“There’s many a time I just cry with simple joy. I’m watching people blossom.”

– Great Prospects CEO Michelle Jericevich

The young adults with developmental disabilities who join us at Great Prospects experience a sense of community in three ways. They share activities and make friends with their peers in our Therapeutic Day Program. They explore the Atlanta area where they live and participate meaningfully in civic life. And they learn about the arts, cultures, people, and animals that make up the wider world to which they also belong.

The shift from institutional-based to community-based programming for young people with special needs has enormous benefits for our participants (21-40) who have transitioned from high school and are learning to live as self-sufficient adults. We foster their independence by helping them practice real-world skills both within the classroom and out in the community.

Life Skills for Adults With Disabilities

The United Disabilities Services Foundation defines life skills as “the behavioral, intellectual, and interpersonal qualities necessary to live a productive, satisfying life.” They fall into three main categories:

Emotional skills: handling emotions appropriately and demonstrating self-awareness and empathy
Thinking skills: finding multiple solutions for problems, being open to learning, and thinking creatively
Social skills: communicating effectively and developing healthy relationships through positive interactions with others

Participants in our Therapeutic Day Program have opportunities to develop some of these skills as they visit local stores, libraries, and parks, and do volunteer work at various locations in the community.

Shopping at stores provides an opportunity to practice changing money and talking about budgeting. Walking through city streets can spark conversations about pedestrian safety and stranger danger. Libraries are great for learning about new technologies and getting computer practice as well as choosing books or magazines to read. Parks are perfect for picnics or simply relaxing, and pointing out the litter some people leave behind can inspire participants to help clean up the green space so that everyone can continue to enjoy its beauty.

Opportunities to Develop Social Skills

Just being out and about in the community provides an instant cure for the isolation that often accompanies living with disabilities. Participating in community life also offers our young adults many opportunities to learn by doing as they develop and practice social skills that allow them to enjoy a greater sense of belonging and build confidence through meaningful interactions.

The social skills that are second nature to many people comprise more components than you might think. For young adults with special needs, some of these skills are easier to learn when they have a chance to mingle with different kinds of people going about their daily lives in the community where they live.

Mental Health.com lists some social skills that enable people to function successfully in relationships on the job, at school, or in their personal lives. They include:

Learning how to dress and interact with people on different social occasions
Knowing when to make eye contact and when not to
Deciding when physical contact is acceptable and whether that might mean a handshake, a fist bump, a hug, or a pat on the back
Making small talk without interrupting others and knowing when and how to start or end a conversation
Noticing and responding to nonverbal body language
Expressing feelings appropriately and responding to the feelings of others

Learning the nuances of speech is key to developing social skills. Typical conversations between friends or coworkers often include ways of speaking that seem strange to individuals with developmental disabilities who are not used to hearing them. A weary hiker who says, “My feet are killing me” is not really dying. “Anna has a green thumb” is a compliment on a girl’s gardening ability. “That test was a bear” doesn’t mean a wild animal was in the classroom.

While people who have been exposed to many different figures of speech immediately understand these things, individuals with special needs may not grasp their meaning without an explanation. They also need to learn that humor takes many forms, including teasing and sarcasm, and that the tone of voice in which something is said can change its meaning dramatically. As they meet more and more people in the community and speak with them in different contexts, young adults with developmental disabilities can increase their self-confidence and start looking forward to social occasions they once might have found intimidating.

Inclusive Volunteering: A Win-Win

The Arc, the largest national community-based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a big fan of inclusive volunteering, in which people with disabilities join in efforts to give back to their communities.

“Many people perceive people with disabilities as the ones in need of service. However, people with disabilities are a key part of civic engagement across the country,” The ARC’s leaders say. “Volunteering helps job seekers network and build relationships that can lead to employment. It also provides chances to build friendships and networks of support. People can and should be empowered to give back to their communities. When everyone participates, it’s a win-win!”

Serving meals at soup kitchens, preparing and delivering meals to seniors, caring for pets and other animals, and working to keep cities beautiful are just a few of the meaningful volunteer activities in which young adults with disabilities can lend helping hands in their communities.

Great Prospects’ participants have volunteered in many ways such as:

Making treat packs for the dogs at LifeLine Animal Project
Helping to clean up Dunwoody Nature Center and other places in the community
Dropping off cans at Dekalb County Fire & Rescue Station #12 and helping with other recycling projects

Enriching Experiences

At Great Prospects, we also nurture participants’ mental and physical well-being with experiences like these.

Weekly fun: Out to lunch, bowling, movies and mini golf at Aurora Cineplex, and various fun activities

Special outings: Ballet performances, Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts, Roswell Cultural Arts Center, Berry Patch Farms, North Georgia Wildlife Park, Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari, and more!

Keeping up with the wider world: Participants gather to stay up-to-date with current events by watching CNN10 Student News, an upbeat TV show for anyone 13 or older who wants a 10-minute look at what’s going on in the world. A recent episode covered topics including the outlook for U.S. retail spending during the holidays, efforts to obtain federal protection for endangered giraffes, a gigantic new football stadium going up in Saudi Arabia, and the annual red crab migration in Australia.

Michelle Jericevich is more than the CEO of Great Prospects, Inc. and founder of its Therapeutic Day Program. She’s the proud parent of a daughter with special needs who is on the way to reaching her fullest potential as a participant in the program. Michelle and her team have a deep understanding of the needs of young adults with developmental disabilities who are making the crucial transition to full adulthood.

Participants in our programs are highly mobile, continent young adults aged 21-40 who do not exhibit violent behaviors. To find out more, please contact us at (770) 314-4243.

Participating Meaningfully in Community Life, Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities Grow and Thrive