• Day Treatment Program
• Day Habilitation Program
• Crossroads Industries/Crossroads Mailing - New Visions Day Training/Sheltered Workshop Program
• Community Residential Program
• Community Employment Program 
• Food Service Department - Canape Connection 
• Janitorial Services Program - CleanPro
• New Dimensions - Article 28 Clinic Services
• Home and Community Based Services Waiver
• Family Support Respite Services and Technical Assistance
• Medicaid Service Coordination
• Transportation Services
• Guardianship Program/Technical Assistance

For more information on any of the following programs and services, please contact the New Visions Public Relations Department at (518) 935-4334.

• Day Treatment Program
  
  The New Visions Day Treatment program offers a wide-range of services for persons with developmental disabilities functioning within the moderate to the severe-profound range of disability. The program is structured into thirteen distinct levels including a seniors level and a level co-located with our sheltered workshop serving as a point of transition leading to supported employment and other vocational experiences. Each participant receives an integrated, individually-tailored program generated from the individual's stated preferences, interests and identified needs. As a person develops a skill base, he or she moves along the continuum of services offered toward greater independence and self-reliance. Clinical services are also available and include physical, occupational and speech-language therapies. In addition, nursing, nutritional and social services are also available. All clinical services are offered on-site at our Slingerlands location.
  
  Day Habilitation Program
  
  The New Visions Day Habilitation Program was established to help individuals become as involved and independent in the greater community as possible. The Day Habilitation Program includes community mobility, using community resources in an attempt to assess each individual's capabilities, and ongoing as well as career path interests. Participants are offered opportunities to explore different venues and aspects of community involvement to assist with the development of individualized interests, including visiting actual job sites and volunteering at a variety of Capital Region organizations. Overall goals of the program include regular community inclusion, assimilation and the opportunity to build toward a productive and meaningful community experience.
  
  Crossroads Industries/Crossroads Mailing - New Visions Day Training/Sheltered Workshop Program
  
  Crossroads Industries offers men and women with mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities the opportunities and experiences needed to develop vocational and social skills while earning wages for productive work. The environment in which our consumers participate centers around their strengths, interests and choices. Through the Home and Community Based Services Waiver, prevocational services are offered which engage workers in real and simulated employment tasks to determine their vocational potential. Focus is placed on skill building in the areas of attention to task, following directions, task completion, problem solving and safety on the job. Within the program, participants can choose from among three primary components; the Personal Enrichment Program (PEP), the Vocational Training Setting and the Production area. The Personal Enrichment Program includes activities of daily living skills, arts and crafts, academics and recreational activities, allowing consumers to pursue their recreational, leisure and educational interests, with exposure to the production area. The Vocational Training Setting helps participants focus their energies on development of work skills and habits to improve their employability. The Production area assists in preparing the individual for supported employment; emphasis is placed on creating a "real world" setting within which participants work on developing self-reliance and independence skills. The goal of Crossroads Industries Day Training/Sheltered Workshop Program is employment either in the production operation located within the New Visions facility or in a supported employment placement in the greater Capital Region community.
  
  Community Residential Program
  
  The New Visions Community Residential Program offers a comprehensive array of services for all participants which maximize individual growth and independence based on participants' strengths, interests and abilities. The goal of the program is the provision of a true "home" environment with a focus on the development of both independent and daily living skill areas. The program also offers community and neighborhood integration and involvement by identifying and utilizing community resources and services. Recreational opportunities, special events, day trips and more extensive vacations are also offered to each individual. Fully-trained residence counselors and supervisors are scheduled on-site on a 24-hour basis, or in accordance with an individual's specific needs. In addition, a 24-hour on-call system is always available. Weekday evening and weekend day respite services are also available.
  
  Community Employment Program
  
  The Community Employment Program at New Visions is dedicated to assisting individuals who need additional support obtaining and maintaining employment. Our focus is to provide comprehensive placement services by conducting community-based assessments and using a person-centered approach. The program is staffed by a director of community employment and employment specialists who customize the program's capacities according to the needs of the consumers. In addition to "on the job" coaching services, The program also provides additional benefits in career counseling, job development, intensive job training and ongoing support as-needed.
  
