Day Habilitation Specialist

About the role

The Day Habilitation Specialist supports adults with developmental disabilities in achieving their individualized goals related to daily living skills, community inclusion, socialization, and personal growth. This role involves delivering direct support services in both center-based and community settings, promoting independence, dignity, and meaningful participation in daily life.

Responsibilities

• Monitor program implementation, adherence to policies, and participant outcomes; conduct regular assessments and adjustments to ensure high standards of service delivery.
• Track person supported progress, document achievements and challenges.
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous documentation of daily services, incidents, and progress using agency systems to uphold information integrity in the electronic health systems and meet OPWDD reporting standards.
• Act as a custodian and mandated reporter in accordance with OPWDD, NYSJC, and Organizational Policies.
• Implement individualized life plans and staff action plans that align with OPWDD regulations and person-centered goals, promoting independence; enhancement of social, vocational, and life skills; community inclusion, and personal growth tailored to the unique needs and goals of each person through structured activities and positive reinforcement.
• Communicate regularly with Day Habilitation Manager, interdisciplinary teams, the person, families, and community partners to ensure consistent supports and collaborative goal tracking.
• Manage the usage of petty cash, activity budgets, and material resources responsibly to support program needs while ensuring compliance with agency financial procedures.
• Provide safe transportation to each participant throughout the day by adhering to the agency and OPWDD policies and procedures, including conducting pick-up, drop-off, and transport to daily activities, maintaining vehicle logs, and reporting needed maintenance and accidents.
• Ensure the health, safety, and dignity of people supported by prioritizing their Rights and Responsibilities each day, providing the required level of supervision and support for individual needs, and adopting Core Competencies as a metric to provide the best support.
• Assist with the development and facilitation of daily community-based activities, recreational activities, and volunteer opportunities.
• Advocate for individuals, help with community member interactions, teach life skills, and support each person to reach their highest level of independence.

Requirements

• High-school diploma required.
• Valid NY/NJ/CT/PA Driver’s License with 6 months of experience and 6 or fewer points.
• CPR & SCIP certification required.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills; ability to motivate, inspire, and empower individuals with developmental disabilities to achieve their goals.
• Commitment to providing compassionate care and advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Ability to develop innovative programming, adapt activities to meet diverse needs, and respond effectively to challenges and changing situations.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, engage stakeholders, and build positive relationships with community partners.
• Demonstrated strong commitment to safety.

Pay

$19.00/hour + Education Additive ($0.15/hour for Associate's Degree; $0.80/hour for Bachelor's or higher).