At the Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) of JRI we provide opportunities for people to live in homes and apartments in their communities and to grow through job training, supported employment and day habilitation services. We provide therapeutic and social supports to enrich the lives of people with disabilities.

From our base in Framingham, we oversee programs in the Metro West and Metro Boston areas. Our work is to design and provide professional care and supports for adults with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. We support people whose learning disabilities range from mildly to profoundly challenging. We specialize in serving people with medical, physical, emotional or behavioral needs, including people making the difficult transition from institutional care to integrated community living. DDS recognizes that each person has abilities and challenges. Our mission is to open the doors of opportunity and independence to them.

Residential Services and Supports
DDS provides a variety of models of residential supports in attractive homes and apartments with staffing and supports designed for each individual.

• Twenty Four Hour Medically Intensive Staffed Homes
  • Carefully designed homes serve individuals with significant medial fragility and physical support needs. Accessible space, daily nursing visits and specially trained staff allow individuals with complex needs to thrive in small, community homes.
• Twenty Four Hour Staffed Homes and Apartments
  • Supporting as few as four and as many as six people in each household, services are designed to promote personal responsibility, self-care, home and community safety skills and active, healthy lifestyles.
• Supported Apartment Programs
  • People living in their own apartments, usually one to four individuals per household are supported to maintain their independent lifestyles. Staff perform a case management and advocacy role, supporting people to implement their own choices.

Employment Training Services
DDS Employment and Training Supports prepare people with developmental disabilities for the world of work. Our comprehensive training focuses on developing marketable work attitudes, experience and skills. Our small vocational center functions as a central teaching environment. We also train individuals at The Lunch Express, our restaurant and catering business in downtown Framingham. In addition, we support individuals who operate Snack Vending businesses serving local office buildings. Our job coaching enables some individuals to secure and maintain permanent competitive employment in local retail stores and businesses.

Day Habilitation Services
Day Habilitation provides active treatment and developmental skills training designed to improve the functional abilities of individuals with significant disabilities.

• The Willow Tree is our day habilitation program serving up to 35 individuals in the Metro West area. At our beautiful accessible center we specialize in supporting individuals with significant medical, physical and learning needs. The core of our program is a rich schedule of community-focused activities, which enhance rehabilitative outcomes. Therapeutic interventions such as physical therapy, communication development, and occupational therapy are provided through external community experiences as often as possible. We coordinate services closely with residential and other providers to maximize the benefit of our rehabilitative activities.
• The Mobile Day Habilitation Program provides one-to-one therapeutic, socialization and recreational supports to individuals with developmental disabilities living in nursing homes throughout Massachusetts. Our innovative model extends specialized services to people often isolated due to their cognitive limitations and nursing home residency. Services are offered during the day, evenings and weekends, increasing peoples' access to a range of community social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities. We enable people living in nursing homes to practice communication, self-help, sensory-motor, and independent living skills in order to facilitate a return to their own homes.

The Developmental Disabilities Services of JRI are licensed and certified by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. The Day Habilitation Services have received the highest accreditation level from the International Council of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) Contact Information

Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS)
354 Waverley Street, 3rd Floor,
Framingham, MA 01702
Phone: (508) 872-0669
Fax: (508) 879-4140
dhunter@ jri.org

Robert W. Richards, M.S.W., Vice President
Deirdre Hunter, M.S.W, Director of Programs
Susan Moody, Director of Day and Vocational Services
Kathleen Melia, Ph.D., Clinical Director
Anthony Joseph, M.D., Medical Director