Adult Programs & Resources

Residential Services • Community Supported Living • Day Support Services • Respite CarePartners in Business (Supported Employment Program) • Behavioral Support Services
Self-Advocacy Groups Put Disability Second • Connecting to Services

The Arc of Southern Maryland believes that all adults, regardless of their disability, deserve the right to a lead a meaningful and fulfilling adult lifestyle.  Individuals supported by The Arc of Southern Maryland live, work and actively participate in their own communities! Programs and services provided by The Arc of Southern Maryland are customized based on consultation with consumers, their families and their advocates. 

Residential Services
The Arc of Southern Maryland provides adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with safe and supportive residential housing services.  The Arc operates over 30 residential homes located in neighborhoods throughout Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.  The Arc provides round the clock support to ensure that consumers are afforded the opportunity to live a nurturing environment that promotes personal growth and community inclusion. 

Community Supported Living
Through The Arc of Southern Maryland’s Community Supported Living services, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that live independently in their own homes are provided with daily or as-needed support. Our staff supports individuals with a variety of activities and tasks based on their personal goals and objectives, examples include:

• The creation of a lifestyle plan
• Identification of transportation options in the area
• Shopping for groceries & other necessities
• Daily chores
• Personal care
• Financial management (establishment of weekly budget and balancing a checkbook)
• Participation in community events and activities

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Day Support Services
Day Support Services are designed to provide adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with experiences that meet their interest.  Recreational activities are scheduled with individual preference in mind, and include enjoyable experiences such as music, dance, arts and crafts, boating and fishing just to name a few.  Consumers also identify organizations that they are interesting in supporting through volunteerism.  Many of the activities are made possible in part by the on-going partnerships with local individuals and organizations throughout the Southern Maryland region. 

Partners in Business (Supported Employment Program)
“Partners in Business” is a supported employment program that provides individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with on the job training, placement and support with businesses and organizations throughout the Southern Maryland region.  Consumers work with their job coach to identify jobs or industries of interest.  Job Coaches provides assistance in skill development to ensure a successful relationship between employer and employee.  

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Respite Care
The Arc of Southern Maryland’s Respite Care Program provides families, caring for an adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with a short term, temporary care option. 

How does the Respite Care Program work?
The first step will be the completion of an application (available from The Arc office) that consists of the following:

• a registration form
• service plan
• income worksheet and
• release form.
• A Statement of Disability Form must be completed by a physician, school official or a Health Department official.

NOTE: *If a statement of medical or psychological evaluation is supplied you may bypass the disability form.

Second Step: A Family Services Coordinator (FSC) meets with the family to review their situation and determine eligibility for services. The link to these services is provided below. You will discuss options and then the FSC will develop a plan tailored to your family's needs. It will include information necessary to provide care to that individual. This would include emergency contact information, a statement of fees and payment methods.

Third Step: The final step will be making your decisions about location and staff. Respite can be provided either in your family's home or in another setting of the family's designation. A family may choose to use The Arc of Southern Maryland employees or to hire an individual already known to them. A family member (who is not a parent or spouse) can provide respite services and be reimbursed based on a fee scale.

Family Eligibility
A family is eligible for Respite Services if they have a child with a disability meeting the following definition: "Developmental Disability" means a severe chronic disability of an individual that (1) is attributable to a physical or mental impairment, other than the sole diagnosis of mental illness or a combination of mental and physical impairments; (2) is manifested before the person becomes 22 years old; (3) is likely to continue indefinitely; (4) results in the inability to live independently without external support or continuing and regular assistance; and (5) reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment or other services which are individually planned and coordinated.

