Why SPARC?

Since 2006, SPARC has operated in way that changed the blueprint of long-term care. Our approach and service delivery are unmatched. SPARC is a club where young adults with disabilities work and learn together. Our young adults have many different stories, but what they have in common is the desire to simply be a visible part of the large community, to continue learning and to contribute. In other words, they wish to live the same life we all enjoy.

To best understand how crucial SPARC is for our participants, consider the words they use to describe their day at SPARC compared to the other options:

Why is there such an extreme dichotomy in services after high school? Part of the reason lies with workforce.

The staff at SPARC have their Masters in various degree programs and hold multiple professional licenses. At a school, every special education teacher is trained in a combination of behavioral techniques, awareness, and ability to act on various medical diagnoses within the room and building including but not limited to administration of seizure medication; diabetes medication and blood sugar; seizure protocol in general, digestive issues, G-tube management, and a host of other trainings.

In a matter of seconds, a SpecEd teacher can calculate pounds to kilograms to tell the EMT’s how much medication to administer to stop a life-threatening seizure. He or she also knows the history of the student to be able to recommend the type and mode of medicine administration that will be effective in the moment.

Most staff at other options are hard working compassionate people who mean well but have not attained post high school education or trainings. These staff keep their clients safe and clean, but they are not mentally, emotionally, or physically stimulated. These programs are ratio-based, and the staff are working non-stop to feed and clean their charges.

Therefore, we exist. To maintain the level of daily engagement with trained professionals that they experienced in high school. As a program we presume competence based on the bio-pschyo-social model.

As a nation, we pour billions into K-12 special education, but then services almost disappear after graduation. This phenomenon is referred to as “falling off of the cliff.”?The “cliff” is something that all parents of teenagers with developmental disabilities worry about. When they age out of special education—usually at 22—young adults with developmental disabilities are thrown into an underfunded and uncoordinated system in which few services are available as a matter of right. They must now contend with services from a variety of providers, financed by a multitude of agencies, most of which are not sufficiently funded to cover everyone, and many of which are far too bureaucratic and insufficiently focused on ensuring that their clients can spend meaningful days integrated in community life. They fall, in other words, off the cliff.

Our participants are no longer entitled to public education programs after high school graduation, nor are they eligible for other community-based programs that serve individuals with disabilities in Northern Virginia for the following reasons. They are:

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1)??????too old for similar programs serving younger persons,?

2)??????not successful in vocational training in the Medicaid-sponsored supported employment programs or sheltered workshops because of the complexity of their disabilities, or

3)??????do not meet eligibility requirements for nursing home care under Medicaid.

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Adults with severe disabilities face the most persistent and pervasive inequities and disparities in our community.?

That is where SPARC steps in. Our participants thrive, learn, and grow every day!?

SPARC offers a similar supportive structure and continued education after high school. Providing a variety of educational services, in the form of leisure learning where our participants continue to work on life skills while socializing with a community of peers. We also offer a social club to assist young adults to acquire the skills to move from their parents’ home to more independent housing.?

The activity fees we charge to provide community-based self-directed engagement only cover one-third our actual cost. To pay for program we must close a gap of $11,000 per month. Please consider supporting SPARC by becoming a monthly donor to sustain this vital service, or make a one-time gift. You can invest in truly making our community ONE FAIRFAX by donating today at Thank You! | SPARC Solutions