  Canapé Connection - New Visions Food Service Department
  
  The New Visions Food Service Department, Canapé Connection, is a full-service catering business serving the tri-cities area of the Capital Region. There are currently three sub-components within the program; food services, catering and cafeteria operations. Trainees simultaneously receive vocational training in all areas of food service, with a focus on the simulation of a "real work" environment. The objective of this training is to prepare adults with developmental disabilities for competitive employment within the community. Specialized training is available in such areas as food preparation, cafeteria serving, warewashing, table bussing and general utility. In conjunction with our Vocational Rehabilitation Department, trainees receive life skills training that also aids in their vocational training.
  
  CleanPro - New Visions Janitorial Services Program
  
  The Janitorial Services Program at New Visions has provided commercial cleaning in the Capital Region for over 25 years through Federal, State and private contracts. Currently, an integrated workforce of individuals with developmental disabilities are responsible for cleaning more than 3,000,000 square feet of space per day. Our program provides adults with the opportunity to be trained in all areas of janitorial work including office cleaning, tile floor care, carpet cleaning, bathroom cleaning, lawn maintenance, etc. Throughout the program, specific janitorial tasks are emphasized, quality assurance is a central focus and all skills required to successfully work and maintain employment in the community are addressed. Trainees also receive support from our employment specialists through the Community Employment Program.

New Dimensions - Article 28 Clinic Services

New Visions offers a full range of clinic services for individuals with mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities. Included in these services are Psychiatry, Psychology and Behavioral Specialists, Podiatry, Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Vocational Counseling. These clinical areas of focus specialize in meeting the needs of our consumers as habilitative services. Our clinic, an Article 28 Diagnostic and Treatment Center, is licensed by the Department of Health.

Home and Community Based Services Waiver

New Visions is a provider of the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver, which includes the following services:

Day Habilitation
Residential Habilitation
Family Education and Training
Plan of Care Support Services
Prevocational Services
Respite/Hourly and Residential
Supported Employment
Environmental Modifications
Adaptive Equipment

The HCBS waiver is the primary financing mechanism for the Individualized Service Environment (ISE), whereby participants and their families design packages of services and supports that are tailored to individual needs and life goals and allows for participation in meaningful experiences. The person's independence, individualization, inclusion and productivity are the focus of the ISE. Each of the HCBS waiver services addresses specific areas.

Habilitation Services

Day Habilitation Services help individuals to establish connections and relationships within their communities and, as such, these services are usually delivered in a non-residential setting. The focus of Day Habilitation Services is on acquiring, maintaining and enhancing skills in the areas of self-help, socialization and adaptive skills as consumers are assisted with daily life activities. Though Day Habilitation is not vocational in nature, activities and experiences are offered to consumers to assist them in the development and attainment of a career life goal. The New Visions Habilitation services are discussed in detail above. Residential Habilitation Services are generally provided in the individual's home and include assistance in the areas of life safety, fire evacuation, activities of daily living and social and adaptive skills. The focus of Residential Habilitation Services is to assist consumers in acquiring, maintaining and enhancing the skills necessary to function as independently as possible at home. Prevocational Services address the consumer's vocational interests and, as such, include support and training in the areas required to obtain and maintain employment. Following directions, attending to task, completing a job, following safety rules, etc. are examples of such service areas. Prevocational Services enhance a consumer's ability to obtain integrated employment. Prevocational services are offered in our Day Training/Sheltered Workshop Program and are also referenced under that section above. Supported Employment Services assist consumers in finding, obtaining and maintaining meaningful employment in an integrated setting. Services may include skill training, job coaching, supervision and working with employers on behalf of the individual. Additional information regarding Supported Employment Services is discussed under the Community Employment Program above.

