Rally held to urge to increase wages for direct support professionals
Be fair to direct care!
That was the chant heard at St. Francis College, 182 Remsen Street, on Monday, December 4 as Brooklynites with developmental disabilities, their parents and caregivers, a bipartisan delegation of state legislators, faith leaders, civic and community leaders joined #bFair2DirectCare for a rally aimed at increasing currently low wages for direct support professionals (DSPs).
The initiative of BFair2DirectCare is to remind state leaders that direct care not-for-profit agency workers are “agents of the state who need a fair rate of pay,” given the significance of the job they’re performing, according to Executive Director of Interagency Council for Developmental Disabilities Agencies (ICDDA) Tom McAlvanah. “On any given day, 24/7, DSPs are there to provide guidance and support needed to assist people with developmental disabilities and their families. It is that valiant and skilled work force who we champion today.”