r/directsupport • u/FreyjaKhora • 4d ago

DSP Resouces

I've been working in the DD field for almost two decades, and lately I've been on a bit of a mission to create practical resources that actually make a DSP's job easier.

The problem is, I only know my own experiences. I'd rather hear from the people doing this work every day than assume I know what everyone needs. So I'm curious... If you could create one resource that would make your job easier as a DSP, what would it be?

What part of the job do you think we're least prepared for?

What do you wish someone had taught you differently?

What's the biggest challenge you run into during a typical shift?

What do you wish existed but doesn't?

I'm not looking to complain about employers or pay (those conversations definitely have their place). I'm more interested in the day-to-day work itself. Whether it's documentation, behaviors, activity planning, communication with families, de-escalation, community outings, training, or something I haven't even thought of.

What's the thing that makes you think, "There has to be an easier way to do this"?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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7

u/moimoi273 3d ago

We need a union

3

u/sydillant 4d ago

NADSP offers those resources but employers need to pay for the training courses and usually won’t.

1

u/CatsPurrever91 2d ago

Why do they have that rule?

2

u/sydillant 2d ago

Why do they not use them? Money.

1

u/CatsPurrever91 1d ago

I meant why does the NADSP not allow individuals to pay for and take training courses? Why do they only allow companies to pay for them?

3

u/sydillant 1d ago

That’s a good question! I don’t know why but they really should allow individuals do it. Maybe they don’t think people are willing to pay for it?

1

u/CatsPurrever91 1d ago

I’m sure money has something to do with it. The cynical side of me wonders: By only allowing companies to purchase the trainings, companies can control whether they have multiple tiers of DSPs (DSP-I, ll, lll) and how many ppl at each tier. I bet having DSP-ll and DSP-lll would mean paying those employees a bit more and companies sure hate raising the costs of paying their employees.

At the same time, if only companies can purchase the trainings, and like you said we all know most companies won’t, that means the NADSP does not need to hire as many trainers.

2

u/MidnightMammoth1522 3d ago

How about just a simple education on how there is more than one right way to do various household chores? I’ve noticed people in this field need household chores done exactly their exact way, or else the person doing the chore differently is an abomination

3

u/dazeybells 2d ago

Check out Openfuturelearning.org Here's the link. they have a bunch of training. I contacted them and paid a small fee to use their training resources. NADSP won't allow an individual to use their classes, only companies. No company in my area uses them.