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Kitsap County Developmental Disabilities

Employment & Community Access Services

Dear Program Participants and Family Members, This information is designed to assist you in choosing an employment service provider in Kitsap County.  The

agencies listed below, contract with the Kitsap County Department of Human Services Developmental Disabilities program to provide employment and

community access services to adults, 21 years of age and older. Participants must be eligible for services through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDA). The providers listed in this brochure have successfully completed a request for qualification process that

includes a review of agency policies, procedures and staff training. Each of the agencies must undergo an on-site evaluation during the contract period to maintain

authorized provider status and all have demonstrated a commitment to providing quality, person centered services As an eligible participant, you are assigned a funding allocation to purchase employment or community access services from one of the Kitsap County contracting agencies. Services are designed to assist you to lead a full, active, integrated and productive life in your community.

Skookum

www.skookum.org

Skookum Employment Services is a not-for profit organization

that assists individuals with disabilities to obtain and

maintain jobs and become valued members of the workforce

and the community. We work with Developmental Disabilities

Administration, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

and other agencies as applicable to help individuals with disabilities

to become successfully employed. We can provide you

with:

Employment Planning Skookum staff can help you develop

a plan that is based on your personal dreams and choices.

Assessment An Assessment will provide you with experiences

and information to help you decide about your future

employment.

Job Development We can contact employer s on your behalf,

accompany you to job interviews and assist you with

other activities that will lead to employment.

Job Coaching You will be trained by your supervisor and

coworkers, but we can also be there to help you learn your job

tasks, work faster and get used to the routine.

Long-Term Support In the future, your job duties may

change and you may need a little extra training.

For further information about how Skookum can help you in

working toward your goals contact:

Megan Mason-Todd

(360) 475-0756 ext. 347

email: Megan.Mason-Todd@skookum.org

P.O. Box 5359, 4525 Auto Center Way, Bremerton, WA

98312

 

Able Opportunities

www.ableopportunities.com

CARF-accredited Able Opportunities, Inc. seeks to empower

individuals with disabilities in achieving their highest level

of autonomy. Serving Kitsap County and Puget Sound

region, Able Opportunities, Inc. specializes in two primary

areas:

Vocational Services, including Independent Living Skills

Evaluation and Training, Work Skill Assessment, Person-

Centered Planning, Job Development and Placement, Job

Coaching, long-term Supported Employment and Job

Retention, enabling individuals to realize their full potential

in both the workplace and their communities; and

Communication Consultation, for individuals who do not use

formal language. Alternative strategies training is provided to

individuals with disabilities, their support teams, schools and

employers. “Nonlinguistic Communication Strategies,” a

two-day hands-on, participatory workshop, has been praised

for providing participants with techniques and materials that

can be implemented upon completion of the training.

The success of our work lies in an infectious positive vision

and respect for all, embracing our diversity and unique

contributions. All services accessible to deaf, hard of hearing,

blind and deaf blind customers.

For further information contact:

Jennifer L. White, Director ,

(360) 638-0881 V/TTY or Cell: (206) 406-9900

E-mail: jennifer@ableopps.com

PO Box 468; Hansville, WA 98340

There are other agencies in Kitsap County who provide

similar services but do not contract with the

County. If you would like a full list of all providers

please call our office (360-337-4622) and request a

Community Resource Guide.

If, after selecting a service provider you are not satisfied

with the services you are receiving you have

the right to change providers at any time. We request

you give the provider and your DDA Case

Manager a 30-day notice.

If you have any questions or need assistance please

contact:

Kelly Oneal,

Developmental Disabilities Coordinator

(360) 337-4624

Kirsten Murray,

Developmental Disabilities Program Specialist

(360) 337-4622

You may also contact your DDA Case Resource

Manager, Bremerton office number (360) 475-3490.

The following values are the core of the Division

of Developmental Disabilities County Guidelines

and will be used in supporting individuals with

developmental disabilities in Kitsap County:

Power and Choice - Making our own choices and

directing our own lives;

Relationships - Having people in our lives whom

we love and care about and who love and care

about us;

Status/Contribution - Feeling good about

ourselves and having others recognize us for what

we contribute to others and our community;

Integration - Being a part of our community,

through active involvement. This means doing

things we enjoy as well as new and interesting

things;

Competence - Learning to do things on our own

or be supported to do things for ourselves; and

Health and Safety - Feeling safe and secure, and

being healthy.

