As a DSP, Kyle Mick is working in a field that he’s wanted to be in since 8th grade.

Kyle Mick has known he wanted a career supporting people with disabilities since he was in eighth grade.

Now, as a direct support professional (also known as a DSP)  he gets to do that work every day.

For more than a year, he’s worked for CSS, first at the Donna Jean Center and now supporting several men in their home.

They have a lot in common and love to talk about anime and watch horror movies.

“I love taking them out places,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing that when all this quarantine is over.”

Kyle’s interest in the developmental disabilities field started in middle school when he was matched up with a fellow student with disabilities in their gym class.

“I got partnered up with one of the greatest kids ever,” he said.

In high school, Kyle continued to help students in the special education classes and got involved with Newark High School’s Unified Track team, which partners disabled athletes with their peers.

He was working at a grocery store and trying to plan for the future when he met Brandi Body.

Brandi, who works as a DSP Eligibility Specialist for the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities, was working on a project with Newark High School’s Wildcat Network.

She met Kyle in the high school’s studio and they started talking about his future plans.

“I told him he was going to quit his job and come work as a DSP,” Brandi said.

With Brandi’s support, Kyle began working at the Donna Jean Center and never looked back.

Since transferring from a day service to a home, Kyle typically works a split shift, helping the men he supports get ready in the morning and get on their bus to their day hab.

Once they come home, he helps them make dinner and clean up, then they relax and talk.

Although he takes his job very seriously, Kyle and the other DSPs working in the house have a lot of fun.

Whether they are joking about movies or dressing up in superhero costumes for a #DSPHeroes photo shoot, the days go by fast.

Whether he continues to move up in a provider agency, or pursue a college degree, Kyle said he knows he will continue to support people with disabilities.

It’s a great option for a young person looking for a job that’s different every day, he said.

“If you come into this field, you have to be ready for anything and get out of your comfort zone,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun most days, some days can be stressful, but then you just think that you are helping someone else.”

For more information about how to become a DSP, go to DSPcareers.com.