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Advocates for Life Skills and Opportunity, (ALSO) is a nonprofit service provider to people experiencing disabilities in communities across Oregon. Founded in 1997, their mission is to promote the full inclusion of people experiencing disabilities in the life of their community by providing services such as Employment Services, Residential Services, Supported Living Services, Children’s Services and the ALSO Arts Program, with a gallery in Troutdale.
People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), their families and professionals often engage in person-centered planning to determine current and future supports needed to improve quality of life. A conceptual view of expanding person-centered thinking approaches for developing personalized integrated supports for people with disabilities and their families.
Often one of the goals desired by the person supported by ALSO is finding employment. ALSO’s Employment Services assist individuals with IDD find and keep a job. Everyone wants to feel like they exist in and are part of their community, and having a job allows the people ALSO supports to live the life of their own choosing.
ALSO assists the person receiving support by providing a job coach. The job coach will work with any businesses in the community to create a job through a customized, person-centered approach process. This is when a group of tasks are collected to create a new position that matches the person’s skills and desires and fills the employer’s needs. ALSO provides vocational training and support at no cost until the employee is ready to work as independently as possible. The person receiving support may be concerned that they will lose state and federal benefits if they go to work, but ALSO works with each individual to find the best solution to balance their work and benefits.
If what you are reading inspires you to assist ALSO in their mission, please visit alsoweb.org and click the donate button.