Prioritization of Services
Priority in the provision of services is given to those families in the most urgent need to prevent the out-of-home placement of their child or to return a child from an out-of-home placement to their family's home. Naturally, services are provided funds permitting.
Calvert County, contact Charlene Metzler 410-535-4461, ext. 115
Charles County, contact Linda Clem 301-645-0887, ext. 103

For more information, contact our Director of Community Support Services in your county or
Calvert County: Ron Mould, Calvert, 410-535-4461
St. Mary's County: Annette Greene, 301-475-5652

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Self-Advocacy Groups Put Disability Second
Charles County People on the Go ... Is part of a statewide adult self-advocacy group supported by The Arc of Maryland that promotes the belief that “all people with challenges should be included in school, work, and independent living”.  Individual membership is free and open to anyone with a disability. We currently have more than 30 active members and host a variety of projects and activities throughout the year including:

• Promoting equal rights by inviting guest speakers to address voting, self advocacy, and civil rights.
• Supporting the community though projects that raise money like collecting soda pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore. Charles County POG recently partnered with Calvert County People First to "pull" together all of the tabs as one big donation.
• Collecting clothing and food donations for needy families.
• Sending care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Sending letters and cards to the wounded in Bethesda Navy Hospital.
• Volunteering at the Charles County FSS Back to School fun day.
• Picnics, cookouts, and dances

For more information, contact Linda Clem at 301-645-0887 ext 103 or email Linda.
People First in Calvert County ... Is a self-advocacy and self-help organization which is part of a national group, run by and for people with learning difficulties.  Self-Advocacy means that the members learn how to speak for themselves and make decisions about what they want to do with their lives.  Self-Help means that the members are helping each other with their problems, making friends and reaching out to people with severe disabilities. Members plan a variety of activities from fund-raisers and social events.

For more information, contact Jean Wagner at 410-535-4461 ext 116 or email Jean
or Crystal Haislip at 410-535-4461 ext 105 or email Crystal.

Teen Self Advocates in St. Mary's County ... Is a advocacy group that brings teens with disabilities together to learn about their rights and share that information with others as well as supporting each other in achieving their dreams.  The goal is to have fun while making a difference in their community.   

For more information, contact. Annette Greene, 301-475-5652.

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Behavioral Support Services
What is BSS - The Arc of Southern Maryland, through a grant funded by the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, coordinates Behavior Support Services which makes available to eligible people with disabilities in the Southern Maryland Region a comprehensive array of behavioral services, including:

• Behavioral Training
• Behavioral Consultation and Support
• Temporary Augmentation of Staff
• Behavioral Respite
• Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services

Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services are available on-call, 24 hours each day, seven days a week. Project personnel carry a cell phone and are immediately accessible. An array of flexible services is immediately and easily accessible, specifically tailored to meet the needs of the individual in crisis and do not ever include the use of painful or noxious stimuli to control behavior. Each person's needs are uniquely his or her own. By offering person-specific service options, the Behavior Support Services for the Southern Maryland Region can assist individuals to live successfully in their community..

Behavior Training Services
Behavioral Support Services provides training on the principles of positive behavior. Parents and staff from provider agencies may participate in these trainings.

• Basic principles of behavior change
• Behavior Principles & Strategies
• Staff-consumer styles of interaction
• Factors that impede effectiveness of behavioral programming
• Implementation of specific behavior techniques
• Requirements of COMAR 10.22.10 and related Maryland and Federal laws and regulations.
• Psychiatric aspects of mental retardation and dual diagnosis
• Therapeutic techniques and program planning for dealing with people who have a dual diagnosis
• Understanding the function of different behaviors
• Fundamental rights
• Other pertinent topics as identified

The Consortium also includes special emphasis on training designed to decrease and, as much as possible, eliminate power struggles. Consumers and families are in charge of their own lives, and we, in the Project, find methods of enhancing that control.

Behavior Consultation and Support
All behavioral consultation services are individually tailored and person-centered to address specific behaviors. Behavior consultants who provide services include Consortium members who are licensed psychologists, psychology associates under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, licensed physicians, licensed or certified social workers and licensed or certified professional counselors who have training and experience in applied behavior analysis.

