DSP - Direct Support Professional Individual Rights and Advocacy Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A DSP is supporting an individual who wants to try a new community activity that involves a degree of physical risk. The individual's family is strongly opposed, citing safety concerns. What is the DSP's primary responsibility in this situation?
- To implement the family's decision to ensure the individual's safety.
- To honor the individual's right to make choices and assume risk in an informed manner. (Correct answer)
- To decide for the individual that the activity is too dangerous.
- To avoid the conflict by finding a different, safer activity.
Correct answer: To honor the individual's right to make choices and assume risk in an informed manner.
According to the NADSP Code of Ethics, a DSP's role includes honoring a person's right to assume risk in an informed manner and promoting self-determination. While safety is a concern, the primary allegiance is to the person being supported. The DSP should work with the individual to understand the risks and benefits, explore safety measures, and facilitate a discussion with the family, but ultimately support the individual's right to choose.
Question 2: Which of the following is the BEST example of a DSP promoting self-advocacy for an individual?
- Speaking on behalf of the individual at all of their medical appointments.
- Making a list of the individual's needs and giving it to their service coordinator.
- Role-playing with the individual to practice expressing their needs and preferences for an upcoming ISP meeting. (Correct answer)
- Deciding which community activities are best for the individual and signing them up.
Correct answer: Role-playing with the individual to practice expressing their needs and preferences for an upcoming ISP meeting.
Promoting self-advocacy involves empowering individuals to speak for themselves and express their own needs and desires. Role-playing is an effective technique to build skills and confidence for self-advocacy. The other options involve the DSP speaking or deciding for the individual, which undermines self-advocacy.
Question 3: An individual has a legal guardian who makes all major life decisions. The individual expresses a desire to change their daily schedule, which conflicts with the guardian's instructions. The DSP should:
- Immediately implement the individual's desired schedule change.
- Inform the guardian that they must follow the individual's wishes.
- Tell the individual their preference is not possible because of the guardianship.
- Facilitate a conversation between the individual and their guardian to discuss the desired change. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Facilitate a conversation between the individual and their guardian to discuss the desired change.
While a guardian has legal authority, the DSP's role is to support the individual's rights and self-expression. The most appropriate action is to facilitate communication and advocate with the person. This approach respects both the legal guardianship and the individual's right to have their preferences heard and considered, fostering partnership and honoring the person's choices.
Question 4: The principle of "due process" in the context of direct support services ensures that:
- DSPs receive their paychecks on time.
- Individuals are protected from having their rights restricted without a formal review process. (Correct answer)
- All individuals must have a court-appointed guardian.
- Service agencies can change an individual's support plan at any time.
Correct answer: Individuals are protected from having their rights restricted without a formal review process.
Due process is a legal safeguard that ensures fairness. In the context of disability services, it means that if a right needs to be limited for any reason, there must be a formal procedure to review the proposed restriction, notify the individual, and allow them to be heard. This protects individuals from having their rights taken away arbitrarily.
Question 5: A core component of 'informed consent' is that the individual:
- Agrees to the service because their family wants them to.
- Signs a form, regardless of their understanding.
- Is legally required to accept all recommended services.
- Voluntarily agrees to a service after understanding its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Voluntarily agrees to a service after understanding its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives.
Informed consent is a process, not just a signature. It has three key elements: knowledge (understanding the relevant facts), comprehension (having the capacity to understand), and voluntariness (making a free choice without coercion). The person must be given enough information to make a reasoned decision.
Question 6: A DSP's primary allegiance, according to the NADSP Code of Ethics, is to:
- The service agency's policies and procedures.
- The individual's legal guardian or family.
- The person they support. (Correct answer)
- State and federal regulations.
Correct answer: The person they support.
The first tenet of the NADSP Code of Ethics is 'Person-Centered Supports,' which states, 'As a DSP, my first allegiance is to the person I support; all other activities and functions I perform flow from this allegiance.' This principle guides all ethical decision-making for a DSP.
DSP - Direct Support Professional Individual Rights and Advocacy Questions and Answers 1
A DSP is supporting an individual who wants to try a new community activity that involves a degree of physical risk.
The individual's family is strongly opposed, citing safety concerns.
What is the DSP's primary responsibility in this situation?