My Story as a DSP

By Sam Shepherd, Founder and CEO of 3DA

Here is my story as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) and how it inspired me to start 3DA.

I was 19 years old in my first summer of college when I started working as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Customized Options, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities. Before I got my job as a DSP, I spent four weeks as a truck loader for FedEx Ground. I hated my job at FedEx so much. During my second or third week at FedEx, I started job searching for something else. I remember searching “jobs near me” on Google, when Customized Options popped up on my screen for their DSP position. I remember going in for an interview before one of my shifts at FedEx. Come the end of my fourth week at FedEx, I got a call from Customized Options telling me that I got the job. However, I was working when they called me, so I took a quick bathroom break and called them back. Then, I told the two guys at FedEx that I was cool with that this was going to be my last day. This decision ended up being far more beneficial to me than simply getting out of a tedious job. 

This was a very new experience for me working directly with and for individuals with developmental disabilities. I didn’t know what to expect. I only knew that I wasn’t going to stigmatize anyone as I had an open mind coming into this job. This resulted in a life changing experience that I am able to tell you about here. 

From the beginning, I started working with one specific individual each day. I learned that not only was having a daily routine with consistency a valuable thing, but it’s also valuable when you are an important part of someone else’s daily routine. I would pick up this individual every day from his home and bring the two of us into the office. We would work on math problems, play cards, color, and find other ways to stay busy or work on skills before meeting up with others for our daily group activities. As time went on, I started working with other individuals as well, picking them up from their homes and working with them on their specific needs and skills. This was really cool for me to be able to assist others with their specific routines. It was fun doing the little things with them that brought them so much joy, whether it be playing endless games of UNO, watching one practice their typing. The list goes on. 

Since I was newer as a DSP, and since many of the DSPs for the organization were rarely bringing in individuals into the office (as they were busy in the community), I developed a strong connection with the Founder and CEO, Barb, who I am proud to say is one of our Board Members for 3DA. She started telling me horror stories for the community of people with developmental disabilities. She told me a lot of stories about individuals being abused, neglected, exploited in the past. I learned that the unfortunate reality of many individuals with developmental disabilities is that they often lack an adequate safety net around them. This could be anywhere from group home staff, social workers; even legal guardians in some cases. It’s very sad how individuals that often need the most support will often receive the least. 

Hearing and sometimes second hand witnessing these horrible tragedies made me want to take action. Although, at the time, I wasn’t exactly sure how to take action. I thought of trying to change legislation in the state of Minnesota, where I lived at the time. I thought of writing a biography about Barb and her story as a mother of a son with Autism and how that inspired her to start Customized Options. I even briefly thought of the idea to try and become the legal guardian for one of the elderly individuals that I worked with as a DSP. I worked as a DSP for Customized Options in the summer of 2018, my month long winter break in 2018, and the summer of 2019. I became a Board Member for Customized Options in February of 2019 and am still currently sitting on the Board today. I am forever grateful and indebted to Barb for the experience at Customized Options and for her inspiration. 

In the fall of 2020, during my final semester of college, I was fortunate enough to be able to take all my classes remotely, which allowed me time and flexibility to work full time. I ended up getting a job as a DSP at a group home about ten minutes away from my house. This was a fun experience because not only was I back to working as a DSP, but I also got to work in the house with the individuals this time, compared to being the staff member at Customized Options to pick up individuals from their houses. Also, since I was used to a lot of individuals living in poorly staffed group homes, it was incredible to be working in such a homely and welcoming environment for the individuals, as well as for the staff. I remember one evening waiting outside of the bathroom as one of the individuals was in the shower when I thought of the idea of starting 3DA. I quickly wrote some things down on my phone, and from there, I eventually created this organization. I finally got my answer as to how to take action on the mistreatments I heard of and witnessed. 

My biggest takeaways from being a DSP are the following. Care about the people around you as if they are dependent on your care. As a DSP, this is essential. It can also translate to other parts of your life as well, whether it be family, friends, coworkers, etc. It often takes a lot of heart and drive to intently and consistently care for and help the people around you, but it is often necessary. This obviously stands the highest for direct support staff of individuals with developmental disabilities. As a DSP, you need to try your absolute best to be present and to be there for the individual(s) that you are relied on to look after and assist in daily routines and growth. As a DSP, you are a critical part of the individual’s life and development. The DSP position isn’t a job for everyone, obviously, but the lessens it provides should be. 

Moving along, an important takeaway from being a DSP is recognizing the individuality and differences amongst each individual. While Autism is one of the more commonly known spectrums among the subgroups within developmental disabilities, every developmental disability has a spectrum. This isn’t said to diminish the Autism spectrum, but to rather display how everyone is affected differently from their disabilities, and hence, act differently. Everyone has their unique gifts as well as difficulties due to their developmental disabilities. That’s why it’s important to recognize the individuality of individuals with developmental disabilities. 

Another takeaway is to smile and be happy about the little things in life. Whether a friend is walking through the door, or you accomplish something, celebrate it. Clap for yourself as well as for others. Be happy for others and their accomplishments, big or small. Celebrate the small successes to make your day fulfilled. This is what I learned from the individuals with whom I worked with and knew from my experiences as a DSP. They were almost always smiling for each other. 

Another key takeaway from my experience as a DSP is that there is a large turnover in the position. It can be difficult to attract and retain staff when wages are often comparable to fast food restaurants and similar jobs that don’t require as much care and passion as the DSP position does. This can have a direct impact on the individuals when their staff isn’t consistent, or if a longtime DSP decides to leave for a different job. This can result in more instances of increased behavior for individuals with developmental disabilities and can also lead to burnout of the current DSP staff that has to work extra hours to cover the gaps within the organization. Personally, I never had the experience of burnout, but there were times when I had to work with three to four individuals at one time due to staffing shortages in a day. While Customized Options offers benefits to their employees, many day programs and group homes do not, which can also be a deterrent from potential DSPs joining the organization. 

To continue, an issue that I learned about the DSP position is the integrity of the position. While the DSP position requires a tremendous amount of direct care and support, it is also hard to acquire the right talent for the position, given what I stated in the last paragraph as deterrents in getting DSPs. Having little prerequisites for the position means that there are people hired that should not be working as a DSP. This can again result in high turnover, but can also result in poor performance, and therefore, having a negative impact on the individuals with developmental disabilities. The billion dollar question is how to increase both wages and standards for the DSP position so that each organization can serve individuals with developmental disabilities better, while not putting themselves under financial strain. 

In total, the DSP position was a life changing opportunity for me, as well as for others. While I am thankful for my experiences as a DSP, there are many things that must be improved for the position long term, such as pay, compensation, retention, integrity, etc, all so individuals with developmental disabilities can get the exceptional support that they need, as well as DSPs having an adequate and correctly compensated career. 

Thank you for taking the time to read about my story as a DSP and how it inspired me to start 3DA. Everyone’s voice matters, especially those with developmental disabilities. To connect with us further, you may click here to go to our contact page, where you can submit a form, email us directly, and/or follow us on social media. You can also learn about the rest of 3DA's leadership by clicking here. Thank you again for your time and care.