The goals of our service are to create employment and community inclusion for adults with developmental disabilities. We focus on helping people lead meaningful lives filled with purpose, laughter, friendship, dignity and love. People with Disabilities Succeeding effectively targets the major areas of quality of life for any person, not just someone with a disability. All of PDS's services are offered in integrated settings in our community, alongside people who do not have disabilities.

People with Disabilities Succeeding achieves our goals of enhancing the quality of life of adults with developmental disabilities by providing job development, job coaching, job enhancement and promotion, money management training, program supplies, mobility (transportation) and community-based instruction while emphasizing social inclusion as well as fitness and nutrition. All of PDS's services are offered in integrated settings in our community, alongside people who do not have disabilities. Our staff to client ratio is kept very low (1:2) to allow for intensive and individualized support. We work with our clients to create individualized schedules which provide routines, and variety of activities, and different friends and staff members to spend time with. Routines allow predicability and comfort, while variety prevents burn out or and promotes flexibility. PDS addresses the unique needs and choices of every client we serve, and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

The secret to our success, and the achievement for which we are the most proud, is the fact that People with Disabilities Succeeding has maintained our integrity by adhering the our values, even when it has been costly, time consuming and labor intensive to do so. Our clients are active, participating members of their community, with long term jobs, friends and purpose in their lives. This is because we always put our clients first and respect their choices and their dignity as human beings and their rights as adults. We have incredibly high standards for our staff members and we fulfill our commitments to employers by ensuring that we are doing everything within our power to make sure our collaboration with them is a positive and worthwhile experience for everyone involved. Our success is reflected in the unusually high employment rates for our clients and very low turnover rates for our staff. Our organization has continued to thrive as an innovative leader in our field since 1990.

Every year PDS holds an annual board meeting in which we address and summarize program effectiveness. Our clients and some parents of clients who are also board members report on their perspective of our agency's effectiveness, progress and success. Quantitative evaluation indicators include data on staff and client turnover, client employment retention rates, the number of hours worked, the wages earned, the number of clients who participated in community-based activities and exactly what those activities were, and the actual programs supplies purchased and the number of clients that benefited from those supplies. Qualitative evaluation indicators include improved life satisfaction of participants and their families, benefits to the non-disabled community, employer satisfaction, improved appearance and performance of the clients at their workplaces, ability of the clients to maintain paid jobs over time, and improved behavior, self-esteem, self-sufficiency and self-advocacy.

People with Disabilities Succeeding has been in operation since 1990, so we have provided a lifetime of support to some people. Our clients, their families, staff people, community members, employers, and coworkers have reported a better quality of life because of this organization. We plan to continue our work for many years to come and to weather tough economic times and other challenges. Our organization will continue to innovate and be resourceful as well as patient and loving and open to all the wonderful people we serve. PDS will maintain our integrity and stay true to our values while continuing to have high standards and an excellent work ethic. We have seen many organizations fail because they grew too large or became greedy or lost focus. We know that our strong beliefs regarding employment and community inclusion for all people, regardless of their disabilities will sustain People with Disabilities Succeeding and continue to inspire others to do similar work.