TASC (The Adult Skills Center; website: https://www.tascservices.org/) has been serving clients for 35+ years. Ken Lane, the founder of TASC, believed that people with developmental disabilities had just as much of a right to be an important and integrated member of society as others.
Here is a timeline of the programs TASC has to offer: In 1987, the first TASC site was opened with 4 members and 12 clients. In 1990, an Independent Living Skills Program (ILS) was started. This program was started to work with clients one-on-one within the community. In 1994, TASC added a cooperative home program. This program allowed clients to transition from their family’s home or a group home to an apartment of their own within the community. In 1999, TASC added a Supportive Living Service Program (SLS), which supported clients who needed a higher level of care and would not be able to live on their own. In 2005, TASC started a Community Living Assistance Program (CLAP) to help clients that were no longer eligible to receive help and funds when moving to a new home. As of October 2014, TASC has moved from a site-based program to a 100% community integrated day program. In 2016, TASC began its first Specialized Therapeutic Services (STS). These services include Psychological, Behavioral, Health, and Community Integration services. Finally, TASC’s most recent addition (in 2017) was the opening of their store, “The Sunny Spot”. Thanks to this store, TASC is able to raise even more funds and provide better and better services for their clients each day.
In addition to these services and programs, TASC offers even more unique, individualized programs for their clients.
The first of these is their Integrated Employment program. Within this program, TASC helps match their clients to jobs. TASC’s IE program also hires the best employment trainers to provide individualized and client-centered training, to help their clients be the best they can at their new jobs. TASC also provides job coaching and mobility training through their Integrated Employment program.
The second of these programs is Community Integration. For those who are unable to get jobs due to their disabilities, TASC helps them find volunteer work. This volunteer work allows TASC clients to feel accomplished – they are doing their part to make their community a better place. TASC also takes their clients on outings – to local theme parks, participating in community events, visiting local museums, etc. This program helps TASC clients enjoy all the meaningful social and cultural experiences that life has to offer.
The third of these programs is their Health and Wellness program. In this program, TASC offers personalized and group mental health and behavioral coaching. They also have an occupational therapy center. This center helps the clients with a variety of health challenges to participate in daily life to the fullest. The Occupational Therapy clinicians work to find what is meaningful and helpful to each person, and find strategies to help them engage fully in the activities they love. Lastly, in this program, TASC has physical wellness days, once a week.
The last of TASC’s programs is their Independent and Integrated living program.
In TASC’s independent Living Prep subprogram, staff help their more independent clients set life goals and obtain skills for successful community integration, and help them take that first step toward independent living. Once their client settles in, TASC checks in with the person and helps them pay their bills, arrange for groceries, and complete their daily tasks, helping them settle in a rhythm. This prep helps the clients learn to become fully independent.
For the clients who are not ready to live independently, TASC has an Integrated Living program. In this subprogram, a few number of TASC clients and a staff member will live in a communal house, and they receive help to complete their daily tasks. This program also helps patients navigate the various trials of becoming a fully-functional member of society.
Thanks to Ken Lane, the founder of TASC, 2,500 clients and their families have played an important role in the direction of supports and services they received, and are becoming fully-functioning members of their communities.
