MRDD Day Habilitation Services

Goals:

»Offer opportunities to learn silk-screening, woodworking, restaurant, and janitorial work along with sheltered workshop and community employment

»Pay residents according to productivity and quality of their work using federal standards

»Enhance self-esteem for residents to assist in making plans for their own futures through work

»Provide caring staff supporting positive growth at work

»Foster growth through community participation;

»Teach adult responsibility for working and contributing toward a project.

The Day Habilitation Services provide:

»Skills development and supports

»Service Coordination

 »Vocational opportunities

 »Medication administration and

 »Individualized habilitation sessions for each participant.

In 1991, the Villa Woodshop was established as a vocational worksite.

Skill training for each individual working with wood products provides a variety of opportunities from  basic sanding, simple cut-outs and sawing, staining and painting.

Each employee has the opportunity to develop special creations.

Original art produced by the workers or day care children is developed into card designs that workers print and package for sale in the Villa Heartbeat Gift Shop or the Villa Catalog.

Workers apply layers of paint to the cards using the silk screening process.

Creativity of the print workers are endless as wrapping paper is hand sponged onto rolls of paper. Selections of Christmas and all occasion wrap are produced.

Besides cards and wrapping paper, shirts are printed using designs provided by the purchaser.

For special orders/designs Contact Sister Helene Mertes at 330-627-9789 or e-mail shmertes@stjohnsvilla.net.

The Contract Site of St. John’s Villa in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Multi-Purpose Center provides an opportunity for persons in need to participate in productive work.

Sometimes viable work becomes a real challenge in a rural community such as Carrollton — 30 miles distant from a community of any size.

However, a local balloon outlet has provided viable work options for our people for several years now.   Most often one can see the workers counting and packaging balloons for Carroll Hills Workshop (Carroll Hills contracts for Perfect Products, a local factory). These balloons are sold nationwide.

In addition to packaging balloons, at times employees do some collating work for the mailings of St. John’s Villa.  These tasks offer optional opportunities for a variety of skills to be expressed by and with the workers.

Skill development with specific tasks to be performed during work hours are interspersed during the course of the work day.

Sometimes, a diversionary activity helps the individuals to refocus and/or take a break.

Support services are provided to individuals throughout the day. As they increase their skills and productivity, they increase their incomes.

A big part of the daily work program are skills in daily living such as health awareness, personal care, and social skills.

When the balloons are all packaged the time is well used doing crafts as well as providing review time for fire and tornado safety, and individuals rights, just to name a few.  As, for any other worker, pay day is the best.  Workers are transported to the bank to cash those checks.

Contract work is always welcome,
if you have a business that can provide jobs
(or parts of jobs) for the work site.
Call Mary Fe Dearth at 330-627-9789
or e-mail efyram@stjohnsvilla.net

St. John’s Villa operates a family style restaurant 7 days a week to provide a viable worksite for the Villa Workers with mental retardation.

Presently 17 persons with retardation perform tasks learning invaluable skills.

Their tasks are varied not only to develop their individual skills but to participate with other staff to provide a quality restaurant and food service.

A Villa worker may welcome you, take you to your seat, give you the menu and beverage and tell you the daily specials.

Another may be assisting in preparations for the restaurant as well as for the daycare and adult services meals.

They are proud keeping the kitchen and dining areas spotless as well as running the dishwasher.  (Cathy delights in her title of sanitation engineer)

At the individual’s annual planning, staff works together with each person to focus on an area of learning growth requested by any one including the person who has challenges to plan sessions and set goals to meet their desires/needs.  Implementation of these programs are carried out to increase or maintain the person’s knowledge in a specific area.  In addition, this time provides the one-to-one learning not only required, but, essential for continued growth.

Favorite sessions in math include learning numbers and money skills.  Great pride is taken when a person can pay a bill in a restaurant on their own.

Sessions for appropriate socialization, public and private, are stressed. Learning how to protect oneself in a given situation through stranger safety training can be significant for individuals and how to respond to these situations.

Understanding one’s sexuality and what this means throughout life is particularly important for safety purposes as well as for the dignity of the individual.  Sessions on prevention of sexual abuse are important for   select individuals.