DSPs work in a variety of situations. Some work in group home settings or on one of Mosaic’s two campuses. Some are shared living home providers through Mosaic at Home. Others help with day services or in-home support as needed. DSPs respond to the day-in-day-out needs to support people in the way they choose to live on their own terms. While rewarding, the work of a Direct Support Professional can also be physically demanding and emotionally draining. Mosaic serves many people who have a higher degree of independence as well as others who have limited mobility and need more assistance with routine activities such as dressing, getting in and out of bed or a chair, using the restroom or bathing. Direct Support Professionals describe their work not as a job, but instead as a calling. They love what they do, because they love the people they support. Join Mosaic Allied Voices TODAY Mosaic advocates for disability rights as well as higher pay for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) at national, state and regional levels; their compensation is dependent on government funding which varies from state to state. According to Cheryl Wicks, Mosaic’s Vice President of External Affairs, “Provider organizations across the nation are experiencing staffing crises like none before. States and the federal government must remedy the decades of chronic underfunding so wages for DSPs can increase, and people with disabilities have the support they need.” You, too, can help advocate for those with disabilities and the DSPs they rely on by joining the more than 3,100 volunteers who are part of Mosaic Allied Voices. Participation is easy. Volunteers receive public policy alerts with prewritten templates to use when either calling or emailing local government officials. Visit MosaicAlliedVoices.org to become an advocate. Scan or visit mymosaic.info/WorkofHeart to view a short video in which DSPs share why, for them, it’s a “Work of Heart.” Promise | 15
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