OVERVIEW
Support systems help empower the elderly and people with disabilities to live independent lives and access their communities. But those support systems are in crisis. Despite being part of the largest workforce in the United States, there are still not enough direct care workers, or home health aids, to go around. One major problem is many in the workforce are paid little more than minimum wage.
The story is part of NewsHour's series, Disability Reframed, with Judy Woodruff. More lessons from the series can be found here.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- Why is a job that’s in high demand underpaid relative to resources available?
- What inequalities exist in accessing home health care?
ESTIMATED TIME
90 minutes (two 45-minute periods)
GRADES
6-12
WARM-UP ACTIVITY (15-20 minutes)
Watch this report from Judy Woodruff for PBS NewsHour’s Disability Reframed series
Review key terms:
Overtime pay
Down syndrome
Autism
Certification
Medicaid
Medicaid reimbursement
State legislature
Direct support professional (DSP) and direct service worker (in Louisiana)
Bipolar disorder
If students are not familiar with the majority of these terms, have them research and write down brief definitions. Let them these are terms they will hear in the news, online and in conversations with friends, family and community members.
MAIN ACTIVITIES
Group discussions (25 minutes)
Break students up into groups of 2-3. Have them ask each other the following:
- Would you keep a job that required working overtime that paid below the cost of living but helped other people?
- Jakeel Abdullah says some direct service workers told him their role is a stepping stone to “real work.” Has the state’s $9 wage floor made a difference? What follow-up questions would you ask Abdudallah to understand his point of view?
- DSP Fatimah Howard says people who make decisions about funding “don’t play the role we play every day, so they don’t know how much work we actually do, which is sad for the people we support, because they love their staff.” Do you think people who make decisions about disability care need to involve DPSs more? What difference might that make?
Encourage students to challenge each other but also reach consensus. Have them write down and organize their answers to each question as a group.
Class discussion (20-30 minutes): Have each group present their answers with the class. They should be creative with their presentations: include visuals like pictures, slideshows, short audio or video clip from their story (no more than 30 seconds), posters, etc. Have students ask each other why they came to their conclusions.
Ask students to reflect on the story and their own observations of American politics by writing a one-paragraph reflection. Ask why they think expanding Medicaid funding for direct support professionals is difficult and what they think should be done to ease the challenges people with disabilities and DSPs face.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES (20-25 minutes)
Citizen Journalism: Have groups get together and write their own 2-3 questions for direct support professionals. Let them choose which ones should be included in a follow-up story.
Read more about Medicaid cuts (if time permits): Popcorn read this story from a local news station in Austin, Texas called “Long waits, few providers, and coverage gaps: inside Texas Medicaid program for children with disabilities.”
STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2; 9-10.2; 11-12.2
College, Career, and Civic Readiness
D2.Civ.2.6-8 Explain specific roles played by citizens (such as voters, jurors, taxpayers, members of the armed forces, petitioners, protesters, and office-holders).
About the lesson author
Contributed by Cale Holmes, a journalist and educator, who focuses on the climate crisis, social justice and global issues. Holmes is a graduate of Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Columbia Journalism School.
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