD OF INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Date
2019-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The systemic failure in the long-term services and supports sector for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is characterized by a multi-decade long period of disinvestment in the field of direct support. Direct support professionals (DSPs) continue to be in high demand, while efforts to recruit, train, and retain these professionals pose challenges. As the field is evolving, the roles and responsibilities of these professionals are essentially shifting as well. During this crisis, DSPs have specific needs in order for them to succeed and promote quality outcomes for the people they support. This study examines the perspectives and role perceptions of direct support professionals who work directly with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, to answer two primary research questions: 1) How do the role perceptions of direct support professionals differ between agencies across the spectrum of service providing? and 2) What is needed in the field to better support direct support professionals?
While many studies track changes in the role responsibilities of direct support professionals with the evolution of service delivery from traditional, congregate control towards supporting self-determination, this project calls into question how those roles are defined. It recognizes and appreciates the knowledge of direct support professionals around their own profession and aims to understand how role perceptions might vary and thus impact the quality and nature of the supports provided to adults with IDD. This research will also examine what these professionals need from their supervisors to improve the quality of supports and services they provide, and to address the incredible rates of turnover and vacancy in the field.
This qualitative research study consists of case studies at five agencies and a national DSP survey disseminated by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). The results of the study find that role perception does change across the spectrum of service providing, with DSPs from more traditional agencies often maintaining more traditional role perceptions, specifically an emphasis on activities of daily living (ADLs), health and safety, and dispensing medications. DSPs at more innovative agencies tended to have more innovative role perceptions, including an emphasis on self-determination, choice, and non-locational or not task-based uses of community. The study identified six support needs for DSPs including: improved access to training opportunities, reliable and quality staffing, reasonable job expectations, fair compensation and recognition, quality and participatory management practices, and adequate funding for basic needs. The implications of this research can impact how role perception is conceptualized in DSP selection, training, and evaluation and the need for service providers to adopt evolving role definitions to improve quality of services. Additionally, this research can support the discovery of alternatives to address the DSP workforce crisis by centering the voices of direct support professionals themselves.
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Keywords
Direct support professionals, Role perceptions, Intellectual and Developmental, Disabilities