Passion + Purpose

Answering a call to address the dire shortage of direct care workers – including those who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – Direct Support Workforce Solutions has launched a trove of recruiting and marketing tools that lean into the passion and purpose of the work.

Direct Support Workforce Solutions is a consulting group within the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota.

Older workers, recent college graduates, and others looking to be part of something bigger than themselves are all featured in the work, which was created for the New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation , an association of disability service provider organizations.

“It’s never too late to change lives, including your own,” one of the public service announcements notes. “Your years of wisdom and dedication can strengthen your community.”

The virtual DSP handbook includes several other PSAs, guidance on conducting behavioral interviews, recruitment flyers, and the video Where Passion Meets Purpose: A Realistic Job Preview of Direct Support . It also features an online visual timeline highlighting 225 years of services and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are included in the virtual handbook for direct support professionals (DSPs).

Additional content curated by the NY Alliance includes frontline supervisor competencies, a series of videos illustrating the DSP code of ethics, and resources on self-direction, DSP well-being, and professional development.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished in partnership with the Institute on Community Integration,” said Kirsten Sanchirico, vice president of workforce advancement at NY Alliance. “Together, we’ve developed many valuable resources for DSPs—tools that are already making a meaningful difference for providers across New York State.”

She said the high-quality, practical, and engaging materials rival much larger-budget campaigns in both impact and accessibility.

“These resources were designed with New York’s providers in mind, but they’re available for anyone to use,” Sanchirico said. “The engagement and attraction tools inspire thoughtful conversations and provide much-needed support to the field. It’s been an honor to be part of such a collaborative and purpose-driven partnership.”

The process began in late 2023, when the New York Alliance asked ICI’s Jerry Smith to help them update a handbook for DSPs and put it on the organization’s website.

“We were eager to help re-envision the resource and add digital elements, including a visual timeline of disability services from the 1800s to today,” said Smith, ICI’s director of marketing and communications. “We hadn’t originally planned to highlight the history of DSPs over the years, but it made sense to provide context for a workforce that remains largely invisible.”

The timeline is highly visual and written in brief, clear language.

“Our goal wasn’t to teach every detail, but to illustrate a living history,” Smith said. ICI’s Connie Burkhart designed eight recruitment flyers, and Pete McCauley served as camera operator for the videos. Smith wrote and directed the videos, timeline, and marketing materials.

“The development of these recruiting and marketing tools reflects our consultative approach, which is to work alongside provider organizations, service systems, and states to build sustainable strategies that stabilize and strengthen the direct support workforce,” said Kris Foss, director of the Direct Support Workforce Solutions group. “They are more than just resources. They represent our deep commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the support they need to live, work, and thrive as full members of their communities.”