The Support Files
Anna and Ari
Direct support work is essential—but it is rarely discussed honestly. When DSP services are represented, the conversation often centers on institutions, intellectual disabilities, or situations in which guardians, providers, and other third parties speak on someone’s behalf. Those experiences matter, but they are not the whole story. The Support Files brings another perspective to the conversation. Anna is a self-directed disability advocate with cerebral palsy who does not have an intellectual disability and manages her own support services. Drawing on her experience advocating at the state level, Anna and her DSP, Ari, offer an honest look inside the disability and direct-support worlds—from both sides of the relationship. Together, they break down the laws, policies, funding decisions, staffing shortages, and systemic barriers affecting people with disabilities and the professionals who support them. They also explore what self-direction, independence, community