I’m a direct support professional. Before this, I worked as a housekeeper in a nursing home. My mom worked at Cardinal Hayes in direct support, and when I told her I was looking for a new job, she immediately said, “Come to where I am.” So I did.
People ask, “What’s a DSP?” I say we help people live their best lives. Yes, we do medical tasks—like physical care, feeding through G-tubes, giving medications—but it’s so much more. It’s person-centered. We help people do things they’ve never done, take them places, and experience new things. We all bring ideas and try to engage the people we support in different ways. You’re really just supplementing their life.
I work a lot with Josh and some other young adults in our home. Josh gets his food and meds through a G-tube. When I started, I didn’t know how to do that—much of this, you learn as you go. Honestly, even in hospitals, we’ve had to explain G-tubes to nurses. It’s not just physical—it’s understanding, adapting, and educating others too. Once you get to know the people we support and their personalities, everything gets easier. Josh and I, we joke, we talk. This is his house. We watch shows, listen to music, make him comfortable. He gets a say in what happens, and that matters.
This job has made me more empathetic. It’s shown me how much the world still isn’t built for people with disabilities. I’ve found the advocate in me because of this work. Whether someone’s in a wheelchair, has a learning disability, or uses a feeding tube—those are all normal things. But the world doesn’t treat them that way, and that’s what has to change. At doctor’s appointments, I go with Josh. I advocate, but I also give him space to speak and ask questions. He loves that. He wants to know what they’re doing and be part of it.
Josh and I talk a lot. He asks, “How do I ask for that?” and I tell him, “Use your voice.” That’s how we start. Conversations lead to ideas. That’s how he ended up at a wrestling event. Then a concert—he saw Ariana Grande live in New York City. He loved it. He got to meet some of my friends. He loves music, people, socializing. I even took him to my powerlifting gym. He loved that too.
The hardest part of this job? The emotional weight. We lose people. We get attached. It hits like losing a friend or family member. And we’re short-staffed, like everyone right now, so we work a lot. But the joy outweighs it. Seeing someone like Josh experience something new—it’s worth it.
People think this is just caretaking. It’s not. We’re helping people live. I’m going to college now through this job, taking human services classes. I started in business, but now I’m here. And it opened my eyes. I don’t know my five-year plan, but I know this—I’m in this. Maybe I’ll stay a DSP. I kind of enjoy it. I like the flexibility. And I’ve got support no matter what.
We need to talk more about this job and normalize it, like we do for CNAs or nurses. The more we talk about the good parts, the more people might join us. Josh is a normal person, and just because he needs help doesn’t mean he shouldn’t live a full life. DSPs make that life possible. For anyone thinking about this work, I say try it. Dip your toes in. You’ll learn something about yourself. It’s human services. It’s not always easy, but it’s real. It’s human, and it’s needed.
