Ohio Newspaper Quotes Hewitt in Article on Direct Support Professionals

The Columbus Dispatch of Ohio quoted ICI's Amy Hewitt in an article about Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). The article explains that as more people with disabilities leave government-run institutions and work programs, the need for direct support workers to assist them at home and in their communities has dramatically increased. These jobs are demanding and long-term DSPs are dedicated to the people they support, but decades of low wages has led to constant staff shortages and high turnover in the direct support workforce, undermining the quality of care.

“You will hear providers talk about the workforce crisis, and they use that word,” Hewitt says in the article. “It’s far worse than a crisis. Look it up in the dictionary — crises don’t last 30 years. This is a systemic failure that we’ve been dealing with for more than 30 years. The way in which we’re able to afford community services and to argue that they’re less expensive is to pay staff less and get rid of their benefits.”