Pierce County Resource Guide to Services and Supports for Individuals
Who Experience Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
(section links below).
Please call our office at 253.564.0707 to make arrangements to pick up your copy!
Dear Reader:
This Pierce County Resource Guide is dedicated to the hard work and commitment of those who have endeavored
timelessly over the years to “keep the promise.”
We want to acknowledge the generous support of Pierce County Human Services, Developmental Disabilities
Program, in providing the funds to update and print this important comprehensive guide to services and supports
for individuals who experience intellectual/ developmental disabilities. This important tool will assist you in
navigating the public and private programs and services available throughout Pierce County and beyond.
The Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (PC2) welcomes the opportunity to assist individuals
and families in finding the services and programs that best meet your needs. We are here to answer your calls
if you need further assistance. Whether you are an individual who experiences an intellectual/developmental
disability, have a family member who experiences an intellectual/developmental disability, work within the disability
field, or are in the general community, we welcome your questions and concerns.
We acknowledge that, when compiling this complex list of resources, there are changes that can occur during the
production process. Please know that every effort was made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of agency
information.
Sincerely,
PC2 Staff
SEARCH FOR A RESOURCE
Self - Determination / Self - Advocacy
Bates Technical College - Disability Support Services (DSS)
The primary focus of the Disability Support Services (DSS) office is to assure nondiscrimination on the basis of disability. Through DSS, qualified persons with disabilities can address their concerns regarding attitudinal or procedural barriers encountered, as well as any need for academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids to assure equal access. We will provide information and auxiliary aids or services, serving as a resource to the campus community while striving to make Bates Technical College both an accessible and hospitable place for persons with disabilities to enjoy full and equal participation. We work with individuals who have physical, learning and/or mental disabilities, are academically or economically disadvantaged, limited English speaking, single parents, ex-offenders, displaced homemakers, and gender equality programs. Please visit our website for more information regarding eligibility, how to obtain services, reasonable accommodations policy for students with disabilities under 504-ADA, confidentiality, accommodations, attendance, grievances, special transportation, and course substitutions/waivers.
Blanchard Consulting works to help you find your voice and achieve your goals. Together we will develop a Person Centered Plan, a guide for you. We are here to listen to you, your circle of support and figure out what YOU want in your life. We will explore your gifts and talents, dreams and goals, then find out who can help you! We have been working with individuals for over nine years helping them develop plans to achieve their goals. It is our goal to help employ, teach, support and network with people that need help.
CFI is a non-profit organization serving as a resource for individuals with disabilities to fully access and participate in the community through outreach, advocacy, and independent living skills development. Our core services are: peer mentoring, info & referral, advocacy - individual and systemic, independent living skills training and transition services. Also offered: peer mentoring support groups, social activities and events, resource website, training on finding and keeping an attendant, and adaptive computer skills training. CFI serves Pierce, Thurston, South King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan Island Counties. Visit the website for additional statewide locations and contact info.
DD Ombuds work to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities by providing various services. If you need support, but don’t know where to go, the DD Ombuds will try to provide resources to point you in the right direction. We work with individuals with developmental disabilities, families, or legal representatives to try and resolve complaints about services. We regularly visit locations where individuals are receiving services, such as private and state-run supported living, institutions, group homes, private residences, and even employment or recreation. We make recommendations to service providers, the state and the Legislature on how to improve services.
Disability Rights Washington’s mission is to advance the dignity, equality, and self-determination of people with disabilities. We work to pursue justice on matters related to human and legal rights. Disability Rights Washington envisions a society where all people are treated with equality, dignity and respect for their expressed choices, and who have equal opportunities to participate in a society where abilities, rather than disabilities, are recognized.
ENSO is a non-profit agency providing person-centered, self-directed employment services to individuals with disabilities across Washington State. We value individual contribution, creative and customized employment supports, team and community involvement and equity. We work with individuals and their team to determine the best direction and services. We provide discovery, Person Centered Planning, benefit planning, job development and job coaching services throughout Pierce County, as well as in King, Snohomish and Spokane Counties. We work with the following funding sources: Developmental Disabilities Administration, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Services for the Blind, and Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, to provide employment services.
