by Bob Policastro Apr 1, 2026 Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide life-sustaining care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex medical needs. For more than three decades, I have worked with families caring for medically fragile children and young adults. Many also live with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and rely on services,…Read More…

By Mike Alvaro | March 24, 2026 With just days remaining before New York’s April 1 budget deadline, state leaders face a clear choice. They can build on recent progress in stabilizing services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), or risk losing ground. The most important step they can take is straightforward. Adopt a full 4%…Read More…

Caregivers are the difference between isolation and opportunity for New Yorkers with disabilities. Address their low wages, along with housing and child care, to stabilize this essential workforce.   By Michael Seereiter, For the Times Union March 24, 2026 Credit: Getty Images. FatCamera/Getty Images As lawmakers finalize New York’s budget, they face a choice that will…Read More…

Disability advocates urge lawmakers to boost pay for direct care workers Mar 17, 2026 ALBANY — Hundreds of advocates rallied at the New York State Capitol last week, calling on lawmakers to include a 4% targeted inflationary increase and CareForce affordability initiatives for Direct Support Professionals in this year’s state budget. The funding would provide…Read More…

By Mindy Cervoni and Jeff Paterson | Mar 9, 2026 When lake-effect snow buries our streets, schools close and travel bans are issued. Most of Buffalo hunkers down and waits out the storm. Direct support professionals (DSPs) don’t have that luxury. They report for duty in whiteout conditions, navigate unplowed roads and cannot get home…Read More…

By Wini Schiff | Posted on February 28, 2026 The New York State Capitol in Albany. Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto When I started as a Direct Support Professional (DSP), my world was focused and urgent. Ensuring that the people I supported with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) were safe and treated with dignity, and showing the…Read More…

By Sherry TuckerFor the Times Union There is no question that costs are going up across the board, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has made affordability the centerpiece to her agenda for the coming year. Yet the budget she proposed last month includes only a 1.7% cost-of-living adjustment for workers in the human services sector —…Read More…

BY Susan Arbetter New York State The agencies that deal with mental health and substance use disorders are facing rising costs. They are also reporting a statewide job vacancy rate of between 20%-30% with a turnover rate of 35%.  To help make these jobs more competitive, advocates are asking the Legislature for a 2.7% increase in the…Read More…

By Chad ArnoldFeb 6, 2026 ALBANY — Emily Szary has difficulty finding the words that express how much she loves working at St. Catherine’s Center for Children in Albany, where she provides a range of services to some of the most vulnerable.  But Szary worries if she’ll be able to continue her work as a…Read More…