National Alliance for Direct
Support Professionals
Joseph Macbeth, NADSP Executive Director
John Raffaele, NADSP Training Consultant
October 16, 2014
Grand Island, Nebraska
“Developing the North Carolina Chapter of the National
Alliance for Direct Support Professionals: Lessons
Learned, Best Practices and Putting Values into Action”.
Today’s Agenda
• Introduction to Nebraska Direct Support
Professional Chapter Development – Best Practices
• Policy and Advocacy – Facilitated Large Group Discussion
• Educational and Professional Services – Facilitated
Large Group Discussion
• Organizational Structure –
• Action Steps
Facilitated Large Group Discussion
Introduction &
Background
"Quality is defined at the point
of interaction between the staff
member and the individual with
a disability” John F. Kennedy,
Jr. (1996)
About Our Chapters
Currently 27 Chapters of the National Alliance for Direct
Support Professionals (NADSP)
All must adopt the NADSP’s Vision & Mission, otherwise
are independent incorporations and have a Union
Neutrality Statement
All Chapters function at different capacities and reflect
their state’s culture and priorities
New York, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota & North Carolina
Chapters are most successful
State Chapters are
Committed to:
• Promoting NADSP’s Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionals
• Creating educational and lifelong learning opportunities for Direct
Support Professionals
• Advancing opportunities for a voluntary Credential in Direct Support
based on NADSP’s competencies and building Direct Support
Professional career paths with appropriate salary enhancements
• Sitting at the policy table during discussions that impact direct
support professionals and the people they support
• Strengthening relationships with other advocacy groups, policy
makers and elected officials
Some State Chapter
Accomplishments
Direct Support Professionals providing Annual
Legislative Testimony on the Governor’s Budget.
Advocating for:
 Formal Statewide Adoption & Training of NADSP’s
Code of Ethics
 Credentialing Based on Competency-Based Training
 Living Wages
 Career Ladders with Commensurate Salaries
Some State Chapter
Accomplishments Continued
In New York, met with:
 NYS OPWDD Commissioner Burke and developed a
Commissioners Direct Support Professional Advisory Committee
 Clarence Sundram, the Special Advisor appointed by the Governor
following the New York Times abuse exposé
 Members of the Senate and Assembly Committees dealing with
mental health and developmental disability related issues.
During these meetings stressed the need for an ethical, well
trained and adequately compensated Direct Support
Professional workforce
NY State Chapter
2012 through 2014
 Clarence Sundram, the Special Advisor included DSPANYS’
recommendations in his report to the Governor- April 2012
 NYS OPWDD adopted NADSP’s Code of Ethics-July 2012
 NYS OPWDD created Direct Support Professional Core
Competencies based on NADSP’s nationally validated set of
competencies –December 2013
 The Governor & Legislature passed a bill authorizing a
comprehensive study to pilot a credentialing program in New
York- April 2014
More Chapter
Accomplishments
 Securing a Seat at the Policy Making Table. In states
where we have NADSP Chapters, Direct Support
Professional representatives serve on:
• Statewide Advisory Councils
• Steering Committees Dealing with:
• Workforce Issues
• Waiver/Systems Transformation/Redesign
• Managed Care
 To a degree, NADSP Chapters have networked with:
• Parent Groups, Self-Advocacy Organizations and
Provider Associations
More Accomplishments
 With State Provider Associations, NADSP Chapters have CoSponsored Annual Direct Support Professional Conferences
 Provided Training/Presentations on Direct Support Professional
Issues for Individual Agencies & Statewide Provider Associations
 Participated in short-term focus groups to Inform the Policy
Makers of Concerns & Solutions regarding Direct Support
 Represented states at ANCOR’s Annual National Direct Support
Professional Advocacy Event: “DSPs to DC” and advocated on
Capitol Hill.
 Serve as the state’s primary lead organization during National
Direct Support Professional Recognition Week.
State Chapters Also
 Attempt to Keep Members Informed about Current Events and
Issues Relating to Direct Support Professional Development
• Members Typically Receive:
 State Chapter Electronic Newsletters & Updates
 Frontline Initiative, NADSP’s National Newsletter
 Periodic Email Alerts on Emerging Issues and Training
Opportunities
• Through Social Media and Annual Meetings, Members Network
with Others Who Share the Same Professional Values and
Commitment
• A Social Media presence is HUGE
State Chapter Challenges
• Maintaining Organizational Support
• Board & Organizational Structure
• Flagging/Shifting Membership
Maintaining
Organizational Support
• Incubator Organizations will inevitably have other
responsibilities and priorities
• Original Champions/Advisors have moved on to other
duties
• Start-Up Grant funding has expired and become highly
competitive
• Finding funding to support the hiring of a Part-time
Coordinator.
Board & Organizational
Structure
• All Direct Support Professional Board of Directors –
Doomed to Fail
• Pulled in many directions (demands on time)
• Pulled from many directions (centralized structure)
• World-view narrowly, but necessarily, shaped by
environment – my program, my shift, the people I
directly support.
• Champions, Advisors, Funders and Leadership
Development activities
Today’s Purpose
Set a course and a design for a Nebraska NADSP
Chapter.
Discuss advocacy activities to engage in?
Explore services to offer members?
Consider an organizational structure to best
support activities and services?
Create and commit to solid action steps to create
a solid Nebraska NADSP Chapter.
Advocacy & Influencing
Public Policy
What are critical public policy issues
that this chapter should devote its
advocacy efforts toward?
Education & Professional
Services
What types of products and services will the
Nebraska Chapter of NADSP offer that will
promote the professionalization of Direct
Support Professionals and will lead to better
outcomes for people receiving supports in
the state?
A Nebraska NADSP Chapter
Organizational Structure
What are ways to structure the
organization to best suit and support the
purposes and activities discussed today?
Time to get to work
Concrete next steps:
Suggestions/Tasks
Responsible person(s)
Time frame and deadline(s)
Closing
Review the Day
Revisit with the shirtless guy!!!!!!
One Word Go Round