The Arc supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live the lives they choose. Everyone has unique needs, goals, and personalities, so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to our supports.
We are searching for someone who is the perfect fit to support four women who each have IDD and live together in a single-family home in northern Anne Arundel County.
Who You’d Be Supporting
The four women in this house have lived together for years and are very comfortable with each other. While three of the women do not use words to communicate, you will quickly come to understand what they’re thinking and feeling based on their facial expressions (there’s a lot of smiling in this home!) and movements. One of the women does use words to communicate, and she is a kind, knowledgeable, strong-willed person who, with a little motivation, is eager to explore her community.
All of the women have unique personalities and enjoy spending time together. They love listening to music and they love being spoken to and included in conversations, even if they don’t respond with words.
What Does a Typical Day Look Like?
Two of the ladies have families that do not live close by, but the other two have families who are very involved in their lives so you might interact with them from time to time. To maintain everyone’s health and wellbeing, there are many doctor appointments during the week, and sometimes even urgent care or hospital visits.
All of the women are wheelchair users and require your support for all aspects of personal and intimate care, cooking, dressing, and bathing. There are always two Community Support Assistants in the home on weekends and in the evenings. Because only one of the women tends to stay home during the day, there is only Community Support Assistant present during the weekday morning and daytime hours.
What You Bring to the Table
While this position does not require any prior experience as a direct support professional working with people who have IDD, the ideal candidate will be someone who is comfortable managing (or learning how to manage) wheelchairs and motorized wheelchairs of different sizes, manual and electric Hoyer lifts, G-tubes and specialized diets.