AHRC New York City

ADULT DAY SERVICES

The focus of Adult Day Services is to support people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injury, and autism spectrum disorders in overcoming the challenges they face in an effort to live a self determined and meaningful life in the community.

AHRC offers adult with disabilities a variety of day services and opportunities using a person centered framework. AHRC supports people in contributing, participating, and becoming valued community members. Download the full Adult Day Services Brochure.

Adult Day Services provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities over the age of 21 who reside in all five boroughs. Service sites located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

Vocational Services

Opportunities to prepare for work are provided through a variety of activities, including:

-Cafeteria services
-Janitorial and cleaning services
-Toner cartridge remanufaturing
-Packaging and assembly

All activities and opportunities in the area of Vocational Services support people in achieving their vocational dreams and establishing their place in the community.

Day Habilitation

All activities and opportunities offered in our programs are designed to develop or maintain skills in the following areas:

-Communication and language development
-Social relationships
-Health and safety skills
-Personal care
-Money management

People served in Adult Day Service Day Habilitation share the same places at the same time as their neighbors in the community. They shop at local supermarkets, patronize local restaurants, make purchases in neighborhood shops, visit museums and use local libraries, attend spectator events, buy memberships in local gyms and pools, join community advocacy organizations, join hands with neighbors in keeping the neighborhood safe, clean and accessible to everyone.

Video: I am an Artist

Highlights some of the amazingly talented artists that are served at AHRC New York City's Day Programs.

Individualized Service (Day Habilitation Without Walls)

Individualized service follows a person centered plan as developed with the individual as the primary participant, the family and a team of professionals.  Activities and services emphasize those outcomes a person has chosen. Service begins from the person’s home and continues through the day. The individuality of each experience is supported by a staff member who is dedicated to the path which leads to the attainment of each outcome.

Day Habilitation Without Walls provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities over the age of 21 who reside in all five boroughs.

Service sites located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

E-SEMP – Enhanced Supported Employment

Enhanced supported employment services are designed to allow individuals to work toward work goals. Unlike regular supported employment, enhanced supported employment is designed to allow flexibility in development of the individual employment outcomes and affords individuals with significant barriers the opportunity to work in the community. Time and duration of staff support is flexible. The goal of the program is to assist in identifying and securing customized work opportunities for each person that match his or her skill set, interests, dreams and desires.

E-SEMP provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities over the age of 21 who reside in all five boroughs.

Community Volunteer Opportunities

Strengthening community relationships is important. Becoming a member of the community is enriching for everyone.  In support of expanding community relationships, volunteer opportunities in which individuals served in AHRC Adult Service may participate are offered to all participants. 

Life Enhancing Experiences

Adult Day Services offer life enhancing experiences through which individuals can choose to express themselves, such as:  film making, creative arts, photography, music, culinary arts, martial arts and meditation.

Travel Training

Getting from here to there is essential for a productive and independent life.  Training in travel skills is offered to each person in Day Services. Travel skills include: pedestrian skills, appropriate social behavior in the community, safety skills, problem solving and direct route training to and from a designated location.

Video: New York City Travel Training Celebrates 50 Years

Over the last 50 years, thousands of individuals with disabilities have been afforded the opportunity to live independent lives in the community because of their ability to travel without assistance.

Communication - Breaking Free from Isolation

Communication is an act by which one person gives or receives information about another person’s needs, desires, perceptions and feelings. It allows us to experience a sense of belonging and participate in social activities. It is often regarded as representing the essence of life. AHRC Adult Day Service believes that every person can communicate. Communication is supported in many ways. Community based experiences are used to provide development of common vocabulary, build stronger bonds and relationships with community members. Communication support devices provide an avenue for dialogue, human connection and a voice for expression. Augmentative and assistive technological supports assist in overcoming communication challenges. Supports include: sign language, augmentative communication picture boards, voice activated picture based communication systems, and Dynovox programmed speaking machines.

Technology

In Adult Day Services assistive technology is used as a means of supporting each person to be free to move about their environment. The world today is technology dependent. Computer systems are relied on for everything. Depending upon the individual, AHRC Adult Day Service may provide access to: Computers equipped with operating systems that run on pictures instead of text, Internet access for people to explore or surf the World Wide Web, special accommodation hardware such as touch screens, single switch mouse, and head touch wands, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) to support the travel training process, Personal Digitized Assistants (PDA). Smart Boards are used to share and manage information. Wii systems may be utililzed to visually simulate activities while also reinforcing eye-hand coordination and understanding of spatial relationships. Technology is also used to support sensory integration needs that individuals may have.  The Snoezelen Rooms are used to stimulate people who require sensory input and sooth people who have over stimulated sensory systems.

Domestic Violence Prevention (ESCAPE)

The ESCAPE project is a collaborative effort between AHRC and the Center for Opportunities and Outcomes for People with Disabilities at Teachers College, Columbia University. The project focuses on the evaluation and dissemination of a systematic educational curriculum, the Effective Strategy Based Curriculum for Abuse Prevention and Empowerment (ESCAPE) to empower individuals with developmental disabilities to recognize abuse and remove themselves from an abusive situation.

Domestic Violence Prevention (Escape) provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities over the age of 21 who reside in all five boroughs. Service sites located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx

Video: Domestic Violence Prevention - ESCAPE

A domestic violence prevention program offered by AHRC to individuals with developmental disabilities