direct support professional

special education teacher

associate

speech language pathologist

team leader

Aspire of Western New York

Working at Aspire of WNY can be an incredibly rewarding experience if you are genuinely passionate about making a difference in the lives of individuals. The core mission of this job is to provide care and support, allowing individuals to maintain their freedom and make personal choices in all aspects of their lives. For those who enter this field with the right intentions, the job can be fulfilling and impactful.

However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone shares this commitment. Many staff members seem to be drawn to the position primarily for the pay, which can be better than at other facilities. Unfortunately, this has led to a culture where some employees do not prioritize the well-being of the individuals we serve. You can often distinguish the dedicated employees by their professionalism—these are the ones who rarely use their cell phones during work hours and remain focused on their responsibilities, making those that they support the priority.

Management's lack of enforcement of policies can be a significant issue. In some locations, reports of staff members sleeping during their shifts are concerning. While there are rules against phone usage, it seems that the moment management steps away, many staff members revert to using their phones, detracting from the quality of care provided.

Additionally, the workplace environment can sometimes feel reminiscent of an 8th-grade classroom, with gossip and chatter taking precedence over professionalism. This can be draining and detracts from the overall mission of improving the lives of those we serve.

In summary, if you are considering a position at Aspire of WNY, I encourage you to reflect on your motivations. This job is amazing for those who are dedicated to making a positive impact. However, if you are looking for a role where you can simply collect a paycheck without genuine engagement, this may not be the right fit for you.

I have learned a lot from this position so far. I usually come in early since I like to help clean and get adjusted before everyone comes in. It is chaotic, and it gets overwhelming, but it is a part of the job. Behavior problems that have not been properly managed sometimes prevent me from completing the day's craft. From someone who is fairly new and wants to work in Special Education or with people with disabilities, you must recognize how your role is important for the students, their families, and the coworkers around you. You must come in every day with a person-centered approach. Sometimes, you are told to do one task. Then, you are lectured at for doing that said task. Almost any coworker that you will meet there will help you with anything that you may need assistance with. You cannot let yourself feel unmotivated or get visibly angry since some of the students can sense how you're feeling. There is a lot of changing and feeding which feels more rigid and a lot to do within two or so hours while doing a craft or watching other students since some coworkers are busy while one or two are doing the bare minimum. I also work for another respite position where it is less stressful, and I feel like we can do more activities since I work more hours there. Everyone is willing to answer questions that you may have, and you work more one on one with them. I feel like I get to know them better every Saturday this happens. 

Our days consist of welcoming our students to class, assisting them with getting settled and ready for the day. The staff helps with preparing meals, assists with eating if necessary, and clean up. We work on student-specific goals that are developed within the Individualized Educational Plans as well as assist the students with tasks for the lessons developed by the teacher. 

My job at Aspire has taught me the values of patience, compassion, hard work, and persistence. Coworkers are part of a team - without each one of us, the classroom would not run as well. Each person plays an important role and we support each other through each day. 

The hardest part of the job is not having the support of upper management. Many of the employees at Aspire feel unappreciated by supervisors and directors and overwhelmed by the amount of work and responsibility. The workload is overwhelming not because the staff are incompetent but because we are not equipped with the materials, equipment, appropriate number of staff in each room in order to run the classrooms completely effectively. If not for the creativity and resilience of the staff, Aspire would not be a successful agency. 

The students by far are the most enjoyable part of the job. They make everyday interesting and make all of the hardships that come with the agency, worth dealing with.

My experience at Aspire wasnt what i expected. I was waiting on a client i was told was what i was looking for. The family hadnt certified at the time and my supervisor was going to call me when they did. I was called and asked if i was still interrested in working for them. I said yes and asked about this client. My supervisor said oh , yes we have a caregiver in there now that tookhim on even though she had another full time job. This girl was over worked and needed a break. So i was trained to be her relief. I loved working with the child and we got along great. The problem was the mother changed hours at work and she also started calling when it wasnt my designated hours. I was interrested in the permanent shift and there wasnt one. They said they had other clients id be interrested in but they never called. Then after 1 year of only having two short term clients i was let go with the understaning that i could reaply at any time. I realize it was harder to find suitable clients for me because they dont have a large number of school aged children. Overall my expirence with supervisors was okay.

