Via of the Lehigh Valley 2014 Annual Report to the Community Via of the Lehigh Valley How Via of the Lehigh Valley Began In 1952, a group of determined Lehigh Valley parents of adult children with disabilies opened a dayme acvity program. Parents and volunteers provided training and socializaon opportunies for their sons and daughters, operang in the basement of a church. In 1954, the first execuve director of the newly incorporated Lehigh County Associaon for Retarded Children (LARC) was hired. In 1989, LARC became the Lehigh Valley Associaon of Rehabilitaon Centers. In 1997 the Lehigh Valley Associaon of Rehabilitaon Facilies merged with United Cerebral Palsy of the Lehigh Valley. The combined enty became known as Via of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. Today, Via is one of the largest provider of services to people with disabilies in the Lehigh Valley. Via of the Lehigh Valley Today Via of the Lehigh Valley is a non‐profit agency that provides services for children and adults with disabilies like ausm, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Serving the community since 1954, Via’s staff and volunteers help individuals and families from birth through rerement to gain life skills, obtain meaningful employment and develop social connecons. Via of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. works in partnership with Via Events, Inc. and the Via Foundaon, Inc. to accomplish these goals with community partners. Via provides children, adults and their families with quality services that facilitate developmental and educaonal opportunies, as well as personal choice of career, home, leisure and rerement. Via advocates for inclusion of all people with disabilies within schools, neighborhoods and communies, personal relaonships, and employment. Via builds communies that provide equal access to appropriate developmental services so people have friends who care and relaonships that are rich and meaningful; enjoy a rewarding career of their choice; and are connected to the resources of their community. In 2014*, Via of the Lehigh Valley provided services for 625 children and adults with disabilies throughout the greater Lehigh Valley, in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Bucks and Berks counes. Via of the Lehigh Valley Tomorrow Via’s Strategic Plan focuses on five key areas: Outcomes, Growth, Staff Investment, Community Support and Communicaons. Our work over the last several years and our plans for the future focus on tracking and verifying outcomes by providing objecve evidence of the benefit of Via’s services; growing our service array to meet the needs of our parcipants and to sustain Via’s organizaonal capacity; building and maintaining Via’s organizaonal strength and capacity to operate current and future services; maintaining and expanding financial resources to ensure viability of Via’s services; and effecvely communicang the impact, viability, and success of Via’s programs and services. 2 * Via’s fiscal year 2014, running from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. Our Mission & Guiding Principals Via’s Mission Help the People We Serve Reach Their Full Potenal. Guiding Principles Via's implementaon of its mission and vision is based on the following: Every individual is valued and treated with dignity, respect, and courtesy. Every individual is capable of growth and learning. Every individual is able to communicate needs, desires, feelings, and personal choices through the experience of person‐centered planning and approaches. Every individual has the right to be included as an acve, valuable parcipant in the community. Every individual has a right to physical and mental access to the community. Every individual has a right to an advocate of their choice. Via’s Values We Value People We believe people should be treated with dignity, respect, fairness, and courtesy in environments that are safe and comfortable, and we support individual development. We Value Growth We believe that personal growth is promoted through aenon to present strengths and not past weaknesses. We Value Community We believe that the development of community supports and resources enhances the quality of life. We Value Diversity We believe that an atmosphere of mutual respect for each other’s differences adds quality to our services. We Value Shared ideas We believe that listening is a crucial part of effecve communicaon and that individuals should acvely parcipate in their service planning. We Value Advocacy We believe that everyone is responsible for bringing about the change necessary to benefit those we serve to the fullest extent. We Value Rehabilitaon We believe services must be available as long as they are needed. 3 Via Employment Services Work is a typical part of adult life and everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from being a part of the employed community. Every day, Via staff work on innovave ways to help people find and maintain employment in the community. Via Community Employment Via works to provide the best employment opon for individuals and excels at creang innovave employment soluons that match business’ needs. Via enables adults with disabilies to work in integrated sengs in the community and provides ongoing support so people can perform their job well. Via works one‐on‐one with adults and employers to make effecve job matches, and provides onsite job coaching and support to assist individuals in geng, learning and keeping a job. Via Work Training Services Workshop For more than 50 years, the Via Work Training Services Workshop has specialized in contract packaging and assembly work, and provided consistent high‐quality work for businesses. Our work includes specialty and promoonal packaging, display assembly, and small parts assembly. Our diverse customer base includes some of the most well‐known eastern Pennsylvania companies. 4 Creang Success Every Day Via Employment Services ‐ A Year in Review 211 people were assisted in acquiring and maintaining employment through job development, work assessments, follow‐along support and small business ownership. Via worked with 9 area school districts and served 11 students to provide transion and job development for teens preparing for adult life aer high school. 94 people engaged in packaging, assembly and other light industrial jobs in the Via Workshop for Business Services. The Via Workshop provides contract work for several local and naonal manufacturing companies such as Crayola, B. Braun, Marn Guitar and Smooth‐On Plascs. Via trained more than 500 county and state human service professionals, educators, and other stakeholders in community employment best pracces. Established academic university affiliaon with Drexel University and the A.J. Drexel Ausm Instute to community rehabilitaon provider organizaons on providing customized employment services for the job seekers that they serve. Launched of Spruce Street brand products. Individuals in the Work Training Services Workshop make candles, bath soaks and pet blankets for wholesale. Products are sold in local retail shops like Via Thri Stores and the Sands Casino Gi Shop. Expansion of Via Community Employment Services to support individuals in Bucks and Carbon Counes through the PA Bureau of Ausm Waiver, Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), Office of Vocaonal Rehabilitaon (OVR) and Social Security Plans for Achieving Self Support (PASS). Expansion of Via Work Training Services Workshop to support individuals funded through the Lehigh and Northampton County Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). 5 Via Children’s Services Children deserve a bright and healthy start in life. Recognizing developmental delays and treating them early is vital in the growth of children. Via’s Children's Services can make all the difference in a family’s life. Via Early Intervenon Program Early idenficaon and age‐appropriate therapies are crical to the well‐ being of children with disabilies. Early Intervenon, offered to children from birth to age three, can enhance a child’s development and provide support and assistance to families. Via’s Early Intervenon program is staffed by highly qualified and experienced professionals from a variety of disciplines. Via’s speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and special instructors work with children in their natural environments (homes, daycares) to meet the individual needs of each child and their families. Children are assessed by their therapist to determine their strengths. A plan is developed that helps each child learn and grow according to their needs and abilities. Services are designed from a family focused perspective to meet the developmental needs of the child and their family. Via Pediatric Speech Therapy Services Speech therapy helps children improve their communication skills to an age‐ appropriate level. Via Pediatric Speech Therapy Services designs individual treatment programs and carefully evaluates children’s progress . Lehigh Children’s Academy Lehigh Children’s Academy provides inclusive high quality, nurturing care and educaon for young children, ages six weeks to six years, and provides before and aer school care for school age children. Inclusion as a value, supports the right of all children, regardless of their diverse abilies and background, to parcipate acvely in natural sengs within their communies. Inclusion is characterized by a feeling of belonging, in children of all abilies, learning, playing, and working together. Lehigh Children’s Academy focuses on lasng impressions for a lifeme of learning through educaonal experiences that promote a child’s