Direct Support Professional

About the Role

To counsel, assist and train individuals with developmental disabilities in the areas of personal care, travel skills, social skills, home management and life skills in order to maximize their functioning in the community.

Essential Functions

• Support the individual by maintaining a comfortable home environment and working toward the satisfactory completion of each core competency goal according to OPWDD timeline requirements.
• Provide a safe and clean environment based on skill level and risks, and support the safety of all individuals in everyday situations.
• Use verbal and physical means to create a positive environment that encourages and enables individual growth.
• Assist the individual in developing social skills that facilitate integration and inclusion in the community.
• Perform protective oversight while engaging in community activities.
• Monitor each individual’s personal health continuously (during high‑activity situations, bathing/showering/swimming, mornings and evenings, meals, community outings, and at all times).
• Assist individuals in learning and practicing home‑living skills, including indoor household chores such as cooking, sweeping, dusting, bed‑making, vacuuming, dish‑washing, laundry, folding and storing clothes, etc.
• Perform advocate responsibilities while demonstrating respect for the processes and people involved.
• Maintain all documentation related to essential functions and services for the individual in accordance with program standards.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or General Education Development (GED) certificate.
• Minimum 1 year experience working with a developmentally disabled population, preferably in a residential, health, or treatment‑related setting.
• Valid New York State driver’s license.
• Specialized training in direct care provision preferred.
• Must complete and maintain certification in the OPWDD‑approved Medication Administration Course (AMAP) during the probationary period.
• Ability and willingness to be First Aid and CPR certified.
• Ability and willingness to obtain certification in SCIPR Competencies and advance to Promote Competencies.
• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal, and computational skills to document records according to program standards.

Physical Demands

• Regularly required to speak clearly and hear spoken words well.
• Regularly required to use near‑vision ability to read data and documents, including spreadsheets and reports, in printed form and on computer screens.
• Regularly required to provide physical care for clients, including bathing, feeding, changing clothes or diapers, and pushing wheelchairs.
• Ability to physically restrain challenging behaviors such as aggression, self‑injurious, and destructive behaviors.
• Ability to apply proper lifting techniques.

Work Environment

• Noise level consistent with typical office, education, group home, residential, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop, or health‑related environments.
• Hazards consistent with those common to the above environments.
• Work with individuals ranging from childhood to adulthood.