Bilingual Advocacy Outreach Specialist - Part-Time

Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities is a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides direct advocacy, legal and monitoring services to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Washington, DC.

Quality Trust is seeking a part-time bilingual (fluent Spanish/English) advocacy outreach specialist to identify individual, family, and systemic issues which impede the progress of Latino individuals with developmental disabilities and/or their families in accessing community services in DC. The Specialist will establish ways to resolve issues identified regarding individual services, supports, and rights, which will facilitate desired outcomes that allow people with developmental disabilities and their families to express their needs, personal preferences, and to live a life that is enriched and inclusive. The Specialist works collaboratively with the person, family members, service providers, service coordinators, and other stakeholders to ensure the person’s and/or family issues are resolved. The Specialist will also work with QT team members to ensure outreach and inclusion is provided to Latino community members with disabilities. Candidates must have the ability to communicate concisely and effectively, both orally and in writing, as demonstrated by prior experience in both English and Spanish

Requires the ability to work some evenings and weekends.

Essential Functions:

1. Advocates to resolve issues identified by Latino persons with developmental disabilities and their families regarding their services, supports, and rights, including challenges accessing medical interventions, public benefits, educational supports, employment, housing, and other accommodations and needed interventions.
2. Promotes community involvement, quality supports, and quality of life for Latino people with developmental disabilities and their families.
3. Promotes community awareness by educating service providers, case managers, business contacts, and government agencies on the needs of Latino people with developmental disabilities and their families.
4. Educates Latino people with developmental disabilities and their family members on the services available to people with disabilities, how to access them, their rights and how to enforce them, and the role of lay advocacy and supporting other Latino people with developmental disabilities and their family members.
5. Identifies and explores opportunities to collaborate with Latino organizations that support Spanish-speaking community members to educate them about the QT services available to people with developmental disabilities.
6. Latino people with developmental disabilities and their families in their natural environments (e.g., at home, day supports, etc.).
7. Works collaboratively with attorneys and other legal advocates to ensure people’s rights to services are addressed when other means of advocacy are not effective.
8. Works collaboratively with other QT staff members on projects relative to identifying and meeting the specific needs of Latino community members with developmental disabilities and their families.
9. Assists in translating brochures and other documents from English to Spanish
10. Other duties, as assigned.

Additional Responsibilities: Performs other duties as may be directed by the Deputy Director for Operations and/or Chief Executive Officer.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Ability to communicate concisely and effectively in both English and Spanish, both orally and in writing, as demonstrated by prior experience.
2. Advanced education and training in social work, education, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, or public health, (degree preferred) with (3) years' experience working with people with developmental disabilities, or a high school diploma with six (6) years' experience working with people with developmental disabilities and their families.
3. Ability to interact effectively with Latino people with developmental disabilities to collect information on preferences, priorities, and personal outcomes.
4. Ability to identify complaint issues through interviewing persons and analyzing oral and written information.
5. Ability to interview persons and analyze oral and written information to identify rights protection complaint issues.
6. Functional knowledge of state and federal disability services systems and other community-based supports in DC.
7. Knowledge about or demonstrated awareness of challenges experienced by people with disabilities, including assessing medical interventions, public benefits, educational supports, employment, housing, and other accommodations and needed interventions..
8. Local travel is a requirement of the job, and the applicant must have the ability to drive and/or use public transportation to attend meetings, events, or other activities, as requested.
9. Knowledge and use of laptop computers and virtual meeting platforms including Zoom, WebEx, and Teams.
10. Considerable maturity in dealing with colleagues and outside business contacts.
11. Comfort taking direction on individual assignments to be completed independently.
12. Flexibility to attend evening and/or weekend events or meetings to accomplish program objectives.
13. Availability to attend mandatory meetings and training, per supervisor discretion.