CP Unlimited fielded a large group of persons supported, management, and members of the CP team to join local and state level politicians, fellow providers, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and families from across New York to say in one voice: “Direct Support Professionals need a higher living wage, starting with an 8.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)!”
For CP Unlimited, our 1,000+ DSPs are the backbone of our workforce and we believe that these professionals deserve professional pay. We got to share that message as part of the hundreds of people assembled in the New York State Capitol War Room at the New York Disability Advocates rally.
Additionally, and even more importantly, CP self-advocates and executives spoke with political leaders in one-on-one meetings where they powerfully articulated the outsized demands, burnout, and turnover they are witnessing among staff. See a video of our people advocating for their needs.
One of CP’s self-advocates speaks with NY Assembly Member Dana Levenberg (District 95)
Our CP Family included nearly 100 representatives who were able to get their point across clearly and with exuberance. This is more than a job for our DSPs; it is a sacred responsibility motivated by their abounding love for their neighbors and community. They deserve to be treated fairly and with respect so they too can live the New York Dream.
CP’s Joe Pancari speaks with NY State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (District 23)
We will never stop fighting for increased support for the field and the dedicated people that advance our mission to help people with I/DD achieve fulfilling lives.
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Mike Alvaro of CP State speaks to the crowd
