Community
Haven for Adults & Children with Disabilities, Inc.
(CHAC) is a 52 year old, private, non-profit, community-based
human service organization serving children, teens and adults with physical,
developmental, mental health, sensory and/or multiple disabilities. Its primary
goals are to offer state-of-the-art early intervention, educational, skill
training, employment, transportation and community living programs/services that
improve the self-sufficiency and independence levels of those served. On a daily
basis, approximately 700+ consumers are served.
CHAC has an annual budget of $3.8 million and employs approximately 95
full and part-time professional and support staff. Services are provided on the
32 acre main campus and/or through community office locations in Sarasota,
Manatee and Charlotte. Satellite offices are located at the Treasure House
location in Manatee County, in Port Charlotte, the Glasser Schoenbaum Human
Services Center in the city of Sarasota.
Description of Persons Served and Types of Services:
CHAC provides a range of programs and services under a Disability Neutral status that includes those with all types of disabilities: traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, muscular dystrophy, seizure and behavioral disabilities, deafness and/or hearing impairments, visual impairments, developmental delay, autism, mental health/developmental disability and/or a variety of physical disabilities. Some children have disabilities as a result of their mother’s drug/alcohol abuse during pregnancy. Others are or have been homeless and/or live in shelters. The majority of children and teens are at-risk for developmental and educational failure. Many children live in foster care and/or have fragile medical conditions that require on-site nursing services.
Page Index of Programs:
The
Selby Preschool
The Selby Preschool remains the cornerstone of CHAC since its inception
50 years ago. At that time, the grassroots efforts of parents of children with
disabilities and other community advocates were successfully able to counter
bias from the public educational system that wouldn’t enroll children with
disabilities by designing/implementing an educational program that would
champion students and their ability to garner an education and the functional
capabilities to eventually attend public school. The preschool continues to
evolve and includes the latest instructional techniques in
Early Intervention, Educational Therapeutic (occupational, physical and
speech/language therapy) and Education of young children, technology and
state-of-the-art teaching practices. Throughout their program, students
are able to experience success at tasks appropriate for their age that builds
the expectation of future success and good self-esteem based on accomplishment. Basic
skills necessary for reading, writing and math increase their likelihood to
succeed as kindergartners. The preschool is in the Gold Seal program, completed
the process for National Association of Education of Youth and Children (NAEYC)
and is waiting for accreditation; is part of a CARF (Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities) accredited agency.
With school readiness as a preeminent goal, a best practices approach includes mingling children with disabilities and typically developing children in the preschool learning environment utilizing the Anti-Bias Curriculum published by the National Association for the Education of Youth and Children. This curriculum is recognized for teaching “young children to recognize and appreciate differences and for developing a positive understanding of disabilities”. This philosophy is integral to helping foster tolerance, kindness, responsible citizenship; helping children appreciate differences that lead to positive reactions to experiences later in life. The preschool also encourages proactive learning for teachers in other childcare centers in ways to include children with disabilities in educational and recreational programming.
TRANSITIONS SERVICES-
SCHOOL-TO-CAREER COMPONENTS
Transition Services comprises WorkTrek
(WT) and High School/High Tech
(HS/HT). Both are state recognized, award winning programs that present
academic guidance, preparatory employment programming and career path planning
for Sarasota high school students with disabilities and/or who are minority,
Hispanic or other ethnicity, the majority of who are at-risk for academic
failure. The program’s design offers prevention/intervention services
necessary to help improve attendance and graduation rates for targeted students;
helps reduce the numbers of teens who use drugs and/or alcohol leading to
substance abuse. Students
served are those who have been traditionally overlooked and underserved
vocationally in the public school system. Their exposure to the workplace has
been generally little to none due to misconceptions regarding the abilities of
those with disabilities and negative attitudes toward hiring teens.
