Direct Support Professional – Make Every Day Meaningful

At Rygiel Supports for Community Living, we don’t just provide care — we build community. For more than 60 years, we've been supporting people with developmental disabilities in living full, inclusive, and empowered lives.

At Rygiel, we believe that communities are stronger when everyone belongs. We support people with developmental disabilities to live the lives they choose — building relationships, growing independence, and being part of vibrant neighbourhoods. Our work is guided by five values: Respect, Awareness, Integrity, Person-Centered practice, and Community.

As a Direct Support Professional, you’ll join a compassionate and collaborative team that puts people first — where your efforts are seen, your voice is valued, and your work has purpose.

Overview

The Direct Support Professional provides direct, person-directed support to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities living in Rygiel’s inclusive living homes. Working under the direction of the Supervisor, Interdisciplinary Service Evolution, and as part of a coordinated interdisciplinary team, this role helps each person supported build on their strengths, work toward their goals, and participate meaningfully in the life of their community.

Supporting people with developmental and intellectual disabilities involve real complexity, and the needs of each person are distinct. Because positive support depends on relationships and fit, we match each new team member to a specific person supported based on their strengths, education and experience. For some people the work centres on communication and responsive behaviours; for others,



the emphasis falls on building daily living skills within a harm-reduction and mental health framework that prioritizes autonomy and well-being. The Direct Support Professional is expected to read each situation thoughtfully and adapt their approach to the individual in front of them, always within the structure and guidance provided by the interdisciplinary team.

Our practice is grounded in harm reduction and trauma-informed care. We understand behaviour as a form of communication, we recognize each person’s right to make decisions about their own life, and we hold safety, trust, and dignity as the conditions that make meaningful support possible. The Direct Support Professional brings patience, consistency, and clinical curiosity to this work and contributes to an environment in which people feel secure enough to grow.

RESPONSIVE BEHAVIOURS AND SUPPORT NEEDS

Each person supported is an individual with their own strengths, preferences, communication style, and support needs. This role is centred on fostering independence, belonging, advocacy, and meaningful relationships, while ensuring that each person is heard, understood, and supported to engage in the life they choose.

Behaviours are closely tied to communication and sensory experience , and they are best understood as how the person supported tells us something is wrong rather than as behaviour to be controlled.



The most significant behaviours are self-injurious behaviour and physical aggression toward staff. Frustration can build quickly when the person supported is not understood, so a large part of the work is noticing early signs of distress, responding to communication attempts, and helping them to feel understood before frustration escalates.

Behaviours are best understood as a way of communicating worry, frustration, or overwhelm rather than behaviour to be controlled. The focus of the Behaviour Support Plan is to build tolerance for waiting for preferred activities and to reduce self-injury, so they can take part more fully in community life. Behaviour is more likely when access to a highly preferred activity, person, or item is delayed, denied, or removed. Other triggers are changes to routines or plans, transitions, unanswered questions, new staff , being denied attention, uncertainty about the future, loud noises and busy environments, and feeling unwell.

W HAT GOOD SUPPORT LOOKS LIKE

Our Direct Support Professionals are patient, observant, and steady. They give time and space, use communication cues, hold to routines, and follow the care plan and protocols consistently, and stay calm and regulated. They understand behaviour as communication, and they build a real relationship grounded in respect for a curious, resilient person who is working hard to be understood.

New staff are encouraged to build rapport first by participating in preferred activities and interests. Trust and friendship come before demands . The people who support best are patient, warm, and steady. They build trust before placing demands, keep schedules predictable and visible, prepare the individual supported for changes ahead of time, and answer question

📌 Direct Support Professional (Canada)
🏢 Rygiel Supports for Community Living
📍 Canada