Maureen McMahon has worked as a Community Habilitation Specialist with CFS since March of 2017. She has consistently worked with an individual since she began and has developed a wonderful rapport with him and his family, and he has made steady progress with her intuition and dedication to his well-being. Maureen also worked with several other individuals, filling in whenever there is a need and whenever she is available.
She began as a part time employee, and is now full time with experience working in different Community Habilitation settings- such as with individuals who live in Family Care or in an IRA and individuals who live independently or with their families. She currently works with two individuals who both are very happy with her support.
She is a strong advocate for equal opportunities and equal rights for everyone she interacts with. This is no exception when it comes to our service recipients. Maureen helps both individuals advocate for themselves consistently; however- a few things stand out in her efforts. Maureen brought an individual who was living in Suffolk County all the way to an evening Self Advocacy meeting that was being held in New Hyde Park, during rush hour. Maureen knew she really wanted to go so she put her needs first and made it hap-pen. Maureen recently spent 2 overnights in Albany with a service recipients to attend the SANYS Conferences. He really enjoyed himself; he had his own room and the entire experience was very rewarding for both. On the way back, they stopped at the zoo; he is already talking about going again next year!
She engages in mutually respectful partnerships with everyone associated on each individuals’ service teams, particularly with family members or those whom are very important to them. She doesn’t hesitate to ask for my advice or guidance on a given task and she appreciates and understands that her role with our recipients is not secular; rather, she is a member of a team for their benefit. This is especially important as one of the individuals she recently began working with is the mother to a three-month-old baby, and it is especially important for us to have open lines of communication as well as with family/natural support networks when goals entail such responsibility.
Maureen takes the time to speak with our service recipients’ family to get to know as much as she can about them. To best assist proficiently, she will often end or begin each session with a conversation about what they did, what they plan to do, how can she help or be more efficient. She cares to go the extra mile and to make her work place a happy one for everyone. Maureen communicates empathetically and treats everyone with respect and she also has the ability to modify her communication to ensure she is being understood by her individuals when they are working together. She doesn’t assume that they can or cannot do anything- rather she takes the time to learn where each of them are at and how she can meet them in the middle. She understands different modes of learning and has the compassion and patience to utilize this to her advantage when creating meaningful communication.
Maureen is an asset to our agency as a DSP; specifically, with her dedication to her service recipients and willingness to learn and grow with them. She has an open heart and an open mind and CFS is happy to have her as part of our Long Island team.