Other HCBS Waiver Services

Respite Services are offered to families and primary care providers as a means of obtaining temporary relief from the responsibilities of caring for an individual with developmental disabilities on a daily basis. Adaptive Technologies are those devices that are needed by consumers to enable them to increase or maintain their ability to live as independently as possible and to live safely in their home or community residence. Examples of Adaptive Technologies include communication aids, meal preparation aids/appliances, adapted locks, standing boards, electric wheelchairs and others. Environmental Modifications are revisions to a person's home environment, inside or outside, required in order to ensure the person's health, welfare and safety, to enable the consumer to become more independent, and to enable the person to remain at home.

Family Education and Training (FET) services are provided to families whose sons/daughters are under the age of 18 and who are receiving HCBS Waiver services. Through FET services, eligible families receive training and information in such areas as developmental disabilities and the impact of developmental disabilities on their family member and on the family as a whole, service alternatives and others. The purpose of FET services is to assist the family in understanding and coping with the developmental disability. Plan of Care Support Services are for those consumers who are enrolled in HCBS Waiver Services but who opt not to have a Medicaid Service Coordinator. With the approval of the Developmental Disabilities Service Office, Plan of Care Support Services are provided to ensure that the consumer?s Individual Service Plan and the Level of Care eligibility requirements are in compliance with the HCBS Waiver agreement.

Family Support Respite Services and Family Support Technical Assistance

In addition to the programs and services New Visions offers to its program participants, we also provide assistance and support to the involved families through our Family Support Respite Services Program. The goal of this program is to provide families with the support services and relief needed so that they can remain and interact as a family as long as they desire. Respite services can take the form of individual or small group situations. For individual respite situations, the family has the option of requesting respite to be provided in their home or out of the home in order that their relative may engage in community activities such as going to the movies, enjoying lunch or dinner at a restaurant, visiting museums and other activities as selected by the person and family. Families may also choose to have their relative engage in activities in the community in a group situation. Respite services can be arranged on a scheduled basis or as the need arises. Our respite workers are available week day evenings and during the weekends, day or evening. In addition, transportation is provided by the respite worker. As an extension of this family support service, an after-work recreation program is available to our program participants from 3:00-6:00 p.m. daily, where individuals may participate in various recreational and leisure activities. The program is also available to families to assist them in other areas of need such as obtaining adaptive equipment, acting as a resource center and assisting parents with the guardianship process.

Medicaid Service Coordination

The Medicaid Service Coordination program at New Visions is a Medicaid State Plan service. Service coordinators assist individuals with developmental disabilities in their efforts to obtain the appropriate services and supports that they need and desire to work toward the highest quality of life possible. The service coordinator helps the person and his or her family to develop, implement and maintain the person's life plan, to advocate for him or her in all areas of life, especially in the two main areas of protecting and upholding personal rights and ensuring that the living environment is safe. New Visions Medicaid Service Coordination program is a comprehensive and professional service which promotes choice, individualized services and personal satisfaction, and uses person-centered planning to assist people in all areas of development.

Transportation Services For New Visions Participants

The New Visions Transportation Department provides daily, specialized services to approximately 300 individuals who participate in our day and residential programs. Transportation services include trips to and from our programs as well as to and from recreational, respite and medical services and community outings. Our fleet of over 60 vans contain wheelchair equipped vehicles and fourteen passenger vans. All vehicles are equipped with two-way radios, back-up beepers and a special step to make accessing the vehicles easier for our consumers. In addition, transportation aides ride those vans that transport consumers with special needs. In order to provide transportation to those consumers who may live on the outskirts of the counties we serve, our Transportation Department contracts with private vendors for those services. In addition, in order to provide specialized transportation services for our consumers, our Transportation Department staff work closely with the day and residential staff of New Visions to ensure that there is an understanding of the various and unique needs of our consumers and their families.

Guardianship Program/Technical Assistance

The New Visions Guardianship Program has two main purposes; first, to encourage and advise parents, relatives and friends with their plans to ensure that future decisions significant to the life of their family member with developmental disabilities are made in his or her best interest and second, to agree to accept Corporate Guardianship and to act in the capacity of Primary, Standby or Alternate Standby Guardianship of the Person for individuals who have no parent(s), relative or friend to protect their rights and foster their quality of life.