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WorkTrek offers
a school and work-based curriculum that allows teens with disabilities
(participants are not college-bound) to understand the correlation between
academics and employment standards/skills required to obtain a good paying job
upon graduation and job advancement. It achieves this by utilizing a structured,
yet, less formal approach to meeting academic challenges complete with hands-on
learning and work experiences. By capturing a student’s interest through this
inventive method, school attendance and graduation rates are increased. Students
participate in job shadowing, mentoring and have hands-on work experiences that
offer the ability to “try” a number of job types within local businesses.
They have opportunities to visit educational sites, perform community service
and broaden their view of the world in general. In tandem with Community
Employment Services, students receive community-based assessments and eventual
job placement assistance.
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High School/High Tech offers an enriched high school academic program
with opportunities in science, technology, engineering and/or arts-related
projects for students with disabilities who are headed towards secondary
education. The students develop an early career path plan that includes pursuing
a high tech, post-secondary education. Students are offered job shadowing and
internships to familiarize themselves with workforce needs/requirements. It is a
community-based partnership of students, parents, caregivers, educators,
rehabilitation professionals and business representatives. The program offers a
distinctive opportunity for students with disabilities in the 9th-12th
grades who have the potential to pursue post-secondary educational options.
HS/HT 1) help motivate students to pursue science, engineering, technology and
arts-related interests; 2) encourage student participants to aim for college
degrees in their chosen fields; 3) offers students the appropriate college and
career planning information/guidance via campus visits or recruiter-led
discussion; 4) provides employers with a potential source of educated, qualified
future employees; 5) offers
internships and hands-on work experiences and 6) provides adult and peer
mentoring.
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Occupational
Training
Occupational
Training (OT) has evolved into a multi-level program that offers
participatory education, employment readiness and hands-on job experiences and
community inclusion through involvement with expanded vocational opportunities
for participants with the most severe physical, developmental, mental health,
sensory and/or multiple disabilities. Through the program they have hands-on
skill training and paid employment opportunities to upgrade their skills,
functional capabilities, knowledge and independence levels.
It is located in a completely renovated building that has furthered
productivity of participants by 25% in the past year. All participants are
assisted in developing a Futures Plan that becomes the blueprint to achieving
their personal goals regarding skill training, employment, single family living
arrangements, recreational and community involvement pursuits.
The expansive venue of programs and services enable participants to try an array of entry level jobs such as assembly, custodial, food preparation, landscaping and farm worker to learn to adapt to the workplace, interact successfully with co-workers, and obtain functional skills to help them to eventually transition into a job with a local employer, obtain, stable community living arrangements, attain self-sufficiency capabilities to live as independently as possible and to become involved in activities and events in the community with others who do not have disabilities. For those who are senior citizens, it affords them the opportunity to continue to work on a very part time basis if they choose to do so, earn a paycheck and remain involved in recreational and social activities. All participants are paid commensurate wages based on prevailing wage studies that meet federal Wage and Hour Standards.
Community
Employment
The goal of Community Employment
Services (CES) is to assist citizens with disabilities in obtaining and
maintaining community based employment and provide supports that ensure that
this employment is consistent with career goals and conducive to a valued
lifestyle within our society. All employment services are tailored and involve
creative methods to achieve cost effective outcomes for participants. Employment
related features of the program include:
1)
job exploration for participants who have had virtually no exposure to real-life
work experiences and/or those who are re-entering the workforce;
2)
development of a Vocational Interest Plan comprising a participant’s Personal
Futures Planning focusing on individual strengths and interests in order to
gather resources that will lead to eventual employment and career path success;
3)
job assessment/vocational evaluation opportunities;
4)
On-the Job Employability seminar to improve business and telephone
communication/etiquette, develop a resume and perfect interviewing skills;
5) Computer Training through the CHAC Computer Lab that enables participants
to learn PC Basics, Keyboarding, Data Entry Microsoft Office Professional or
Internet Basics for the Job Seeker;
6)
job analysis,
7) job restructuring,
8)
job placement,
9) intensive
on-the-job training support;
10)
follow-along and peripheral support services;
11) career path planning;
12)
involvement with a Job Club for both job seekers and those who have become
employed.
