OADSP originated in training and professional development for Direct Support Professionals, and our roots are best represented by OADSP’s flagship program for adult “in field” learners, DSPaths. In 2014, in response to an escalating direct support workforce crisis, OADSP and industry partners developed and launched “Community Connections Career Partnership in Ohio” (C3P(O)).

Now known as DSP-U, this one-schoolyear program is a re-working of DSPaths for secondary-school-age students (typically high school seniors), as well as adult learners not already working in the I/DD field. DSP-U is meant to help identify promising DSP candidates, train them through a combination of classroom lessons and internship experiences, and expedite their entry into the I/DD field.

Typically, DSP-U includes Module content from the Certificate of Initial Proficiency (CIP). CIP Modules represent sixty (60) hours of instruction, and they provide fundamental knowledge of the skills and abilities required to become a Direct Support Professional (DSP).

Additionally, DSP-U students are required to show competence in specific areas through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals’ (NADSP) E-Badge Academy. Studying and interning through CIP runs parallel with the entire schoolyear.

Like DSPaths, DSP-U is nationally recognized, and in Ohio, it’s accredited by the state’s Department of Education and can serve as an alternative pathway to high school graduation, substituting for traditional testing requirements. Additionally, since DSP-U involves I/DD providers, it creates a win-win environment: students successfully graduate with freshly-minted job readiness, and those providers are directly connected with a pool of qualified DSP candidates.