Family Support Services
The Family Support Services Department serves people with developmental disabilities and their families. We provide assistance for people with mental retardation usually includes diagnosis and help early in life, family counseling, training, education, and housing services. Many people with mental retardation can learn to take care of themselves and live in the community.
It is difficult to define the limits of people with disabilities, as we continue to discover extraordinary abilities within them. While people who have developmental disabilities face a challenging future, they still can enjoy a full and active life. They need encouragement, understanding, and the willingness of others to help them maximize their opportunities for becoming part of their community.
Services that are offered for our families are:
- Case management
- Interpretation
- Behavior management
- Advocacy
- Service Coordination
- Training
- Emotional Support
- Information and referrals
- Transportation
This program is committed to ensuring the best services by building bridges between cultures and a better understanding of needs for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
Program Guidelines
The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) defines mental retardation and developmental disabilities:
Mental retardation:
- Includes delays in learning, a slower pace of learning, and difficulty in applying learning.
- Approximately 200,000 people in New York State are thought to have mental retardation.
- Mental retardation can result from premature birth, genetic abnormalities, malnutrition, exposure to toxic agents, and social deprivation.
Developmental Disabilities:
- Include a variety of condition that become apparent during childhood and cause mental or physical limitation.
- These conditions include autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mental retardation, and other neurological impairments.
- People with developmental disabilities may not learn as quickly as others or express themselves clearly.
- Some people may have limited ability to take care of their physical needs or may have limited mobility.
- Many have more than one disability.
- Developmental disabilities have a variety of causes which can happen before, during, or after birth.
Educational Workshops
The Family Support Services Director holds educational workshops throughout the year. If you wish to attend one of these workshops, or have a specific topic that you would like to see presented, contact Marina Rodriguez, Family Support Services Director.
