DSP Project

1
DSP Project

• Direct Service Professional Project
• A project of
• Tulsa Community College
• Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council

2
Project Overview

• Direct caregiver, job coach, teacher,
  driver.
• Support key role in community inclusion
  enhancing lives of individuals with disabilities
• Professional have specialized training
  provide a number of specialized supports

3
Why a DSP Project?

• Individuals with disabilities benefit from highly
  qualified stable caregivers, but
• High turnover rate
• Low wages
• Inadequate training
• Inadequate supervisory support
• High demand/high difficulty/high need
• Availability of less stressful jobs for gt pay
• VOA Training Needs Analysis, 2000

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Project Members

• Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council
• Tulsa Community College
• Direct support staff
• Provider agencies
• Training educational institutions
• State-wide organizations

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Advisory Teams Tulsa, OKC

• To inform those involved with direct service
  about the project
• To collect information, opinions, and suggestions
  from DSPs team members
• To identify ways to implement what is needed
  based on ideas input
• Sign up for a team!

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Advisory Team Outcomes Professional Purpose

• To enhance the lives of individuals with
  disabilities as well as those who serve them
• Career ladder standards for levels or
  specializations
• Quality of service
• Recognition by other professionals
• Wages
• Educational path College Credit/Certification
• Professional organization/affiliation
• Retention/Decreased turnover

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Professional Practice What does it look like?

• Ready and Able - professionals should be ready
  and able, the project looks at what DSPs are
  currently learning in training that really makes
  them feel prepared for the job they will be doing.

• What in the World?!? on the flip side, it is
  hard to feel and act professional when you are
  insecure about what you are doing, this portion
  looks at skills and knowledge DSPs were lacking
  after attending training beginning hands on
  work.

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Plan How to get there from here?

• Develop college courses
• Accessibility/How offered Awareness of
  professional development opportunities
• to support professional development
• Association/Professional Organization new
  state org or national affiliation?
• Survey DSPs, agencies statewide, gt consumer input

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Long term solution System change

• Career ladder recognizing and rewarding quality
  within the field
• Reimbursement rates to provide a self-sufficient
  wage commensurate with skills

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Steps along the way

• College credit
• Evaluate current training for college-level
  credit
• Develop an academic certificate of achievement
  through Tulsa Community College with the intent
  that it may be made available across the state of
  Oklahoma
• Create a series of academic certificates specific
  to each career level in disabilities culminating
  in a college degree

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4 x 3 15?

• HUMAN SERVICES Certificate Option
• DSP I Direct Support Professional I
• Certificate Requirements Credit Hours 15
• HS 1403 DSP Foundations
• HS 1413 Introduction to Developmental
  Disabilities
• HS 1423 Models for Supporting Persons with
  Developmental Disabilities
• HS 1443 Direct Support Professional I
• HS 1453 DSP Practicum

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Steps along the way

• Pilot DSP Option
• Recruit 1020 DSP option students for Spring 2008
  
• Enroll in one or more courses track success
• Status 12 students (6 Tulsa 6 OKC)
• Summer 2008 HS 1443 DSP Professional 1
• Professionalism - Ethics
• DSP roles and interaction with other
  professionals
• Portfolio development - Career path planning

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Steps along the way

• Access to courses
• Offer college courses online, at employer site,
  modules (independent) based on input
• Fall 2008
• First online course for certificate HS 1413
  Intro to DD
• All 4 courses scheduled
• Variety of formats
• - Day - Evening - Fast-Track

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What's Next...

• Additional online courses curriculum
• DSP professional affiliation for Oklahoma
• Career ladder development
• Evaluation follow-up on DSP participants
• Replicationincreased access across state
• Success best practices, enhanced lives for
  individuals with disabilities and those who care
  for them

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What's Nexthow you can help

• DSP all levels contact sheet
• Consumer input brief survey
• Provider survey
• DSP survey
• DSPs who want to participate in pilot - begin
  college Summer or Fall 2008
• Begin NOW to advocate for change

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What's Next...

• Additional Contacts?
• Suggestions?
• Proposed academic certificate
• Possibility of survey for input baseline
  information

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Contact Information

• Project Director
• Diane Potts, Assistant Professor of Human
  Services
• Tulsa Community College/NE
• 3727 E. Apache
• Tulsa, Oklahoma 74115
• [phone]
• dpotts_at_tulsacc.edu