NEEDED: Personal Care Assistant, position posted October 30, 2022
We are looking for a couple aides who can work with Oscar, 2-10 hours/week. No previous experience necessary! Check out our ad below, with more info below that. To apply, please send resume and note explaining why you would be a good fit to be Oscar’s aide, and why you want this job to Sally, David, and Oscar at sallybbonn@gmail.com.
The Basic Info:
• We are looking to fill 2 positions immediately, assisting Oscar:
- a few evenings/week, approximately 7:00-9:30pm, Su-Th
- a few mornings/week, 5:45-7:00am
- occasional weekend or after school shifts might become available as well
• Requirements:
- 18YO+
- non-smoker
- proof of COVID vaccine
- able to lift/maneuver 80 lbs.
- willing to wear KN95 mask, as requested
• Pay: $15.20/hour
• Please read ad below for important information about Oscar and the job responsibilities.
READ THIS AD FOR MORE (& IMPORTANT) DETAILS:
What is a personal care aide or assistant? you might ask. It’s someone who can help Oscar do the things a typical teen would do for themselves, for example getting up and getting dressed and ready for the day or getting ready for bed at night. An aide allows Oscar much-needed independence, and allows his parents a much-needed break in his daily care.
This could be a great position for a nursing student or a PT or OT student not only because the experience someone will gain with things like transfers and basic daily care, along with becoming familiar with the range of equipment Oscar uses (power wheelchair, stander, BiPAP, cough assist, TLSO and KAFO bracing, etc), but also because Oscar is a remarkable self-advocate. He is very comfortable in his skin, he is filled with disability pride, and can offer a valuable perspective on how ordinary living with a disability can be, along with perspective on the kinds of barriers (lack of accessibility, sure, but also ableism) he is faced with regularly.
We might be a little biased, but he’s also really fun to hang around with!
All of that said, it is NOT necessary to have any background in or aspirations toward a medically-related field to work with Oscar.
You can get a little more of a sense of who Oscar is by checking out his interview about disability rights on Connections with Evan Dawson from October, 2019, as well as his feature in CITY newspaper in December of 2019. Of course these are almost 3 years old, but you’ll get an idea of his advocacy skills!
