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Providing opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in Ocean County |
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Adult Training
Services Who is eligible to
attend these programs? Anyone who is
developmentally disabled over 21 years of age, and lives in the deemed
area assigned to the program by the Division of Developmental
Disabilities. You must
apply to the Division for services and be assigned a case manager to
assist with placement in an Adult Training Center. How do people apply
for this service? Adult Training
programs, such as the ones at Twenty-One Plus, are made possible by the
State of New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).
In order to become eligible for Adult Training services, your
family will need to contact the local DDD office and ask for
“Intake”. If you live
in Ocean County, your local DDD office is in Freehold and operates
Monday through Friday 9-5, phone (732) 863-4500. Is there a fee for
Twenty-One Plus Adult Training Programs? There is no fee.
All operating costs are currently paid through the Division of
Developmental Disabilities. Is transportation
provided? Yes, transportation is
funded through the budget provided by the Division of Developmental
Disabilities. What days does the
program operate? Adult Training services
are provided Monday through Friday. Residential Services
Group homes and
supervised apartments are places to live that have been designed to
serve the needs of people with developmental disabilities.
Twenty-One Plus residential services are for adults over the age
of 21. Our apartment
programs are designed for 2-3 people, and 3-6 people live in our group
homes. These houses are not usually specially built and are many
times already a part of the community.
Both types of residential programs are staffed by a team of
professionals who do not live at the group home or apartment, but work
in shifts. Each program has
the exact amount of staff support to give participants the assistance
they need to lead successful lives in the community.
Group homes providing 24-hour coverage include an
overnight/awake-shift to maintain the safety of everyone living in the
house. What is it like to
live in a group home or supervised apartment? At Twenty-One Plus, we
aim to create as normal a life as possible for each person. We continually encourage each person to experience a variety
of opportunities. Everything
that you or I may do in our lives, from the time we wake up in the
morning to the time we go to sleep at night, is usually what happens at
a group home or supervised apartment.
Our residential programs are very busy places where people lead
interesting and full lives. How does someone
with a disability get into a group home or apartment? Group homes or
apartments, such as the ones at Twenty-One Plus, are made possible by
the State of New Jersey's Division of Developmental Disabilities. To
become eligible, a family would need to contact the local DDD office.
Please ask for “Intake” and indicate that you are interested
in residential services. Families
who live in Ocean County are located in the State's Lower Central Region
and can reach the local DDD office in Freehold, Monday-Friday 9-5 by
dialing (732) 863-4500. DDD will send you a
very detailed packet of paperwork.
Every form must be filled out completely and mailed back.
Most of these forms require information about your family's
history and information regarding your family member with a disability.
DDD will review your ‘case’ and determine your family
members’ eligibility or ineligibility for services, in about 2-6
weeks. Is it difficult to
get into a group home once your family is eligible? Actually, it can be.
Statewide, there are an estimated 4,000 people who are awaiting a
placement in a group home. They are prioritized in order of their level
of need and date of eligibility. Families
lacking adequate support to care for their relative or individual are
given first priority. None of these
situations apply to me. Should
we apply for services? YES. Even if you are not currently in dire need of a residential
placement for your family member, continuing to wait to apply for
services may place your family in an emergency situation.
No one likes to think about life after parents are no longer
around. You can never apply too soon! Is there anything
else I should know about residential services? A ‘group home’ or
‘supervised apartment’ is a house or apartment like any other,
located right in the community where several people with disabilities
live normal lives. These
residences are clean, safe places that are licensed through New Jersey's
Division of Developmental Disabilities.
Trained staff provides the assistance needed to ensure that your
family member receives the best care and instruction required. Normal
activities take place at our group homes and apartments.
Our participants lead active lives, utilizing every resource that
the community has to offer. They are continually asked to communicate
their thoughts, desires, likes, dislikes, interests and opinions. Each
individual is given the dignity and respect they deserve and are always
afforded the opportunity to experience a normal, socially appropriate
and abundant life. We
encourage our participants to become active, involved members of their
community. We all
reach an age where although family continues to play an important role
in our lives, it is time to move out on our own! Supported Employment
Services What is Supported
Employment? Supported Employment is
a term that describes supports that assist people with disabilities to
obtain and maintain jobs within their communities. What types of jobs
can my family member choose from? Our Supported
Employment Specialist develops a vocational profile and matches a
person’s interests and capabilities with a variety of work
opportunities. Exactly what are
competitive and integrated jobs? All jobs we develop are
competitive [community-based, paying at least minimum wage or higher]
and integrated [a work setting in which the individual works alongside
others without disabilities]. The
job does not have to be full-time and can be as little as 2 hours per
week. How does my family
member get paid? Your family member
would receive a paycheck weekly or biweekly (depending on the company)
directly from his/her employer. What about
transportation? In the case of
placement in the community, every effort is made to link the participant
to available affordable transportation. There are cases, however, when a
family member may be asked to provide some assistance. What if my family member does not understand
his job? Because it is an integrated work setting, your
family member will go through the same training as all other new
employees. Initially, a
coach is assigned and is present at the job site at the same time as
your family member. The coach remains indefinitely until your family
member understands what is expected. Once my family member feels secure with the
job, are they on their own? After we feel your family member knows his/her
duties and is performing well, we follow-up by checking in once a week
and then, maybe twice a month. We
do not completely fade from the site. We are always available if a new
job task is expected of him/her. In
this case, we would return to work with your family member a few hours a
day to make sure he/she learns the new duties. What happens if my family member does not like
the job after a while? We would never force anyone to stay at a job they
did not like. However, we
would encourage them to give the proper two-week notice.
We would reassure your family member that it is OK not to like a
job. We would start to job
develop again by finding out what (specifically) he/she did not like
about the job. This would guide us in helping him/her find their next
job. How do I make a donation? To make a donation, please mail your gift to: Twenty-One Plus
Foundation |
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