Programs for Exceptional People offers a wide variety of group and individual programs and services for our members.
Overview
PEP operates based on the person-centered approach to service delivery. Program participants, along with their chosen Circle of Support, that is, the people in their lives whom they identify as meaningful, meet at least annually to discuss presenting needs and desires; a thorough process from which goals are developed to assist the individual to achieve success. PEP offers an array of programs through which the specific objectives are addressed. All services, regardless of the individuals’ specific goals, are provided to increase independence and self-sufficiency, to promote self-determination and optimum quality of life, and to prevent regression and loss of functioning ability.
Day Habilitation Program
Our Day Habilitation program is provided daily. Day Habilitation is appropriate for those who wish to acquire, increase, and/or improve self-help skills, socialization skills, and adaptive living skills. Each member’ goals and corresponding objectives are specific to their needs and abilities. With great attention to detail, members’ training and subsequent progress is systematically measured. As members accomplish their goals, new ones are formulated; again, only through a meeting involving the individual member and their chosen Circle of Support. Through Day Habilitation, members become increasingly independent and become ready to explore the next possibility.
Employment Services
Many of program members have a strong desire to become employed. To develop the skills needed to be successful in the work force, employment services offer prevocational skills training (i.e. task completion, endurance, fine motor skills training, etc.) and an on-site Work Activity Center (WAC) where members fufill contractual work assignments for local businesses at their own pace and are paid based on standardized time trials. Supported Employment is the most independent component of employment services and is typically the ultimate goal for Members who are able or become able to obtain and maintain competitive positions within the community with limited support. Job Coaching, generously funded through the support of the Bargain Box on Hilton Head Island and the Columbus Hope Foundation, is provided at each of level of employment services, depending upon the nature of the support needed to achieve members' employment goals and remains involved as long as necessary or desired.
Perhaps of the greatest importance is the Job Coach’s function behind the scenes. The Job Coach, to be successful, must act as an advocate. The Job Coach must work within the community and within the workforce to address issues of discrimination and ignorance as these issues pertain to disabilities. The Job Coach is a public relations expert, an advocate, and a champion for the individuals we serve who want nothing more than to be included and unconditionally accepted in their community.
Individual Rehabilitation and Supports
The scope of Individual Rehabilitation Supports (IRS) is sufficient to develop enhanced capacity for successful living within the community; therefore increasing the member’s independence and self-sufficiency. This service is unique because it is offered on an hourly (as opposed to daily) schedule and it is provided in the member’ home and in appropriate community settings. An example of a goal may be learning how to use coping strategies to manage symptoms of stress or successfully conducting business at the bank, post office, or drug store. Another goal that would be best addressed through Individual Rehabilitation and Supports would be to shop for and then prepare a diabetic-friendly meal for someone who lives with diabetes.
STRIVE
STRIVE is a summer transition program that successfully incorporates learning and education, on-the-job training, and a fun-filled vacation for local teen-age youth diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Funding for STRIVE is generously provided through the Children's Relief Fund.
During the ten-week long program, participants volunteer at local businesses, allowing participants to gain valuable pre-vocational training in a sheltered work environment, one of the primary goals of the program. Changing pace, afternoons will are filled with “vacation” activities. Participants typically enjoy such things as swimming, bowling, and trips to the zoo; other activities might include a tour of a local fire station and a visit to the Charleston Aquarium. Further, afternoons include historical educational tours such as to Yorktown and Fort Sumter, and a day of fun on the water slides at Jekyll Island, Georgia. On Friday afternoons, the STRIVE campers practice their social skills by hosting a cooking class, for example, with developmentally disabled adults from Programs for Exceptional People (PEP). Together, the STRIVE campers and PEP members have enjoyed getting to know one another and have formed lasting friendships while learning valuable self-help and adaptive living skills.
The carefully chosen program events promote the acquisition of important independent living skills and serve to decrease isolation through meaningful interaction with other people in the community. Through these activities, participants experience community inclusion and prevent regression and loss of functioning ability, as they remain engaged and stimulated cognitively and socially during their summer break.
Recreation and Respite
Some years ago, families expressed concerns that their disabled family members needed increased opportunities for community inclusion and education and increased exposure to new experiences. Families expressed that their disabled family member spent too much time isolated from others and engaged in repetitive activities. Additionally, families began to speak out about the desperate need for respite and greater access to respite providers.
In response to these concerns, Programs for Exceptional People developed the RECREATION & RESPITE (R&R) Program to address the emerging needs of the individuals and families that we serve. This grant-funded program acknowledges the power of well-formed groups to encourage socialization, communication, and cooperation among participants. The R&R project is a structured activity program, offering a variety of learning experiences through the twelve (12) to fourteen (14) community-based activities each month.
The activities offer experiences that are in nature, cultural, educational, physical, and creative. Most activities are such that an individual could recreate and relive the experiences in their own homes (reading, computer skills, crafts, etc.) or elsewhere in their community (service organizations, volunteering, employment, and physical recreation). A variety of activities including kayaking, swimming, yoga, and golf promote increased physical activity and introduce participants to new and fun methods of recreation while other activities such as computer courses, book clubs, and experiences related to the fine arts and humanities provide opportunities for education and cultural development. Participation in clubs, civic organizations, special interest groups, and volunteerism introduce new and diverse supports and resources within our community and enhance the opportunities for inclusion with non-disabled adults.
The R&R project intends that participants actively enjoy their community while developing personal skills and overcoming unique, individual challenges through the project’s activities. We seek that through these varied and rich experiences, participants will gain knowledge about community resources and supports. An added benefit is that families and caregivers will have the opportunity for 12-14 respite periods each month, which will refresh them and enable them to continue the successful fulfillment of their roles. All activities are offered in the evening and/or on the weekends.
Arts in Motion
PEP’s Arts in Motion project is designed to enhance creativity among program members in a professional environment. The Arts in Motion project boasts a variety of innovative endeavors through which program participants become true artists. For example, PEP members receive professional ball room dancing lessons and then demonstrate their abilities in professional performances that command audiences of hundreds. Also, the Arts in Motion project features a chime choir lead by a professional music therapist. The PEP Chimers perform during the community holiday ceremony, for local civic and faith-based groups, and entertain the older adult residents of local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The Arts in Motion project invites professional artists in throughout the year to spend one to several weeks with participants; the masterpieces that result from these visits are breathtaking. Arts in Motion program participants have learned from a professional mime, have competed in local, regional, and national cheerleading and dance competitions, and many have become talented actors and actresses, performing in local plays and storytelling shows. Participants in the Arts in Motion project receive training in professional photography, painting, and collage. Program members engage in some artistic activity each day, in preparation for community performances and to increase skills in cooperation, communication, and endurance (i.e. following through with an activity once it has begun). The Arts in Motion project aims also to increase participants’ self-esteem and satisfaction as well as engage the community. The Arts in Motion project is avidly supported by local businesses, individual artists, family members, civic groups and city officials. Many of the aforementioned not only attend performances regularly and invite PEP to community events and outings, but most donate their time, money, and resources in support of the project and our program members.
