Developmental Services Transition Advisor

Do you have a passion for supporting others? We invite you to discover this outstanding opportunity! We are recruiting for the position of Developmental Services Transition Advisor.

In this role you will join our Family Services Division to provide consultation, assistance, and information to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and legal guardians. You will help them understand the individual’s rights and opportunities to plan, prepare and achieve meaningful and competitive integrated employment in alignment with our Employment First policy. You will also provide guidance and support to achieve our employment and day services goals to increase competitive integrated employment and wages. As the Developmental Services Transition Advisor your responsibilities will be to:

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening and must specify their qualifications on their application. Please note revisions cannot be made once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs) which will be sent to you via email after the closing date. The email notification will include an expiration date by which you must submit (Finish) your responses. Please regularly check your email for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders, as emails could end up there in error.

At any point later in the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: performance reviews, attendance, supervisor references, college transcripts, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status updates during the recruitment process. Please note that not all applicants will be contacted for interview and are encouraged to apply for future postings.

In the Department of Developmental Services, this class is accountable for independently providing consultation and assistance to individuals with intellectual disabilities, and their families and legal guardians, to understand the individual’s educational rights and opportunities and to plan, prepare and achieve a successful transition from secondary school to adult life and/or to plan, prepare for and achieve a successful transition into meaningful employment.

Guides individuals and their families or guardians in the formulation of a transition plan; provides information about the Department to the individuals, families education  and other team members in the school system and state and private agencies; assists individuals and their families to identify, navigate, obtain and coordinate needed health, community education, or employment services; consults and assists in the completion of the Level of Need (LON) assessment for individuals in conjunction with schools and families to determine eligibility for Department programs and state and federal resources as needed; attends and participates in the school district interdisciplinary Planning and Placement Team (PPT) or DDS Individual Planning (IP) meetings for individual transition planning purposes; provides consultation to the PPT/IP with regard to individual profile information and recommends needed testing (not limited to behavioral, adaptive, physical/occupational therapy, sensory, vocational), accommodations or modifications to further plan and develop for a successful transition; evaluates education and services provided by the school or department in support of the transition plan; gathers, interprets and analyzes data to determine trends impacting agency eligibility and program services; develops transition educational materials and provides related in-service training; prepares case notes, prepares reports summarizing consultation services provided and maintains relevant documentation; assists the department Case Manager in the development of individualized budgets; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; considerable knowledge of intellectual disabilities, individual centered planning and Individual Education Plans, and Individual Plans; considerable knowledge of developmental, educational and employment milestones; considerable knowledge of and ability to apply the principles of self-determination and the Department's Employment Initiative; knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; knowledge of educational school systems, educational assessments and teaching practices; knowledge of businesses and community resources; knowledge of cultural competencies; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communications skills; ability to counsel individuals and to design and implement family interventions; ability to utilize computer software.

A Bachelor's degree in Education, Educational Counseling, Social Work, Special Education, Vocational Rehabilitation or a closely related field from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of professional experience in one of the following:

1. Providing professional services to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

OR

2. Delivering special education services in an accredited school system.

A Master's degree in Education, Educational Counseling, Social Work, Special Education, Vocational Rehabilitation or a closely related field and one (1) year of the professional experience noted above may be substituted for the General Experience.

• Proven business development and marketing skills leading to increased resources and opportunities for businesses and employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience developing programs to establish cross-community support for employment and job training opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience explaining the rights and opportunities pertaining to planning and preparation to achieve meaningful and competitive integrated employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience developing and leading initiatives for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities attain success in job placement and career objectives
• Expertise in policy and strategy development aligned towards removal of barriers that undermine access to sustainable work and training programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience with person centered and individual planning relating to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience developing partnership among businesses, educators, workforce boards, economic development agencies and community organizations to improve employment pipelines for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience creating policy and programs that address cultural competencies and diversity issues impacting jobs and career pathways for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience preparing and presenting information at conferences, meetings and forums to individuals, families, advocates, and other groups.
• Experience using the full range of Microsoft Office Suite including managing data, creating formulas, report writing, tracking work and scheduling meetings.

1. Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
2. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.