Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Resolution Acknowledging Direct Support Professional Recognition Week 2024

ANCOR announced today that the U.S. Senate has passed a Resolution acknowledging Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week 2024. Celebrated annually, DSP Recognition Week is a campaign led by ANCOR and observed by thousands of organizations nationally to honor DSPs and the invaluable work they do every day to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).  

Leading the introduction of this year’s DSP Recognition Week Senate Resolution were Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME), who were joined by 10 additional co-sponsors: Senators Time Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Tina Smith (D-MN). 

The Senate Resolution acknowledges that DSPs are essential in supporting individuals with disabilities through community inclusion and by empowering people to live with dignity in their homes, workplaces, and communities. It also calls for policies to support the DSP workforce, including the creation of a standard occupational classification for DSPs. 

“ANCOR is proud to partner with Senators Collins and Cardin once again this year to commend DSPs for their work and the vital role they play in supporting individuals with I/DD across the country,” said Lydia Dawson, vice president of government relations for ANCOR. “We also thank the wide array of leaders in the Senate who co-sponsored [the DSP Recognition Week Resolution] for their tireless efforts to ensure DSPs are recognized and celebrated. We look forward to continuing to work with these congressional leaders to pass legislation that strengthens such a vital but too-often-overlooked workforce.”