Behavioral Consultation and Support services are directed to the specific behavioral needs of persons with developmental disabilities receiving DDA-funding, living at home, or who have been otherwise referred to such services. In all cases, referrals for services are through The Arc of Southern Maryland's Behavior Support Services. Such referrals may be:

• To support individuals in their home and work to preserve placement and to be more successful.
• In response to behavioral emergencies
• To individuals in transition whose plan includes changes in environments such as from family home to community-based group home, discharge from institutional settings to a community residential setting, moves from independent DDA-supported residences to Assisted Living Unit or group home, etc

Behavioral consultation on the specific behavioral needs of individuals, including the development of behavioral programming and training in the implementation of the program, are available for individuals in DDA-funded programs, parents and individuals who are living at home in the Southern Maryland Region. Children must be at least 5 years of age to receive services from Behavioral Support Services.

Behavioral TAS
In an effort to decrease individuals' inappropriate behaviors while increasing adaptive skills/functional alternative behaviors, the Temporary Augmentation of Staff (TAS) process includes arrangements for specially-trained individuals to be available on short notice, 24 hours per day, for a period of no more than four weeks. Behavior TAS may also be funding provided to an agency to pay familiar staff that already work with the individual. A Consortium member conducts an evaluation of each situation during the first week to determine if continued TAS is warranted while the Behavior Support Plan is revised. Special emphasis in the Project is placed on prevention of emergencies as well as rapid responses to emergencies. Many times, crises can be averted and/or managed through the addition of extra staff time. This can be an especially critical when a new behavior change plan is being implemented and/or when a consumer is experiencing a major life change.

Medical TAS
Medical TAS is available to agencies to augment staff to assist in the recuperative period for clients or caretakers. This service is 6 weeks in length.

Behavioral Respite
Behavioral Respite is placement in an environment with trained respite staff throughout the region. This service will be provided only when an individual is a clear risk to self or others and is a placement of last resort. Initial approval is up to 28 days and staff will work in conjunction with an individual's behavior consultant.

Specialized Medical Consultation
In situations where an individual's health status has changed significantly and regular nursing services are not adequate, services from the Consortium are utilized. Eligibility for this service is tightly controlled and services are designed to respond to situations in which regular nursing services, already provided by an agency, are clearly not adequate.

Medical Respite
Medical Respite services are provided for those people who are unable to return to their home due to illness or injury. Illness or injury can be to themselves or their caregiver. Services are usually provided in the home. Services are available for a 28-day maximum.

Crisis Intervention - Emergency Services
Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services are the least predictable of the services provided through the Consortium. Services are available 24 hours a day and may be accessed by an on-call system that includes designated Consortium members who can respond. These staff members are specifically trained in non-aversive behavior management ,support techniques and application. They will never include the use of painful or noxious stimuli to control behaviors. Resources within the Consortium include translation services for people who use other languages, including sign language. When an individual calls the Consortium telephone number, he or she reaches a person who can take the emergency message and relay it immediately to an individual who can respond to the situation. Referrals come from the DDA Southern Regional Office, families or providers in the region.

Examples of the need for Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services include: refusal of primary caregiver to continue to provide care; serious illness of primary caregiver; imminent homelessness, danger to self or others, loss of a caregiver, psychiatric decompensation, high risk behavior or removal from parent's home due to serious physical and sexual abuse. Upon notification of an emergency situation, the Emergency Response Coordinator (ERC) addresses the immediate need (assures the provision of emergency services). On the following day, the ERC begins working with Resource Coordinators in the appropriate community to determine and document eligibility and to assist in, whenever possible, less costly, non-traditional forms of service delivery.

Connecting to Resources

The Southern Maryland Support Services Database is a free service of The Arc of Maryland! Let us help you find the services you need in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. We can help navigate the intricacies of the law, regulations and systems by searching our database of organizations and services. Check Eligibility & Rights or search the The Arc Resource Library and FAQ’s for answers to commonly-asked questions. Click here to search the Support Services Database.

For more information about Family Support Services contact our Director of Community Support Services in your county or .
Calvert County: Ron Mould, Calvert, 410-535-2413, Ext. 10

Looking for Forms?
Just call the BSS Office at 301-475-5652, ext. 124 and the forms will be sent to you!