| About
Us Spectrum
Support, Inc.,
a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, helps people with developmental
disabilities such as mental retardation,
autism, seizure disorders or cerebral palsy
to live, learn, work and play in supportive
communities.
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We
provide supports in Baltimore, Columbia, Sykesville,
Frederick, Hagerstown, Cumberland and the
western region of Tennessee. We also provide
services to people with developmental disabilities
who reside in state psychiatric hospitals.
Many of the individuals we support have a
dual diagnosis such as bi-polar disorder,
schizophrenia or depression. We provide supports,
primarily to adults, in a work setting, from
their own homes, or to children who live with
their families. |
In addition to our day programs, where we offer job and life skills training, as well as job coaching in support of community employment, we also operate a residential program where people
can live in a home with 2 other housemates in regular
community apartments or homes. Other people we support
may choose to live with a family (similar to adult
foster homes) and be full participants in the family’s
routines.
The
process of change comes about because of our unwavering
belief in the inherent good in people. When we accept
someone into our program we accept them unconditionally.
We’ll find a way for the person to be successful.
It may occur one step at a time, through repeated
actions, or until we realize that the person is not
progressing due to us not yet having found the correct
way of supporting her/him – and we then try other
ways until we develop the right combination of supports.
We keep trying, and stick it out!
The
people we support are much like you and me. Individuals who
want to be accepted; like to help others; like to
have money and realize working is a good way to receive
it; wish to be treated normally, and want to have
friends, nice clothes, vacations, and regular lives.
As a result, we talk about "supporting"
individuals rather than "serving" them.
Staff members state repeatedly that they like working
with the individuals because they learn from each
other. Thus, we strive to attain a level of mutual
support rather than a top-down model of staff "teaching"
individuals how to behave, read, do their job, and
more. Mutual discovery of a person’s strengths
and abilities is exciting. The more we can help people
discover what it is they like about themselves, the
more they can develop new horizons, new dreams and
goals, and the more the community grows and benefits
as well.
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