Too often, the direct support role has not been viewed as a professionalized career, but instead as a low-skilled entry-level job. The idea that direct support work is unskilled could not be further from the truth! This session will describe the professional skills needed to be effective in a direct support role, how NADSP’s national certification program is tied to those identified skills, and the impacts of professional certification in the retention of direct support professionals (DSPs). 

One of the things that defines a profession is a shared set of professional values. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) Code of Ethics in 2001. In 2025, the decision was made to review and update the language of the NADSP Code to ensure its continued relevance to direct support professionals. While the full text will be released by NADSP in June, this session will provide an early look at the newest version of the NADSP Code of Ethics and will describe the process used to update the Code and validate the changes.