Extra Special Teas

ExtraSpecialTeas is an exciting new engagement concept for young adults with disabilities that includes an Employment & Community-based Day Program offering unique opportunities for vocational training in a retail teahouse open to the public. Traditional employment service agencies turn away a percentage of otherwise qualified employees because they cannot meet certain daily living (ADLs) criteria. Therefore, some disabled adults find it difficult to have a place in society once they leave school. Some may get jobs working in laundry, lawn care, grocery or fast food businesses, but most simply remain at Day Habilitation Programs, receiving no vocational training or continued growth opportunities of any kind and with little, if any, exposure or integration with mainstream culture.

Data from a study done by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) showed that developmental disabilities (DD) are common: about 1 in 6 children (ages 3-17) in the U.S. had a DD in 2006-2008. These data also showed that prevalence of parent-reported DDs has increased 17.1% from 1997 to 2008. This study underscores the increasing need for health, education, social services and more specialized services for people with DDs. In autism alone, the statistic increased from 1 in 2,500 children in 1997 to 1 in 88 in 2008. ExtraSpecialTeas is the new alternative available to this ever-growing population, providing both Day Habilitation therapies and the vocational opportunity not offered elsewhere.