Aspire of WNY is a human service agency for People with Developmental Disabilities and mild to sever Intellectual Disabilities.  I've learned so much about not only the population I service, but myself as an individual. Although my current profession brings tremendous responsibility and at times unspeakable joy, I am currently seeking a position within the counseling profession as I am pursuing my masters degree in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling from Canisius College. Working in the counseling profession is the very core of what I long to do and a dream I've held for many years.
I've worked for Aspire for almost 10 years and though I've made many friends amongst my colleagues whom I will miss terribly, it's time to pursue a position in my desired field. I will also miss the families I help support and the sense of joy I feel when I can help assist them in getting the services they so desperately need. I fully intend to feel that same sense of joy in the counseling profession as that joy comes from helping others.
When I leave Aspire, I will be leaving family and though that is never an easy task, I'll take with me all I have learned and I'll look forward, with this agency in my heart.

The individuals involved in the direct care of clientele at Aspire are wonderful but their administrative staff is definitely in need of an overhaul. When your executive assistant has nothing better to do but sit in her office all day playing around on Facebook or talking to her mother on the phone, then you have a problem. I should have suspected that something was wrong with this work environment when I noticed they had gone through at least 6 different employees in the past few months. That's not a staffing problem- that is a management problem. New staff members were being improperly 'trained' by the executive assistant in order to make the new people seem incompetent.  The best part of this job was interacting with clientele and the CFO and AED. There are some really wonderful individuals behind this organization but they need to get it together and flush out the employees who are bent on personal gain- they are sabotaging the organization, 

If you work at the right house or know the managers well they are sometimes flexible with you. You tend to work double shifts majority of days you work. You have no say in what house you get sent to if their isn’t enough staff in other houses. You are not trained all the way before you go to other houses that require different training. You need a driver’s license for this job. You are required to help/ do other staff members work if they do not do it/ slack. You tend to have lazy cow-workers on either shift. You get stuck with the same person to help in certain houses that will drain you if they require 2 people an work with lazy staff. You work weekends, Hollidays, Monday- Friday 1st,2nd,3rd shifts depending on your schedule. You may also be required to do something’s that you were not trained for yet an be expected to finish it before the end of your shift. Very few people at this job will help you and train you in a better way. This job will drain you if you are unable to care for someone who may have the energy of a toddler an unable to understand because of being born that way. 

read the communication log, count control medication and log in count, wait for individuals to return home from their programs, and get them settled in with an activity while dinner is being prepared. once dinner was ready serve then feed individuals who was unable to feed themselves. once they was finish eating some watch television , some was shower if they was unable to do it themselves, unless an outing was plan.

I enjoy working with individuals who are unable to care for themselves.

management was not present much they attended lots of meeting in order to create a better care plan for the clients. 

my co-workers was great we all work together as a team to help build the skills of each individual.

the hardest part of the job was  experiencing the struggles the individuals had to experience.

the most enjoyable part of the job was to experience their growth.

This company claims that prides itself in concern for the disabled. After working closely with management and many Indivisuals, I found that the bottom line is the Almighty Dollar! How much money each Indivisual brings to this company is first and foremost. "Employers come a dime a dozen" is the basic philosophy. I would not encourage anyone to work there based on my personal experience, unless you are prepared to go along with anything that is dished out. Management will roll over you over any chance they get. confidentiality is a rareity. If you can just deal with the needs/care of the Indivisuals, you will have a good career ahead. That is the most enjoyable part of the job. Don't tell your personal business to anyone.
Keep your private life private. DO NOT TRUST MANAGEMENT WHEN THEY SMILE AND PRETEND TO BEFRIEND YOU. IT MAY BE A TRAP!!!

Working with individuals with moderate to severe disabilities helped to teach me more compassion for the next person. Every individual had a different experience or life altering happening that changed their life as they knew forever. Some had the support to carry on and work around their adversity and others you wanted to reach out to more because they did not have the help and support available to them and they usually suffered in some unnecessary way for it. The most rewarding part of the job was knowing that when I left that person for the day, they had a good time, they laughed, they got to get out into the world for that time frame and it be all about whatever they were interested in or needed to do. The hardest part of this job is moving on both in moving to another job or another position that would enable you to continue to work with the individuals and the families that you grow to know and love.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 2 salaries reported	$19.42 per hour
Special education teacher 3 salaries reported	$34.94 per hour
Associate 3 salaries reported	$19.54 per hour
Speech language pathologist 1 salary reported	$77,750 per year
Team leader 1 salary reported	$26.76 per hour

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