DELARC & AHRC NYC PROGRAMS PRAISED BY CQL The Council on Quality & Leadership Achievements The Arc of Delaware County (Delarc) and AHRC New
CQL also praised AHRC NYC on a new initiative in their Adult Day Services program that promotes remote Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Coaching Sessions. This new initiative provides DSPs, who support people that use communication devices throughout its centers, with a forum to learn AAC best-practices. It also offers a place to “voice” their AAC experiences. One-hour remote sessions are conducted once a week for two consecutive weeks, with a third session offered to DSPs who wish to learn how to customize systems. Sessions are repeated every six weeks with DSPs invited to return. Small groups and hands-on, skill-building exercises promote professional development through engagement and active learning. The coach is a Speech- Language Pathologist. Sessions also focus on language learning and use, as they contribute to AAC and communication effectiveness. Seventeen DSPs from 10 adult day service centers have attended sessions. Through personal development, DSPs increase their self-worth, intrinsic value as employees, and ownership of services. “I learned that there are many different types of communication devices with different software.” DSP, AHRC NYC Chapters interested in starting a similar program can read the steps AHRC NYC took to implement theirs here. CQL ACCREDITATIONS Congratulations to Liberty ARC (Montgomery) and The Arc Rensselaer for achieving CQL’s Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation. CQL's Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation is a four-year accreditation that works to transform person-centered philosophies into organizational practices and utilizes data to inform and drive agency- wide decision-making.
York City were both recognized recently by The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) for innovative programs that help improve the quality of life and services for the people they support. Delarc’s paid internship program, FwdBound, has seen a lot of success in the short time it has been implemented. The internship is geared towards teens who work with direct support professionals while learning all about the organization and the field. Delarc follows all Department of Labor rules and regulations and has been delighted with the energy the young, bright minds bring to the agency. Two interns worked with the organization until their graduation from high school in June, and both of them signed on as substitute staff during their college breaks and want to work full time in the summer, which is a win for the agency! “To be an intern with that organization has been a highlight of my senior year. I created relationships that I hope will last forever.” - Meyer, FwdBound Intern FwdBound interns cannot work alone, but they are very helpful to DSPs. They join on recreation/respite trips, help out in houses, hang out with people that receive supports, and bring new ideas to the agency. One intern loves to play guitar, and he befriended a man at the agency who has dementia. The Intern brings his guitar to visit the person, and they play and sing without a care in the world. The man with dementia unpacked his guitar from storage, and he keeps it on his lap when the intern is visiting. It truly is life enhancing. “I could go on and on about how much everyone loved our intern! She became one of the team so quickly and added so much to our team. We will miss her after graduation.” - Katie, House Manager Chapters interested in starting a similar program can read Delarc’s steps for implementation here.
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