Workforce
Sample Social Media:
Twitter:
Note: do not worry about the web address for the workforce proposals being long -Twitter will automatically shorten it for you.
Direct Support Professionalshelp people with disabilities live life with dignity, but a 45% turnover rate among DSPs is affecting stability of services. @[Congressperson username],please help by supporting these proposals in Congress!
.@[Congressperson username], if you regularly lost half your staff, how much could you accomplish? Community supports for people with disabilities are in crisis with a 45% national staff turnover rate. Please support these fixes in Congress!
Facebook: If you are tagging your members of Congress, remember to make your post public so they can see it.
.@ [Congressperson username], I work with [YOUR AGENCY’S NAME]. [BRIEFLY DESCRIBE WORK.] There are great Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who help people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) live with dignity in the community. Due to many factors, including low wages caused by fixed Medicaid rates, our DSPs cannot continue this great work. The national DSP turnover rate is 45% and in our state, it is [INSERT STATE TURNOVER RATE]. Most DSPs leave within their first six months on the job. This means supports for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities are in a real workforce crisis, and it is affecting the stability of our services. [TAG MEMBER OF CONGRESS], please consider the proposals linked to here so great DSPs such as can continue helping people with disabilities live with dignity in the community.
Sample email:
Dear [STAFFER]: [Here is a list with contact information for Senate and House health staffers based in Washington DC – Senate staff are listed first, followed by House staff, all in alphabetical order by state.]
As a constituent of yours in [city, state] who cares deeply about issues impacting people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), I am writing to ask your office to support proposals in Congress that would strengthen the workforce which assists people with I/DD in living with dignity in the community.
This workforce is facing a 45% turnover rate because of a range of factors, including but not limited to low wages. Not only is turnover high, it is also frequent—most staff leave within the first six months on the job. This is seriously affecting the quality of life of people with I/DD, including their health and safety. As such, I invite you to consider the attached solutions for ways Congress can strengthen this workforce.
These proposals have been developed by the American Network for Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), which represents agencies that provide supports to people with I/DD, such as job coaching, daily living assistance (e.g., grocery shopping) and more complex tasks such as critical medical treatments. I hope you will reach out to ANCOR to learn more about these proposals. I am also glad to answer any questions about I/DD supports and to share stories about how the workforce crisis affects your constituents.