College Bound: Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Isolated no More.

This project was created for helping individuals with developmental disabilities attain vocational skills at a local community college so that they may attain gainful employment outside a sheltered workshop in Redwood City, California, USA.  This Community Service Grant project was requested to Rotary eClub One to help individuals with developmental disabilities go to a local community college for community integration and for vocational training.  One of the most respected activities an individual can do is work, and provide for themselves.  There is dignity in work.  This grant would give individuals who were once discarded and deemed as unteachable an opportunity to learn basic vocational skills so that they may have the opportunity to work in the community. Persons with developmental disabilities who are higher functioning will benefit from this project.

       The Rotary eClub One member personal involvement with this project is that she is the day program coordinator that plans and facilitates activities for this population. College would become an activity within that day program. Funds will be used to help pay the tuition and materials necessary for disadvantaged persons with developmental disabilities take classes at the local community college (Cañada College). This opportunity would be significant because it will give higher functioning individuals an opportunity for community integration and an opportunity for personal enrichment and possible vocational training.  The CSG funding provided individuals with intellectual disabilities the ability to attend classes run through Foothill College’s Adaptive Learning Program.  Participants were able to purchase supplies needed for these classes.  Our first choice of colleges fell through; we had tremendous difficulty in getting them to work with us.  We then went to Foothill College, who has an adaptive learning department geared towards teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities.  As a direct result of this grant, 23 individuals with disabilities will have the opportunity to integrate within their community and help teach others about individuals with intellectual disabilities this summer.  52 more clients will be able to take classes in the fall.

I would like to thank everyone at Rotary eClub One for this grant.  It was a long time in coming.  The decision to integrate clients into the local community college was in direct result of the new employment first mandate.  Currently, many of our clients work in a sheltered workshop, at sub-minimum wage.  With the new mandate, our goal is to train individuals to work within the community.  To do this, many need education in how to manage in public. Part of why this report took so long was that we needed the ok from many people such as conservators and social workers, as well as the agency managers (Kainos).  This has set the stage for more classes.  So far the day program was the recipient of the grant money for these classes. As a result, 52 other clients that work in the sheltered workshop will get to go to classes in the fall.  It is by this first round of new students that we got the ball rolling for others, and we will be able to change the lives of many. Rotary played a big part in this success story.   Since each person is on an individual level financially, those that needed help with funding received funds first. Kainos subsidized some of the cost in the form of staff support.

Rotary eClub One will receive recognition from families of these individuals, staff members, Cañada College, Kainos Home and Training Center, Golden Gate Regional Center.