Projects
With Industry
U.S.
Department of Education/Projects with Industry program (PWI) awarded the pilot
CHAC/PWI program third year funding. This has been especially significant due to
DOE’s stringent funding guidelines and standards that must be obtained to
secure the full, three year funding award.
With the addition of this nationally recognized, best practices employment program for people with disabilities, CHAC has elevated the breadth and depth of its ability to help teens and adults with disabilities to obtain skill training, employment, career advancement, post secondary educational programming, upgrade skills and receive follow-along services. PWI has enabled us to increase our collaboration with three One Stop Centers in Manatee and Sarasota counties through improving access to services, jobs and careers for One Stop participants who have disabilities. The project offers job development/job creation/job placement opportunities, internships and/or work experiences in a realistic work settings with local employers for teen participants; help devise career path planning assistance through offering information and training resources and helping employees to upgrade their employees skills for career advancement; offering follow-along services to the employee and employer to ensure successful and long-term employment. Additionally, assistance in developing or purchasing workplace accommodations, modifications and/or technology customized to individual needs is offered in collaboration with referral sources.
Community
Living
With
five decades of experience, the Community Living Program remains a large vendor
of housing support services for Sarasota citizens who are adults with
developmental, physical, mental health, sensory and/or multiple disabilities.
Each year, the program reaffirms its mission to securing cost-effective housing
solutions and family-like living arrangements for one of our most
disenfranchised citizens who are people with disabilities, some of who are
elderly and minority. It continues to offer the most expansive opportunities for
community inclusion, shared single family community living options in decent,
affordable and accessible homes or apartments. It is significant in that it
enables people with severe disabilities to achieve their goal to the most
self-sufficient lives, as possible. The program also helps to de-stigmatize
people with disabilities for those who do not have disabilities and opens up
avenues for friendship, understanding and respectful co-existence. With this,
our community becomes an even richer mosaic.
The Community Living Program has two major components that enables participants to have options and a choice with regard to where and with whom they live. The Off-Campus component offers small, single family living arrangements for participants in homes or apartments located throughout Sarasota County. Generally, the residents are employed by local companies. Stable community living arrangements translates into increased self-sufficiency through employment; their evolution into being productive tax-payers and active community members. The On-Campus component offers adults with the most significant developmental and/or multiple disabilities to live in one of the three, licensed single family group homes that are located on the CHAC campus that they share with up to eight residents. This type of arrangement actually fosters increased independence for residents who are able to access work, recreational and social pursuits, unassisted, on the 32-acre campus. These residents are generally employed through the Occupational Training program. CHAC Transportation Services ensures participation in community events and activities as the majority are unable to access public transportation on their own.
In offering choices and options as to their living arrangements, participants become invested in their arrangements. As a result, consumers realize an improved outlook and quality of life, housing stability that improves chances of long-term employment success and the opportunity to develop friendships with neighbors and others in the community who do not have disabilities.
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Kaleidoscope
Musical Theatre
KALEIDOSCOPE
Touring Company is produced in partnership with the Asolo/FSU Center for the Performing Arts and contains four distinct
components that are described below. It was originally conceived as a Summer
Musical Theatre Workshop over ten years ago to meet community needs to expand
involvement in the arts community to people with disabilities. The Touring
Company has grown to include Active Arts and the KALEIDOSCOPE school which
provide a weekly venue of arts programming for people with disabilities who
remain enthusiastic and wish to continue involvement in theatre and art related
programming and events but are ineligible for standing company member status and
has provided the opportunity for other arts and rehabilitation organizations
around the nation to replicate its innovation in their communities.
For More information about the programs at Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities, Inc., please contact us at:
Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities, Inc.
4405 DeSoto Road
Sarasota, FL 34235
941-355-8808
Email us at communityhaven@comcast.net