Customized Options Nonprofit

TO PROVIDE ONE-TO-ONE INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAMING LOWERING THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WHILE RAISING THE EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR PERSON'S WITH AUTISM OR RELATED ABILITIES.

CUSTOMIZED OPTIONS NON-PROFIT CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THOSE THAT WANTED THEM DESPITE THE CONTINUING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND RELATED RESTRICTIONS. WE WERE SAD TO LOSE TWO OF OUR LONG-TERM CLIENTS WHO DIED DURING THE YEAR. STAFFING CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR ISSUE IN GETTING CLIENTS STARTED UP WITH SERVICES AFTER BEING OFF DURING THE PANDEMIC.HIGHLIGHTS OF 2021WHO WE SERVED: CUSTOMIZED OPTIONS PROUDLY SERVED 34 INDIVIDUALS DIRECTLY WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. WE INCREASED OUR SERVICES TO INCLUDE RESPITE AND NIGHT SUPERVISION TO BETTER SERVE OUR CURRENT BASE. A CHANGE IN LICENSING CREATED NEW TITLES FOR OTHER SERVICES. THROUGHOUT THE 2021 YEAR WE SERVED 22 INDIVIDUALS WITH IN-HOME SUPPORT SERVICES WITHOUT TRAINING, 2 INDIVIDUALS WITH IN-HOME SUPPORT SERVICES WITH TRAINING, 1 INDIVIDUAL WITH SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT, 1 CLIENT WITH IN-HOME SERVICES WITH TRAINING PLUS NIGHT SUPERVISION, 1 INDIVIDUAL IN-HOME SUPPORT SERVICES WITHOUT TRAINING PLUS RESPITE, 4 INDIVIDUALS IN-HOME SUPPORT SERVICES WITHOUT TRAINING PLUS EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT AND 3 INDIVIDUALS WITH HOMEMAKER SERVICES. PERSON CENTERED PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION: EACH PERSON SERVED WAS PROVIDED A ONE-TO-ONE STAFFING PERSON WHO ASSISTED WITH PERSON CENTERED PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DESIRED GOALS. GOALS WERE SET BY THE INDIVIDUAL SERVED/GUARDIAN IN A WIDE RANGE OF AREAS INCLUDING:PAID EMPLOYMENT: DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION ONLY ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS SUPPORTED ON HIS JOB. HE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN HIS PAID POSITION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION THIS PORTION OF OUR SERVICES WAS PLACED ON HOLD. JOB TRIALS: DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION THIS PORTION OF OUR SERVICES WAS PLACED ON HOLD.VOLUNTEERING: DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION THIS PORTION OF OUR SERVICES WAS PLACED ON HOLD.EDUCATION: INDIVIDUALS WORKED ONE-ON-ONE WITH THEIR STAFF TO LEARN NEW SKILLS OR IMPROVE ON EXISTING ONES SUCH AS: READING, WRITING, MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, FOREIGN LANGUAGES, ETC. COMMUNITY-BASED AND COLLEGE CLASSES CONTINUED TO BE ON HOLD DUE TO COVID-19. COMMUNICATION: STAFF WORKED WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD GOALS IN AFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WANTS AND NEEDS. COORDINATION BETWEEN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS WAS PROVIDED WHEN THEY WERE ABLE TO ATTEND. SOCIAL SKILLS: INDIVIDUALS SERVED WERE PROVIDED STAFFING TO ASSIST WITH DEVELOPING SOCIAL SKILLS DIRECTLY WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY WHILE ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. MANY INDIVIDUALS ALSO ATTENDED OUR WEEKLY ZOOM GET TOGETHER TO SOCIALIZE AND DO A CRAFT WITH OTHER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. GROSS AND FINE MOTOR SKILLS: GROSS AND FINE MOTOR SKILLS WERE WORKED ON THROUGH INDIVIDUAL NEEDS WITH A ONE-TO-ONE STAFF AS WELL AS COORDINATION WITH THERAPISTS.TRANSPORTATION: WE CONTINUED TO ONLY USE OF STAFF VEHICLES FOR TRANSPORTATION DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION. RIDE SHARE, METRO MOBILITY AND PUBLIC TRANSIT WERE PLACED ON HOLD. STAFFING: ONE-TO-ONE STAFF WAS PROVIDED WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL SERVED AND FAMILY FELT IT WAS SAFE TO DUE SO. SOME FAMILY MEMBERS WERE HIRED DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS RELATED TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION AND OTHER EMPLOYEES EITHER LEFT OR ARE NOT WORKING DUE TO THE SITUATION. AS STATED ABOVE, SHORTAGE OF STAFF CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE AS MORE INDIVIDUAL WOULD LIKE TO START BACK UP AFTER STOPPING SERVICES DURING THE PANDEMIC.GROUP ACTIVITIES: ALL IN PERSON GROUP ACTIVITIES WERE PLACED ON HOLD DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION. A ZOOM GROUP GET TOGETHER WAS HELD EVERY THURSDAY FROM 1:00-2:00PM. INDIVIDUALS SERVED WERE ABLE TO JOIN AND CONVERSE WITH ONE ANOTHER. A CRAFT/ART PROJECT WAS COMPLETED ONLINE WITH VOLUNTEER, TAMMY, AND A TOPIC OF INTEREST WAS DISCUSSED AS WELL WITH FACTS AND JOKES BEING SHARED BY ALL. A GRAB-N-GO BAG REPLACED THE DAILY GROUP ACTIVITIES. EACH WEEK SEVERAL BAGS WERE PLACED IN THE OFFICE ENTRYWAY FOR INDIVIDUALS SERVED TO PICK UP. BAGS HAD A CRAFT THAT COULD BE DONE DURING THE WEEKLY ZOOM GET TOGETHER AND ACTIVITIES THAT COULD BE COMPLETED INDIVIDUALLY WITH STAFF SUCH AS: WORD PUZZLES SUCH AS WORD FINDS AND CROSSWORDS, SCISSOR SKILLS ACTIVITIES AND COLORING PAGES FOR BUILDING HAND DEXTERITY, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS AND GAMES.INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED: CUSTOMIZED OPTIONS PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO THOSE IN NEED WITH ADDITIONAL HELP OBTAINING ITEMS NEEDED TO LIVE AND WORK MORE INDEPENDENTLY. CLOTHING SUCH AS UNDERWEAR, SHIRTS, SHORTS, AND PANTS WERE PROVIDED TO PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SEVERAL WERE GIVEN ITEMS TO ASSIST THEM ON THE JOB AND WITH THEIR OWN BUSINESSES. OTHER:OUR STAFF, INDIVIDUALS SERVED AND THEIR FAMILIES CONTINUED TO TAKE THE COVID-19 SITUATION VERY SERIOUSLY. WE HAVE TAKEN EVERY PRECAUTION WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT THE VIRUS DOES NOT SPREAD THROUGHOUT OUR ORGANIZATION. HAND SANITIZERS, DISINFECTANT WIPES AND OTHER CLEANING SUPPLIES HAVE BEEN MADE READILY AVAILABLE TO ALL STAFF AND INDIVIDUALS SERVED. WE PROVIDED KN95 MASKS AS WELL AS GLOVES TO ALL WHO NEEDED THEM. EXTRA CLEANING HAS BEEN DONE AT THE OFFICE AND IT HAS REMAINED CLOSED TO ALL INDIVIDUALS SERVED AND DIRECT SUPPORT STAFF, EXCEPT AS NEEDED, TO AVOID GROUP TRANSMISSION.