Community Education

Supporting Communities Where Everyone Belongs.

Partnering with schools, businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations to support self-advocacy and foster welcoming environments where everyone can participate, grow, be heard, and truly belong.

About This Program

What is Community Education?

Community Education partners with schools, businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations to promote inclusion and support self-advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Our goal is to foster welcoming environments where everyone can live, love, learn, work, and play in their community.

How We Work With Partners

  • Provide education about inclusive practices and how this benefits the community.
  • Provide training and resources to help people with developmental disabilities become strong self-advocates.
  • Equip families and caregivers with tools to support and advocate for their loved ones.

Impact Areas

Educational Settings:

Partner with schools to raise awareness of community services available for people with developmental disabilities

Workplace Environments:

Provide general information to businesses utilizing real life experiences to support more inclusive practices in the workplace.

Community Spaces:

Supporting organizations with education about accessibility practices when they need it.

Civic Participation:

Building advocacy skills and community leadership.

Training and Support Services

Disability Awareness Training

  • Understanding developmental disabilities.
  • Best practices for inclusion and accessibility.

Self-Advocacy Development

  • Providing resources and education to people with and without disabilities to encourage self-advocacy skills.
  • Connecting people with disabilities to resources that support them in achieving their goals.

Creating a Culture of Inclusion

  • Disability awareness training and inclusive strategies are offered to foster belonging and understanding in workplace settings.
  • Connects individuals with disabilities, advocates, and professionals to improve understanding and access across all areas of life.
  • Offers education, resources, and lived-experience insights to support inclusive practices to help shape better environments.

In Their Own Words

Hear What People Are Saying

  • “It just makes sense for the Making Sense of Money program to partner with Abilities First and help people reach independence with financial literacy. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with the pre-vocational classes called, “Check-in Cash-out.” We have been able to serve 15 participants this fiscal year, and I look forward to our future!”

    — Kelly Paparella
    Director, Financial Stability Programs, Community Partnership of the Ozarks

  • “We love collaborating with Abilities First since it moves both of our missions forward. By hosting Art Academy classes at our facility, we get the opportunity to inspire people that may not otherwise come, and Abilities First gets the opportunity to provide their services to their constituents while keeping their overhead low. We have also had incredibly positive experiences with their hands-on approach to training, and I would recommend it to other organizations with a service orientation.”

    — Hunter Bartelt
    Director of Operations, Discovery Center of Springfield 
Abilities First Partner since 2022