BY Mark Goshgarian Chautauqua County
PUBLISHED 8:40 AM ET Jun. 03, 2026
Robin Kestler has served as a direct support professional, or DSP, for more than 30 years at the Resource Center in Jamestown.
“It’s rewarding because it makes me happy. It’s all about making sure people are taken care of,” Kestler said.
What You Need To Know
There are about 110,000 Direct Support Professionals in New York state
One dedicated DSP was honored for her decades of service at The Resource Center in Jamestown
The Arc New York employs nearly 30,000 DSPs
People with developmental and intellectual disabilities for the upstate chapter, part of The Arc New York.
It’s the largest provider of support and services for more than 60,000 people.
“Have a productive day, a fun day, see what they want to do, try and incorporate it into a room setting,” Kestler said.
Kestler has been nationally recognized for her work and recently named Direct Support Professional of the Year for New York.
She recently traveled to Boston to receive her award.
“Very humbling. It was an amazing honor. And I know there are other people throughout the state, but I work with a lot of good people, so to be chosen I felt like I was representing the people that I work with, and the people that I work for,” Kestler said.
“I can’t say enough about Robin, What Robin has done has been amazing,” said Erik Geizer, CEO, The ARC New York.
Arc New York employs between 25,000 and 30,000 professionally trained DSPs out of roughly 110,000 in the state.
“Really fulfilling. It’s very important, but it’s not easy. So they have a lot of responsibility and they are absolutely critical to what we’re trying to accomplish to provide people high quality lives,” said Geizer.
That includes meeting their social, emotional, physical and psychological needs.
“We put a lot on their plate and it’s an incredible role. They are the foundation of our work. And we will do everything in our power to fight for the people who provide the direct support services throughout the state,” said Geizer.
Leaders say the job is not without challenges including staffing, compensation and work ethic, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every day’s a challenge. It’s just hard to find people to work. I mean, it’s just a shrinking population of employment,” Kestler said.
Despite that, Kestler encourages others to give it a try.
“When you work with people with disabilities, it’s a joyful job, and you’ll like it, if you just give the people you work with a chance,” said Kestler.
There are 34 chapters of The Arc New York.