Options for People Through Services
In 2004 the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities’ developed the OPTS initiative to provide individuals receiving services, public providers and nonprofit providers a wide array of affordable options. This program partners families, the Department of Education and Lifestyles to provide participants with a seamless transition from a school-based environment to a world of adult services. The program promotes inclusion, personal choices, flexibility, and access to available resources.
There are four main components of Lifestyles for the Disabled OPTS program: the Day Program, Transitional Living Program, Community Integration Program and Family Support.
The Day Program takes place from 9am to 3pm, Monday through Friday. Lifestyles integrates 24 students into various productive work environments located at the Lifestyles Day Habilitation Program on the SIDDSO Willowbrook campus. The Department of Education is responsible for providing transportation and staff for each student during the Day Program, while Lifestyles is responsible for all associated costs for the premises, supplies and program integration.
The Transitional Living program operates from 3pm to 7:30pm, Monday through Thursday at the Lifestyles Transition House, located in the Eltingville section of Staten Island. Lifestyles provides an educational and productive environment through the utilization of this unique environment, teaching daily living skills in a room-by-room format.
The Community Integration Program takes place after 3pm, Monday through Thursday and on occasional weekends. Lifestyles has created a recreational program for students, enabling them to integrate into the community through social and recreational activities on Staten Island. Some of these activities include: shopping trips, dining out at restaurants, and attending Metropolitan-area events.
Family Support is offered to all parents and advocates in the program, in a group setting, during 100 collective hours allotted over the course of the year. Monthly workshops are conducted, tailored to answer questions regarding available services and programs, and addressing issues dealing with the transition from a classroom to adulthood. In addition, a Lifestyles staff clinician offers therapy and guidance, educates parents on proper medication administration procedures, and educates parents to prepare their children for traveling outside the home.
To promote the carry-over of each student’s daily living and social skills learned in program to their home life, Lifestyles has devised an individualized communication system with parents to update them on a weekly basis. This open dialogue makes parents aware of the specific skills being worked on, the behavior during program and helps parents better reinforce these skill at home.