Maintaining high standards of care is crucial in the world of residential services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD). ILA recently achieved a perfect audit score for its Fort Hamilton Residence. 

This accomplishment is a testament to ILA's dedication to safety and and high quality care. In this article, we will explore the tips and strategies used by ILA's staff to achieve success, offering insights into how other organizations can maintain the highest standards of care.

For 30 years, Dvorah Martin has been an integral part of ILA’s mission to enhance the lives of Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She joined the Agency as a speech and language consultant before being hired full-time to oversee ILA’s Speech Services.

A licensed speech and hearing educator, Dvorah currently supervises ILA’s in-house speech pathologists as she coordinates speech services at all Agency sites. She also works closely with outside clinicians in Brooklyn and Staten Island to conduct evaluations and ensure Individuals’ needs are always met.

You’ll often find Dvorah on the phone acting as a liaison between ILA staff and area clinics, especially when it comes to managing an Individual’s dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that frequently impacts older developmentally disabled adults.

“I translate the clinical results into terms that explain what is required for staff at the house levels, so we can do everything we can to keep Individuals safe,” she explains. She also serves as the Designated Chairperson of ILA’s Choking Task Force, which meets regularly to ensure ILA is implementing Agency-wide safe practices.

Dvorah conducts regular trainings with Residence Supervisors, Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), and cooking staff to prevent choking incidents. Individualized placemats are designed identifying people’s prescribed consistency so meals can be safely prepared in accordance with a person’s diet.

Training staff is one of the many aspects of her job that Dvorah enjoys. “I love the collaboration that it entails. Staff are eager to learn critical practices that help them do their jobs well and keep Individuals safe,” she says.

Precision and Efficiency

Dvorah is also the go-to person when it comes to helping staff navigate PrecisionCare, the system used to store Individuals’ electronic health care records. The program is also used for billing and for Res Hab, Day Hab, and Com Hab documentation. 

“Different team members have different functions in PrecisionCare. As Systems Administrator, I’m responsible for making sure staff are trained on the system and that they continue to have access,” Dvorah explains. If staff are accidentally locked out of PrecisionCare, Dvorah is always available to help them troubleshoot. 

“It’s a very work intensive role, but I like working!” Dvorah says. She jokes that it’s the “geek” in her that enjoys being a Systems Administrator. “I like the efficiency of accessing our documentation from our electronic system,” Dvorah explains. “We’ve come a long way from the time records were paper-based. Thanks to advances in technology, we can streamline our habilitation services documentation and clinical documentation cleanly and efficiently so the Agency can operate successfully. And it’s great for audits,” she points out. 

A Natural-Born Teacher

Training staff in PrecisionCare and dysphagia management comes naturally for Dvorah. Before she worked at ILA, she was a speech teacher for the New York City Board of Education for ten years. Dvorah taught a special education class to children, ages four through eight. “I taught the students daily living skills so they could become more independent,” Dvorah recalls. A significant goal was weaning them off the bottle and teaching them how to eat safely. “I was never the classic speech teacher,” Dvorah points out. 

You might say working with the developmental disabled population is in her blood. In addition to her roles with ILA and the New York City Board of Education, Dvorah was a teaching assistant at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) working at a program that was once under the auspices of the Willowbrook State School. “I really like helping people,” she says proudly. 

Dvorah also enjoys helping at ILA events. She’s been a member of the Agency’s Golf Outing Committee for 16 years and is responsible for assembling the magnificent gift baskets that many raffle players have won.

Dvorah is grateful for the opportunity to be creative at ILA – from golf basket creation to speech work to her Systems Administrator role. Her favorite part of the job is seeing the impact of her work in the lives of Individuals. “It’s a very rewarding feeling,” she points out. Dvorah adds, “I love ILA and the people we work with. We rely on one another so we can work as a cohesive team to make a difference for our Individuals. ILA is like a second family.”

When she’s not with her ILA family, Dvorah adores spending time with Mark, her life partner and her children. She also loves the beach and is a big fan of concerts.

