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NYSACRA AND THE COLLEGE OF DIRECT SUPPORT
The New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) is a membership organization comprised of nearly 200 not-for-profit corporations supporting individuals with developmental disabilities living in communities across New York State. Diverse in geographic location, size, origins, and history, these agencies share a unifying goal: providing quality supports for the people they serve.
Toward that end, over 30 years ago they created NYSACRA to serve as a source of information, their voice, and a catalyst for change on a statewide basis. Among other things, NYSACRA promotes best practices — through statewide and regional conferences, leadership forums, newsletters and electronic bulletins — and helps shape New York State policies concerning individuals with developmental disabilities through legislative, administrative, and fiscal advocacy.
Central to NYSACRA member agencies’ mission of providing quality supports are the men and women who each day directly support the individuals being served. As such, for the past decade NYSACRA has spent considerable energy to promote the presence of a stable, competent, and professional direct support workforce. From lobbying for enhanced salaries and benefits, to offering increased training opportunities, and, to most recently, incubating a New York State Chapter of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (the Direct Support Professional Alliance of New York State), NYSACRA has endeavored to elevate the compensation, skills, and stature of direct support workers.
The following evaluation reveals that the College of Direct Support (CDS) has been an integral part of NYSACRA’s efforts in workforce development. NYSACRA’s research indicated that the CDS offered a curriculum, reviewed and edited by a national panel of experts in the field, which blended the Community Support Skills Standards and the National Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionals into the learning; offered consistency for all learners; and, being on-line, provided flexible access at any time by learners whose schedules, as direct support professionals, are busy.
