Day Hab Direct Support Professional F/T

The mission of CARES (Community Assistance Resources and Extended Services, Inc.) is to assist children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and/or mental health conditions and their families, in particular, from under-served multilingual communities, access information, obtain resources and services.

Salary Range: $18-$20/hr Location: Lower East Side, NY, NY & Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist individuals to acquire and maintain needed skills, examples include responding to their name, making eye contact, increasing ability to attend to tasks, being able to label or identify items.
• Help individuals enhance their ability to communicate using verbal and nonverbal methods as indicated by the needs of each individual.
• Staff will work to achieve increased vocalization, assist individuals to express their needs and wants through verbal and other methods.
• Use activity schedules and other techniques to support routines and reduce the anxiety of the individual and to assist in transitions by one activity to another.
• Enhance access to community resources, such as knowing how to shop in stores, wait on lines, sit in restaurants, go to the library and attend local events chosen by the individual. In addition, staff will support individuals, so they are able to participate in community outings of their choice.
• Provide training and help with activities of daily living such as prevocational/ job readiness skills, travel training, food preparation, eating independently and others.
• Identify and implement strategies for positive behavioral intervention, diminish self-stimulating or injurious behaviors; increase awareness of danger and knowledge of what to do in a fire or other emergency.
• Day Hab staffs complete the necessary documentation for the service they provided. This includes identifying the goals worked on during the session, activities engaged in, and the response of the individual to each activity.
• Each month, providers describe progress achieved by the individual towards each of their goals.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers.
• Computer proficiency (MS Office – Word, Excel and Outlook)
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices.
• High school diploma or GED required. Associate degree preferred.
• NY State Driver's License with clean driving record.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards.
• Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards.
• Must be able to lift 35 lbs.
• Must be able to talk, listen and speak clearly.