Our Programs & Services
Our programs run Monday through Friday and are open to adults, over 18, with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Clients are offered a variety of courses featuring individualized training by qualified staff members.
Internship at Hope Thrift
Monday 9 AM – 12 PM & Friday 9 AM – 12 PM
For those who enjoy building social skills, Hope Thrift provides a perfect opportunity to be part of a professionally managed team in a high quality organization. Clients practice many useful activities and customer service skills for business environments such as sorting merchandise, hanging clothing, pricing items, directing visitors and answering questions. Through these activities we use organizational skills, build teamwork and develop appropriate behaviors in the workplace through our interactions with co-workers and customers.
Cooking Class
Wednesday 9 AM – 12 PM
For the foodie in everyone, the in-house Cooking Class provides a great blend of uses for home and in the workplace. Clients utilize cutting skills, food safety, food preparation, menu planning, table setting and kitchen clean up. As an extra treat, each class ends with a meal to enjoy with friends and a recipe to use in the future!
Shredding Station
The Shredding Program: A weekly program where clients are responsible for completing individual tasks such as shredding set-up, document preparation, shredding documents, and clean-up. Together the group works to accomplish a specific set of goals. Shredding materials are collected from local community businesses and individuals as a community service.
Life Transition Program
6 Week Program Offered Quarterly
We are excited by this new program that will help all of us move into adult life! “Life Transition” covers topics that are necessary for adult independence including personal safety, emergencies and appropriate use of technology. The curriculum is supported by an accompanying workbook published by the SDC, “Stuff You Need to Know-A Guide for Adults with Autism” that conveys the concepts through an approach we call “Peer Stories”, relatable narratives in a mature tone that help the reader follow along and personalize the topic. The workbook utilizes a specialized tool called BITS™ (Blended Icon & Text System) that supports the accessibility of written materials. Program participants are taking their first steps in common challenges like choosing friends on social media, making healthy choices and living in a balanced way. The “Life Program” is run depending on participant demand, please contact us for more information and check our workbook!
Facilitated Recreation Center
Monday-Friday 12:30 PM – 6 PM
The Rec center provides numerous social activities including board games, card games, multiplayer Wii games, ping pong, arts, crafts and a pool table. Clients practice appropriate social skills and bond with peers in an unstructured but supervised setting. A trained facilitator is always on-site to encourage and promote appropriate socialization, while providing the adults with freedom to discover new interests and make new friends.
“My son’s experience at the SDC has been invaluable. Pat and the staff treat each client with dignity and respect. Additionally, my son’s communication skills have improved immensely due to spending quality and fun time at the Rec Center with others who have a wide range of abilities and backgrounds.”
-Flory (Mother of son with Down Syndrome and autism)
DARS Community Service Provider
The Skills Development Center now offers one-to-one training through the DARS (VA Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services), specializing in vocational training for the autistic population. For information on how to make use of this service, contact your DARS counselor or visit www.vadars.org.
Primary Office Contact: Sherrina Sewell at Sherrina.Sewell@dars.virginia.gov
Henrico VA office: 2001 Maywill St. Suite 202, Henrico, VA 23230
Phone: 804-588-3333
Fax: 804-367-1260
