Education United States Project #19669

Provide Scholarships for Adults with Disabilities

by Specially Adapted Resource Clubs (SPARC)

Project Report | Nov 30, 2017
About Tom Hanks, iPads, and You Helping People With Disabilities

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

Oneder software's assistive technogy

Tom Hanks starred a decade ago as a cutthroat record company excecutive in the film "That Thing You Do". The film tells the story of a local band that has a smash hit with only one song: The Wonders. Hanks' character speaks with the band when they use a unique spelling of the name. ed their name "Oneders".

"This "Oneders", with the O-N-E, it doesn't work. It's confusing. From now on, you boys'll just be... simply The Wonders," Hanks tells the band.

But we're not confused about the power of Oneder software. That's where you come in.

We use Oneder software's assistive technology platform to help some of our participants navigate the community safely. The program is effective and fulfills our mission of helping adults with disabilities fully participate in their communities.

Well respected organizations such as The Baylor Autism Research Center and The Arc use ONEder's platofrm for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We need your financial help tody to purchase iPads so our participants can use this life-changing new software.

Just like any other group of people, those who have disabiities can also have financial need. Many people without a disabiility don't have to pay those excess costs. And there are other financial issues:

The median income for people with a disability is 34% lower than those without a disability, says the Census Bureau.
And unemployment rates exceed 80% for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities according to a report by the APA's Task Force on Socioeconimic Status.
Even family members and caregivers experience financial hardships at a higher rate,according to 2017 data from the National Center on Caregiving.

You will enable people to travel and interact in their community like never before with your gift. And if you're in the metropolitan Washington area and would like to visit a SPARC clubhouse and meet some participants, we would love to host you so that you can see firsthand how this technology helps people.

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Sep 1, 2017
Job Training at SPARC Works

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

SPARC participants learning about technology

Adults with disabilities want to participate in their community. That’s not a slogan. After more than a decade of providing day services to adults with lifelong disabilities we know that they crave the interaction that many of us take for granted.

Not all of our friends can work a traditional job although many want to work in some capacity.

SPARC Works launched its first cohort into the classroom component of job skills training last year. Learning how to work in new environments with unique challenges is difficult and rewarding--exactly how many people experience work all over the world.

As a new group begins classroom training, the first group is progressing to hands-on training. This group is learning how to run a coffee and breakfast bar at a local church. Faith communities are great supporters of our program although SPARC is not affiliated with any religion or denomination.

We believe that everyone can participate in communities of their choice. Imagine a workplace incubator that creates an environment for entrepreneurs who happen to have a disability. We want to reach a point where a disability is something that is acknowledged, addressed, and not an impediment to the same enriching life we all crave.

Your donation to SPARC makes it possible for more people to enter our program. We started almost eleven years ago with a small group meeting in borrowed space. We now have four locations serving dozens of people. We do that through the economies of scale our unique clubhouse model creates. We rely on community organizations to donate space and on donations to help us pay for supplies.

Please give today. Your $10 gift pays for one person’s supplies and equipment fees for the month. Give $30 and you provide a class scholarship for someone.

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Jun 5, 2017
Clubhouse #4 Opens in September

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

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