The importance of these basic benefits of

community life is not unique to people with

developmental disabilities, they are important to

all of us in all phases of our lives.

 

Peninsula Services

www.peninsulaservices.org

Peninsula Services mission is to assist persons with

developmental disabilities, mental illness and other

challenges, in developing skills and capabilities by providing

a wide array of rehabilitative and supportive services. The

agency provides assessment, rehabilitative work training, job

placement and employment options to persons with

disabilities in Kitsap County. Peninsula Services has been in

Kitsap County since 1971 and is currently serving

approximately 200 people each year. Delivery of these

services is accomplished in a number of ways including the

procurement of actual contracts to serve as training or

employment sites, the direct job placement of individuals

with employers in the community, or through productive

work training opportunities established by Peninsula Services

itself. Peninsula Services is accredited by CARF

(Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities)

and is certified to provide services to the Division of

Developmental Disabilities, the Division of Vocational

Rehabilitation, the Department of Labor and Industries and

the Veteran’s Administration. On the job training, use of the

latest technology, as well as accommodations that may be

needed for individual participants, promote excellence in

work performance. All services may be provided on a group

and/or individual basis. It is the philosophy of the

organization that all persons have the capacity to work, grow,

and excel.

For further information contact:

Todd Faulkner, Vocational Services Director

(360)377-5544 or e-mail: toddf@peninsulaservices.org

PO Box 5030, 7500 Werner Rd., Bremerton, WA 98312

Trillium

www.trillium.org

Trillium believes that people of all abilities can work. We

have been providing individualized employment services to

people with developmental disabilities since 1983, and we

look forward to the opportunity to help you find a job.

 We will meet with you and anyone you invite who will talk

about your strengths, skills, and career goals. We will work

with your DVR Counselor and DDA Case Manager to

make sure you have the resources you need to reach your

job goals.

We will brainstorm businesses in your community that

would benefit from your talents and skills and we will help

you connect with the businesses that appeal to your

interests.

 We will support you in creating a resume or portfolio,

preparing for interviews, completing applications, and

talking with prospective employers.

 We will help you learn your job duties, connect with your

coworkers and supervisors, and provide any technical

supports or accommodations that will help you do your job

independently.

 We will continue to support you on your job and

communicate with your supervisor so that if your job duties

change or you encounter challenges, we can help you be

successful.

For further information contact:

Heidi Scheibner, Kitsap Program Manager

(360) 698-6659 or e-mail: Heidi@trillium.org

3501 Lowell St, Suite 101; Silverdale, WA 98383

Pathway to Employment

The “pathway to employment” is the process by which

an individual pursues competitive employment. The

pathway to employment for each person may vary in

time, activities and supports necessary to achieve their

personal employment goals. These services reflect the

core values stated in the County Guidelines.

School-to-Work Transition

Transition services prepare young adults exiting the

public school system to secure meaningful work.

Services assist students and their family in building a

bridge from high school to adult employment

programs. Support is provided to coordinate funding

between the Division of Developmental Disabilities

and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Programs

Individual Supported Employment:

Services are part of an individual’s pathway to

employment. These are placement and follow-up

services necessary to help persons with developmental

disabilities obtain and continue integrated, living wage

employment in the community, in business or industry.

This service may include creating work opportunities,

support to the supervisors and/or peer workers to enable

them to support the person on the job, on-the-job

training, and modification of work site or tasks.

Community Access:

Services that assist people with developmental

disabilities who are 62 and older who have retired and

choose not to work. Services will assist individuals to

participate in activities, events and organizations in the

community in ways similar to others of retirement age.

Holly Ridge Center

www.holly ridge.org

Holly Ridge Center’s Adult Employment Services (AES) is

a rehabilitation agency providing community based

employment services to adults with disabilities. The AES

programs provide a variety of employment services through

contracting with Kitsap County Developmental Disabilities,

Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, school district

contracts and through private pay support agreements. Our

programs have been recognized for 43 years of service in

the community. The center offers three program formats:

 Group Supported Employment which staffs an onsite,

skilled vocational trainer who supports up to seven

individuals in performing their community based jobs.

