National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week Webinars
National Direct Support Professional Recogntion Week 2026 is September 13 – 19, 2026. Throughout that week, NADSP will be hosting three free webinars focusing on elevating the role of direct support professionals.
Our DSP Week webinar series celebrates direct support professionals by sharing the importance of strengthening connections, equipping them to advocate for the future of services and deepening their role as respectful, person-centered partners.
Below is the full schedule and descriptions for each session. Attendees must register for each event they would like to attend. To register, click the ‘Register’ button for each session. Upon registering, attendees will receive a registration confirmation notice. ASL interpretation and closed captions will be available during each webinar.
Please note that during each session, we will be raffling off two gift cards. Gift Card Raffles are for direct support professionals only. To find out if you have won a raffle, you must attend the session to learn the winner at the end of the session.
DSP Week Webinars
DSP Week Webinar 1: The DSP Café
Tuesday – September 15, 2026 | 2:00 – 3:00pm ET
Join us for an engaging first look at DSP Cafe, a free digital community created specifically for direct support professionals. During this webinar, participants will explore how the platform brings verified DSPs together for honest conversations, practical peer support, videos from the field, topic-based Community Tables, mentorship, curated resources, and upcoming member benefits.
As a founding sponsor, NADSP is excited to share how folks can learn how DSP Cafe provides a moderated space where traditional DSPs, family-member DSPs, and those new to the profession can connect with people who understand the realities of direct support without having to explain the work first. Attendees will also learn how verification helps keep the community relevant and trusted, while unlocking opportunities to post, comment, and participate in mentorship. Come discover a community built around the way DSPs actually live and work.
This session will be hosted by John Dickerson, DSP Café CEO and Founder.
DSP Week Webinar 2: The Rollout Is Here: Medicaid Work Requirements, Real Impact, and Voter Engagement
Wednesday – September 16, 2026 | 2:00 – 3:00pm ET
Medicaid work requirements are starting to roll out, and with them, real consequences for the people who rely on Medicaid-funded care and the family caregivers and direct care workers who provide it. This webinar breaks down what’s actually changing, and equips you with clear, accessible language to talk about the impact with your community.
In this webinar, we’ll cover:
- What’s changing: A plain-language breakdown of the new work requirements and implementation timeline
- How to talk about it: Messaging and talking points that connect the policy to real stories and fears
- Why now matters: Concrete strategies to keep this issue visible and an issue that those seeking to represent us, as we approach the midterm elections, are thinking about Medicaid, people with disabilities and DSPs.
This policy-focused webinar will be hosted by Nicole Jorwic, Senior Policy Adviser at NADSP and Chief Program Officer at Caring Across Generations.
DSP Week Webinar 3: Direct Support Professionals, Advocacy & the Power of Partnership
Thursday – September 17, 2026 | 2:00 – 3:00pm ET
What does great direct support look like from the perspective of the people receiving it? Join us during DSP Week 2026 for an engaging conversation featuring Chester Finn (New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities) BJ Stasio (The Art of Advocacy) and Tia Nelis (TASH) all sharing their experiences, perspectives, and ideas about the role direct support professionals play in their lives. Together, we’ll explore what it means for DSPs to be trusted partners, supporters, and advocates all the while making sure the person’s own voice remains at the center. We’ll talk about the everyday ways to support choice, independence, relationships, community participation, and self-advocacy. Most importantly, this webinar will provide an opportunity to listen and learn directly from people with disabilities about what makes support meaningful, respectful, empowering, and truly person-centered in a time when services and the future of disability support is at risk.
Our final webinar will be hosted by Joseph Macbeth, NADSP President and CEO.