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Tag: early intervention

  • Bay Area Non-Profit Hope Services, Re-Opens and Welcomes Back Clients With Developmental Disabilities & Mental Health Needs to In-Person Programs

    Bay Area Non-Profit Hope Services, Re-Opens and Welcomes Back Clients With Developmental Disabilities & Mental Health Needs to In-Person Programs

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    Press Release
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    updated: Jun 18, 2021


    SAN JOSE, Calif., June 18, 2021 (Newswire.com)
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    Hope Services, the leading provider of programs and services for the developmentally disabled and those with mental health needs in the Silicon Valley and the Central Coast, announced it will begin re-opening in-person programs this month to approximately 3,200 clients and 900 program staff & employees. The re-opening starts June 15 and will happen in three phases through September 2021 to ensure safety and proper protocols are in place.

    “These next steps will be difficult, and it will take a lot of work to continue to follow the guidance for keeping our community safe, but Hope Services is committed to the safety of our clients and staff. We appreciate the tremendous support and understanding as we venture forward to reinvent our programs to optimize learning for our clients.”

    “Chip” Huggins, President/CEO of Hope Services

    Hope Services has made tremendous adjustments since the onset of the pandemic, and re-opening will require continued resilience. Shortly after the shelter in place took effect Hope’s in-person therapy, programming, and services had to cease, Hope Services made the necessary pivot to create and implement From Hope to Home™; a virtual service delivery system developed completely in-house, and approved by the Regional Center. The continuity of services through the program helped clients maintain a needed structure and a daily connection to the Hope community in such a challenging time. The first phase of welcoming clients back begins with a hybrid model, blending in person services and distance learning.

    At one point the challenge of going from lockdown to full re-opening seemed almost unsurmountable. However, just as they did 15 months ago when the pandemic began, the Hope community got to work to identify challenges and solutions.

    Hope Services recognizes that although there is excitement to be together in-person, there may also be some anxiety around these changes. To help with this transition Hope continues to offer weekly staff sessions with the mental health team.

    The behind the scenes efforts of caring, creative, and dedicated staff, eager clients & client families, and community partners provides the opportunity to re-open, and once again welcome back Hope.

    Supporting link: http://www.hopeservices.org

    About Hope Services: Since 1952, Hope Services has provided programs and services to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Hope serves more than 3,200 people and their families, and provides a broad spectrum of services for infants through children’s services (age 0-5); day services; employment and job training through local companies including The Home Depot, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, and Google; mental health services; senior services; and community living services. Hope Services is accredited by CARF International, the most prestigious accreditation agency in the disability sector. Hope also operates HopeTHRIFT, which supports the organization’s services and helps with job training skills.

    Contact: Stacy Houston – Marketing Manager, shouston@hopeservices.org

    Source: Hope Services

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  • ColorsKit Pilot Program Kicks Off in Gujarat’s Special School

    ColorsKit Pilot Program Kicks Off in Gujarat’s Special School

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    Insufficient bandwidth of services and resources, inadequate staff training and a pervasive lack of awareness have always posed enormous challenges when it comes to ensuring high-quality education and occupational support for individuals with special needs in India. Times, however, are changing now for the better.

    Press Release
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    Dec 24, 2015


    Vadodara, Gujarat, December 24, 2015 (Newswire.com)
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    ​​​ColorsKit, winner of AT&T Civic App Challenge Award in 2015 and Verizon Powerful Answers Award in 2014, is introduced at Genius Super Kids, a division of Genius English Medium School in Rajkot, Gujarat, as part of WebTeam Corporation’s vision to improve special education practices and learning outcomes for differently-abled children and adults in under-served countries.

    The goal of the program is to deliver early intervention and support services, besides spreading autism awareness in urban India. The ColorsKit toolkit is designed to optimize various self-regulatory skills in individuals with autism and other special needs. The automatic data collection technology embedded in all ColorsKit apps assists special educators in setting individualized education program (IEP) goals in an efficient way.

    The ColorsKit team is looking forward to work with the Genius team. Our focus will initially be on gaining an understanding of the challenges and needs typical to Indian children

    Dhara Desai, Program Coordinator

    “The first phase of this pilot program will involve 27 children on the autism spectrum, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy and other conditions. As most of them need support with activities of daily living, the life skills program can be very helpful if it is tweaked to match our curriculum. For the time being, we are working on the early intervention component of ColorsKit,” said Bijal Harkhani, special education teacher at Genius Super Kids.

    “The ColorsKit team is looking forward to work with the Genius team. Our focus will initially be on gaining an understanding of the challenges and needs typical to Indian children,” program coordinator Dhara Desai said, assuring that changes in the format, features and content of the program will be made as and when required.

    “We can get you the resources and expertise necessary not only to raise awareness but also to make optimum use of your own intervention and teaching methods,” WebTeam CEO Nish Parikh emphasized in an open call to teachers and therapists working with the special needs community in India.

    Addressing the issue of lack of awareness among the mainstream population, Mr. Parikh urged Indian parents to frankly discuss autism and other developmental conditions with their children. “Autism, like puberty and reproductive health, is not an uncomfortable topic in most of the U.S. households. I know many American parents who not only talk about the full spectrum of health with their adolescent kids but also encourage them to participate in community services. I would really love to see more and more Indian parents instilling a sense of mature responsibility in the future generation of this great nation.”

    Various government and non-government reports indicate that one in 250 children has autism in India. The total number of affected individuals is estimated to be 10 million.

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