Habilitation Information Vocation & Education Inc

Okay, just think for a moment about what your life might be like as an adult with developmental disabilities...does that conjure any images, any emotions? Once out of high school, what would your day look like? Where do you go? What do you do? Who do you see? Chances are, the HIVE wants to change your answers.

 

You see, we are privy to a reality that we would like to share with everyone. Ready? People with disabilities are just like the rest of us. Yep! They can learn. They can work. They have opinions. They have gifts to contribute. They want respect. They enjoy relationships. Just...like...you & me. Here is the problem: They don't have the same options or opportunities that we do. How uncool is that? So maybe they need some special supports to be able to achieve and experience these things.

In comes the HIVE.

 

It's a pretty basic concept: If the goal is for a high school student to have a successful life and reach their potential, there is a kind of unspoken protocol; nearing graduation we typically start to explore the options for post-secondary education or training in line with the student's interests and skill set. We narrow it down, line it up, and make it happen. In those young adult years, what we learn academically, vocationally, emotionally, etc. is the foundation from which we launch into adulthood. This has historically not been the experience for people with disabilities. Why? Good question! We think too often they are presumed incapable, therefore unworthy of investment, so they’re placed in a crummy job or hidden away in a day care. It’s time for change.

 

The HIVE wants to provide the supports our members need to make their launch. Habilitation- support and instruction in the self-help and independent living skills that are a challenge for many individuals with disabilities.

Information- for members and their families on what services and resources are in our community that will support and supplement our members in achieving their goals.

Vocation- job carving and assessments, interview and employment skills training. Education- because knowledge is power! Language, history, math, etc. so our members continue to grow academically.

 

Our goal at the HIVE is for our members to grow out of our services. We want each person to have access to everything they need to become as independent as possible.

 

Membership will give access to our clubhouse with classrooms and professionals who can offer strategies in how to achieve your goals. You come when you see fit, stay the time you choose to stay, and participate in offered classes if you want or work on your own with your personal assistant. We envision having several classrooms, a sensory room, common room, kitchen, and laundry that would all be attached to our retail store that is open to the public. The store would serve as a medium to hone employment skills at one's own pace and tolerance level with the security of the clubhouse right through the doors. Membership will include services in all aspects of H.I.V.E. with the expertise of an Independent Living Specialist, Program Coordinator, Employment Specialist, and Transition Specialist. Any member's personal assistant (with background check) may bring the member to the HIVE to utilize our clubhouse and guidance of our trained staff.

 

 

 

 

The HIVE was founded by a mom who felt the need to shake up the status quo when it came time for her son to transition from high school. Motivated by limited options, she saw possibilities, she rallied troops, she shared ideas with parents and professionals, and the vision for the HIVE was born. With good fortune, on her journey she collected a stellar board of directors: a top-notch marketing executive with her MBA, a state-wide recognized behavior specialist/school psychologist/field trainer for autism, a former executive director of an award winning nonprofit, and a college professor with her PhD in Rehabilitation Education and Research and MS in Independent Living and Rehabilitation Counseling.

 

OUR MISSION

To empower individuals to lead fulfilling, self-determined lives by providing the needed supports to make informed choices, build relationships, experience respect, and make contributions as fully participating citizens.

 

OUR VISION

A barrier-free community in which all individuals may live, work, and enjoy access to limitless opportunities as valued citizens.

We rely on the generosity of others who believe like we do, that everyone has something to contribute and deserves opportunities for success. Contributions are used to purchase classroom equipment, consumable items, and pay our small professional staff so that we may provide the best services possible to our members and our community. Each gift is an investment in the fulfilling future of a person with a disability. The positive impact on that individual ripples throughout that person's family, the communities in which we live, and the very culture that shapes our environments.  When you support the HIVE, you are helping build futures, one life at a time.