The Family Mentor Project (FMP) is a resource to support families and guardians through the process of moving a family member to the community from a Residential Habilitation Center (RHC) operated by the Developmental Disabilities Administration of Washington (DDA) or from a skilled nursing facility. Family Mentors provide emotional support, based on their own personal experiences of transitioning their loved ones into community residential services and supports. An individual's choice to transition, or not transition, to the community should be an informed one, and that choice will impact the level of transition planning provided. Family mentor services are offered to all eligible individuals. Please visit our website for more information about our services.
Friends of Russell is committed to embracing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to provide assistance on the way to a full and authentic quality of life. Friends of Russell coordinates fundraising events and projects to raise money for the autism cause. Please visit our website for more information and our upcoming events.
Global Connections to Employment (GCE) exists to help people throughout their life journeys. Our team embraces pillars of operational excellence to ensure that we consistently exceed customer expectations: best people, best service, best quality, financial performance and growth. Likewise, our management team is recognized for meeting the demands of complex operational systems. When a person with a disability transitions into a job, their chances of succeeding are much better with an organization that supports their growth and development. GCE is that organization.
PartnerCafe is a consortium of city, state and federal agency decision-makers, including non-profit and faith-based organizations. We invite the community, the recipients of policies decided without their input, to share their experiences so we can change for the better. The vacuum we all work so hard to fill is the group’s recognition that we are interdependent. Each sector and each individual have an equal seat at the table. We work to improve social issues, develop “safe” places where voices make a difference, find common ground, and courageously make changes in how we view disparities in order to collectively “transform the lives of vulnerable populations.” We consist of “subject matter experts,” leaders and policy-makers in our respective fields. But we are also mothers, fathers, and disabled youth / adults, activists, and community members who made a decision to be led by and learn from the most vulnerable among us. That is who we are. Engage, inform then act, is what we do.
People First of Washington has been a strong and growing state wide self-advocacy organization since 1981 when we were officially incorporated and received our 501(c)3 status. We are a professional organization with a board of directors composed of members with disabilities representing all areas of the state, who oversee the organization and it’s activities. Staff are trained and experienced in educating, supporting, and working with all of the members and communities we serve. We also have numerous resources for training materials on self-advocacy, leadership, fundraising, etc. Please visit our website for more information.
Provides ongoing training for facilitators, as well as support for parents and self-advocate mentors through person-centered plans that utilize maps and graphics. We work in partnership with school districts and can contract privately for individual plans. (Located on the Tacoma Community College Campus in parking lot “I” as you enter from 12th Street; opposite side of the campus from TACID.)
Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (PC2)
PC2 is a parent-driven 501(c)3 organization responsible for providing clear, consistent information for families and individuals who experience developmental disabilities in Pierce County, Washington. PC2: provides resource links and follow-up/follow-along services for families; publishes a quarterly newsletter with relevant articles and information; publishes a comprehensive Resource Guide of services and supports; conducts educational meetings on a variety of topics; provides information at resource and vendor fairs throughout the county; provides a Home Ownership Down Payment Assistance Program for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families; co-hosts an annual Legislative Forum for constituents to meet and speak with their elected officials; provides information on how the legislative process works and how your voice can make a difference; shows you how you can connect with legislators and how to advocate for yourself; helps families find their voice!
Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL) is a coalition of over 200 people with developmental disabilities interested in shaping public policy in Washington State. SAIL is unique because the members of the coalition have developmental disabilities as well as the support staff. People with disabilities can have a powerful voice in the legislature. We have been gathering together to learn about how the legislative process works and then putting those skills to work on at least one bill each session since 2004.
Smith Habilitation Services provides Specialized Habilitation Services and Community Engagement Services to adults with developmental disabilities and other disorders.
We are contracted with DDA of Washington State. We are licensed and bonded with Washington State. (Previous company name was Quality Community Outings.) We serve Pierce, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties.
Spark works in partnership with youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to foster, cultivate and expand one’s leadership capabilities. The unique leadership qualities among our youth and adults in Pierce County learn, share and lend their voice and abilities in their communities. The hope is to enhance one’s life and others while also influencing future possibilities. Opportunities include: self-advocacy groups, trainings, and workshops; “Train the Trainer” workshops to further existing knowledge and leadership skills; involvement in community events; learning about local government, including the role it plays in the lives of people with disabilities, how people with disabilities can affect systemic change, and becoming involved and informed in decisions that impact the individual! (Located on the Tacoma Community College Campus in parking lot “I” as you enter from 12th Street; opposite side of the campus from TACID.)