 Independent Supported Employment (ISE) is

competitive employment opportunities by local

business. The ISE Placement team assist the employer

in understanding and providing the accommodations

needed for their employees’ success.

 High School Transitional Employment which are AES

contracts with individual school districts developed on a

specific student plan basis.

The focus on each program is meeting the individual need,

abilities, and goals of the participant. Holly Ridge Center

has on staff a team of skilled professionals, trained to assist

individuals with disabilities achieve and maintain successful

and meaningful employment.

For further information please contact:

Melinda Slater

(360) 479-9023 or e-mail: aes@hollyridge.org

5002 Kitsap Way, Suite 200, Bremerton, WA 98312

Vadis

www.vadis.org

Incorporated in 1979, Vadis is a private, non-profit

organization which provides a wide array of employment

assistance to people with developmental disabilities and the

businesses that employ them. We honor each person’s

choices, skills and interests through person-centered

vocational planning. For over a decade we have offered

training to businesses in the community to assist them in

supporting their employees with disabilities.

Our Individual Employment Services have a reputation of

quality employment, high wages and long-term job retention.

We partner with businesses to create successful employment

opportunities, encouraging natural supports within the

workplace. We tailor support to each individual person we

serve. In the instances where people need a little experience

before starting paid employment, we offer short-term

volunteer opportunities to allow people to contribute to their

community in a meaningful way, while gaining the skills

needed for their future careers.

For further information contact:

Shauna Euritt, Employment Services Manager

(360)516-6484 or email: shauna@vadis.org

3100 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Suite 220

Silverdale, WA 98383

 

       ​Kitsap County Provider Service ​ ​

Providers

Individual

Employment

Community Access
Able Opportunities check.jpg
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​Easter Sealscheck.jpgcheck.jpg
​Holly Ridge Center Servicescheck.jpg
​Peninsula Servicescheck.jpg
Skookum​check.jpg
Trillium​check.jpg
​Vadis

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Easter Seals

www.easterseals.com/washington

As a direct service provider, Easter Seals Washington (ESW) strives

to help adults and transitioning students to meet their goals of

independence and community involvement.

For 65 years, ESW has responded to the needs of individuals and

their families throughout our state. Our Workforce Development

Program in Kitsap County has succeeded in placing people in

employment since 1993, understanding that having a job and

earning a paycheck changes one’s status, social network, self-perception,

and access to further opportunities.

Our person centered planning process works to involve all relevant

people in an individual’s life to set meaningful goals and to tap into

resources that become apparent as the group brainstorms. This

process leads to opportunities that were likely hidden before, and a

realistic plan with measurable outcomes can then be developed.

With the limited employment opportunities in Kitsap County, we

are increasingly aware of the need to help the people we serve build

skills and create relationships with employers, not just apply for

existing competitive openings.

Whether the service is identified as Individual Employment or

Community Access, our approach is the same. Get to know the

person; set meaningful time-sensitive goals; define the activities that

will support goal obtainment; work the plan; assess progress and

adjust the plan as needed. All of these activities are carried out

under the supervision of our Program Director and with frequent

communication between all stakeholders.

At Easter Seals Washington, we want to help you live, learn & work

in your community. Please contact:

Ashley Jackson, Director of Workforce Development

Phone: (360) 373-2502 Ext. 101

Email: ajackson@wa.easterseals.com

 

 

Cares of Washington

www.caresofwa.org

Cares of Washington (formerly IAM Cares) has served

Kitsap County since 1982. Presently we offer Independent

Employment, and Community Access Services. Cares of

Washington also has supportive staff to assist with bus

training. Our range of employment placements is as

individual as the people we assist. Each placement is made

with the interest, desires and abilities of the client in mind,

and always in a safe, supportive environment. We actively

participate with counselors at the Division of Developmental

Disabilities, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and

other support staff to ensure quality services. We look

forward to visiting with you about your dreams and goals and

providing you with any information needed to assist you with

your decisions.

For information regarding our program please contact:

Lars Nowack, Executive Director

(206) 938-1253 or e-mail: lnowack@caresofwa.org

1833 North 105th St., Suite 201; Seattle, WA 98133