Ability Beyond evolves as demographics change

A participant in Ability Beyond”™s internship program at her job-training site, La Quinta Inn & Suites in Danbury. Photo courtesy Ability Beyond

As the developmentally disabled population grows due to better care and medical advancements, the challenge now is for agencies to better serve their needs as they age.

“One of the challenges we face is that as our population gets older, we”™ve changed how we serve our clients,” said Michelle Weinstein, residential and clinical services manager at Ability Beyond, a Bethel-based nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities.

“It used to be that we were losing our folks when they got to a certain age and their medical needs surpassed their developmental needs, and we would have to send them to a nursing home. But now, we”™re looking at how we can keep serving and retaining our clients. But that means there”™s much more money required to meet their needs, and every year we require more money to meet our very diverse population,” Weinstein said.

The agency was founded in 1953 by a group of parents who wanted a better life for their children with disabilities. Today, it provides job training and placement, supported living, and recreational and educational services to more than 2,500 people in Connecticut and New York. The nonprofit has a facility in Mount Kisco.

For its continued efforts to improve and go beyond the industry standards, the nonprofit recently received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Michelle Weinstein

Ability Beyond officials said in a statement that in receiving the three-year accreditation, the commission noted the nonprofit”™s expansion and creation of new programs and services that allow individuals supported by the agency to explore different career paths and tangible skills.

The nonprofit has also expanded its mental health first aid certification program and tailored it to educate a wide range of professionals.

The mental health first aid certification course is designed for people who have no experience in serving people with disabilities or substance abuse.

Weinstein is the only certified instructor to teach classes toward this certificate at the agency.

Over the past year, Ability Beyond has tailored its curriculum specifically for police officers, teachers and military personnel. For those in the military, the teaching is centered on post-traumatic stress disorder and transitioning from combat to everyday life, while a police officer would receive more training about safety. In education, teachers are receiving training on how to address specific needs that students bring up related to family, friends and being bullied.

“Just like people receive CPR training to help those experiencing medical crises, this course is designed to help people who have an emotional or mental crisis,” Weinstein said. “The biggest takeaway from this course and the reason why I love teaching the course is because there isn”™t one person who doesn”™t benefit from it ”“ whether it be a friend or family member who is going through a hard time or someone who experienced the death of a loved one.”

Weinstein said the three most prevalent mental health issues are anxiety, mood and substance disorders, with anxiety disorder affecting one in four people in the United States. She has been working with Ability Beyond for 11 years and has taught 30 classes in six years for working professionals interested in receiving a certification in mental health first aid.