Did you know that more than 61 million people in the US live with some type of disability? While not all are entirely dependent on others, many people have difficulty managing what we consider to be simple daily tasks, such as eating, bathing, grooming, running errands, or regularly attending doctor’s appointments.

Organizations like Independent Living Association strive to make life more enriching for the Individuals in our care, providing services and programs designed to help elevate the lived experience according to each person’s capabilities. Our day habilitation programs, pre-vocational training, community integration, and residential services provide continuous opportunities for Individuals to lead fulfiilling lives – opportunities that all of us should never take for granted.  

Improving Lives for People with Disabilities: How You Can Help

Helping someone with a door, offering a friendly greeting, or accommodating an individual’s needs in the workplace are just some of the ways you can make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. 

If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, here are a few simple ways that you can contribute.

Speak Clearly and Be a Good Listener

When communicating with individuals with a developmental disability, be sure to enunciate in case of hearing loss, low vision, or cognitive challenges. Similarly, listen closely when they speak to you. 

If someone has an attendant, focus on the individual more than their aide or interpreter. Doing so will reiterate the message that what they say and do matters!

If you are speaking to someone who requires the use of a wheelchair, try to position yourself in the best way possible to maintain proper eye contact while you converse.

 

Provide Critical Accommodations in the Workplace

One of the greatest barriers to inclusion in the working world is a lack of accommodations for people with disabilities. Such oversights can lead to frustration and low self-esteem and may prevent people from achieving their full potential. 

Employers must ensure that all staff have what they need to do their job. Ask your disabled employees what they need to help them excel and feel comfortable. When you invite them to a meeting, take the time to ensure that the location is accessible and that the right technology is available to them so they can fully participate.

Be Kind, Be Flexible 

Kindness and empathy are always welcome no matter what the setting. Exuding positivity and light will help to lift people’s spirits and instill good feelings that will carry through their day. Life is not always easy for people with disabilities, so the smallest gestures of kindness can go a long way and can be highly beneficial to your happiness as well. 

ILA Individual Ann Marie Whitty provides extraordinary assistance with the Agency's raffle drawing at ILA's Annual Golf Outings.

At ILA, helping Individuals with intellectual and develomental disabilities (I/DD) reach their full potential in life is at the heart of our mission. Our highly trained, dedicated staff take pride in enhancing the independence of our Individuals, providing support and encouragement that enables Individuals to thrive.

Support

Support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can come in many forms. Fostering self-sufficiency is at the top of the list. This includes providing creative opportunities and enriching activities, such as the ones offered in our day habilitation programs. Recreational outings are also a great way to foster inclusion, offering additional opportunities for Individuals to interact with members of the community. With the right supports in place, Individuals can build a strong foundation of self-confidence as they learn and navigate daily living skills to help them reach their goals.

Encouragement

The power of praise and uplifting words should not be underestimated. With continuous encouragement, Individuals will find the strength and determination to believe in themselves and forge a positive path towards success. Advocacy also plays a significant role, something ILA’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide on a regular basis. Bush Avenue Clinical DSP Tomeka Bullock explains, “I’ve had the opportunity to help Individuals become more verbal and communicate their likes and dislikes. They’re able to make choices for themselves and explore their self-identity.”

During medical appointments, Tomeka provides an extra layer of comfort and encouragement to Individuals to erase any fears they may have. “I tell them it’ll be okay as long as we go through it together,” Tomeka says.  

Health

Accompanying Individuals to doctor’s appointments and overseeing medication management are among the important factors that help Individuals maintain good health. Staff also ensure that all of their dietary needs are met.  

Reach for the Sky

Having good health, support, and encouragement can equip people with disabilities with the tools they need to break through barriers and rise to great heights. 

The sky truly is the limit to what they can achieve, as demonstrated by many of our Individuals, as well as successful authors, actors, producers, and more, who are raising awareness about all that is possible for people with disabilities.