Today, the Family and Social Services Administration's (FSSA) Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) will hold a virtual graduation ceremony for the first graduating class of the Direct Support Professionals (DSP) initiative. The virtual program will begin online at 1:30 p.m. EST at http://asx.ihets.org/FSSA/live.asx. Provider agencies around the state will hold celebrations at the conclusion of the ceremony in recognition of the first 46 graduates of the Indiana DSP Initiative.

"I would like to personally congratulate each Direct Support Professional graduating today and thank you all for your hard work and dedication," said DDRS Director Peter Bisbecos. "DSPs are critical in the effective support of individuals with disabilities and we are thrilled with the success and growth this initiative has seen in just one short year."

The DSP Initiative, funded by DDRS, is a collaborative effort between the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC), providers, professional organizations, DSPs, self-advocates, families, Ivy Tech Community College, and a wide range of state agencies to recruit and retain DSPs in Indiana. The CCLC at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community has coordinated a three-year initiative designed to offer current and newly-hired DSPs the opportunity to advance their skills, further their education, and increase their earning potential.

Funds have been allocated to provide full financial support to train up to 2,300 new and existing DSPs at nine provider agencies. Of those, 720 will be funded to attend Ivy Tech Community College as they earn a Direct Support Professional Certificate in Human Services, along with 17 hours of transferrable college credit.

The CCLC has developed a six-day competency-based orientation course and partnered with Ivy Tech to develop and implement the coursework taught primarily through distance education options for this initiative. The second class of the initiative will graduate at least twice as many DSPs at the completion of their coursework this August.

Please tune in today at 1:30 p.m. EST at http://asx.ihets.org/FSSA/live.asx for the virtual graduation ceremony. The event will also be streamed online post-ceremony at http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/3915.htm.

For more information on the DSP initiative, please visit www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs.

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