Low Pay Feeds Shortage of Workers Who Care for People with Developmental Disabilities

Well said Barbara Merrill..


"We need policymakers to fully understand that these simply are not just minimum wage jobs," Barbara Merrill said."DSPs literally do it all."

Story Highlights:

• DSPs are lifelines for people who just a few decades ago would have been left to live in institutional settings

• The jobs can be physically demanding and emotionally taxing.

• But wages hover near minimum wage.

The Arc of Bergen and Passaic recently renovated a facility to accommodate a day program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but the program will not open in the foreseeable future because the agency cannot ensure there will be enough workers to staff it.

"I’ve got programs already existing. I have to be sure that those people are taken care of and are safe," said Kathy Walsh, CEO and president of the Arc of Bergen and Passaic. "Until I have those programs staffed, I can’t open a new program. Then we’re not keeping our commitment to the people I am already serving."

The problem is nationwide.

To read more on this story, click here: Low Pay Feeds Shortage of Workers Who Care for People with Developmental Disabilities

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