Programs
Who does the agency support in Maryland?
- We support people with developmental disabilities who may also have a mental illness (dual diagnosis)
- Some of the individuals we support have a developmental disability and/or mental illness, and they have been involved with the court system
- Individuals referred to us often are already well known within the developmental disabilities and mental health systems
- We support individuals who live in the community in apartments or homes operated by residential agencies
- We support families who would like extra supports for their family member who lives at home with them
- We support people with developmental disabilities who are currently living in state psychiatric hospitals
- We support people without regard to race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or physical disability
What does Spectrum Support, Inc. do?
- Provides Employment Supports
- Assists in Transitioning youth from Public Schools into the Community
- Offers Residential Support
- Creates Community Supported Living Arrangements (CSLA)
- Provides Individual Family Care (IFC)
- Offers Alternative Living Units (ALU)
- Provides Individual Support Services
- Offers Family Support Services
- Provides Transportation
- Assists with Transition Services at Maryland Psychiatric Hospitals
What are the Principles in Providing These Services?
- Staff use a non-confrontational and supportive stance when supporting people by:
- Affording the person a chance to maintain her/his dignity and self-respect regardless of her/his behavior
- Assisting the individual in learning from the challenges and experiences he/she may encounter
- Staff’s attempting to anticipate potential problems before they arise and take proactive intervention measures to known issues, thereby defusing the situation before it requires reactive measures
- Staff’s avoiding power struggles so that when a person has a verbal or physical encounter:
- Staff do not dictate or enforce rules.
- Staff acknowledge the situation. This imparts that staff’s role is to help the person come to a place whereby his/her safety and the safety of others is maintained.
- She/he will not be, or be perceived as being, “punished” by a staff person.
- The person is allowed to arrive at an acceptable solution.
Where do Maryland Referrals come from?
- Resource Coordination and the Developmental Disabilities Administration
- Individuals or families who desire our services make their request known to Resource Coordination.
