Start your career as a direct support professional at JCC
The Direct Support Professional certificate at Jamestown Community College prepares you to enter the workforce as a DSP. Direct support professionals are in high demand in western New York and across New York state. Many factors are driving the urgent need for DSPs, including continuing deinstitutionalization, longer lifespans for people with disabilities, and the recognition that people with disabilities are vital members of the community.
What does a direct support professional do?
As a direct support professional, you’ll help people needing support, including people with physical and developmental disabilities and the elderly, to recognize their full potential and to live active and more independent lives. A DSP also helps clients and their families navigate social and medical services, so they can live their best lives in the community.
What will JCC’s program teach you?
JCC’s Direct Support Professional certificate provides a strong foundation in community health work and human services, with courses focusing on client care, crisis intervention, and life conditions. As a part of the program, you’ll work with a DSP coach who will support you with coursework and obtaining national accreditation.
By completing JCC’s three DSP microcredentials, you will earn the Direct Support Professional certificate. The DSP microcredentials:
- Qualify for certification through the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP)
- Are free (including tuition, fees, books, course materials, and NADSP credentialing) for NYS residents through a partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) and the NYS Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)
- You may be eligible to earn $750 for completing each DSP microcredential
Where to study at JCC
- Available online for working DSPs
- Fully available on the Jamestown Campus
- Fully available on the Cattaraugus County Campus
Program pathway
Microcredentials available in this program: Direct Support Professional microcredentials
This program can stack into: Human Services A.S. degree | Individual Studies A.S. degree
Direct support professional skills
After you complete the program, you will be able to:
- Develop the skills necessary to become a Direct Support Professional.
- Demonstrate understanding of the ethics of the profession.
- Demonstrate understanding of how the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomy apply to social justice action, past, current, or future.