SHERWOOD COMMUNITY SERVICES

Sherwood provides innovative and inclusive services for children and adults with disabilities in their communities. We continue to address challenges such as loneliness, isolation and low expectations that society has for people with disabilities. We take pride in serving all people with disabilities and their families, including individuals with significant disabilities, those in rural areas and non-native English speaking communities. We bring our mission to life through our Early Intervention and Vocational Services programs.

Through our programs we provide services to meet the needs of children and adults with disabilities and their families in our community.

Early Intervention - therapy and education for infants and toddlers who have developmental disabilities or are diagnosed with a medical condition known to place a child at risk for developmental disabilities. Services are provided in the child's natural settings including the family home, daycare, or other community setting. We utilize a parent coaching model encouraging family involvement. Specialists meet with the family to assess the child's strengths and needs then work together to develop a plan to achieve the best outcome for the child. The ultimate goal is to help the child reach developmental milestones. All infants and toddlers who receive early intervention benefit greatly. In Washington State, 32% of children who received early intervention services enter the general education system instead of costly special education programs. Every child who avoids a special education program results in a total savings of $105,000 to taxpayers over their entire education.

Vocational Services - Sherwood assists adults with disabilities, including students graduating from high school who are seeking employment. We assist with the job search, find employers, assess and train adults, assist with transportation, and provide support for integration into the workplace. When Sherwood begins working with someone, we first assess his/her abilities and goals. Then we work with employers to create positions tailored to their unique abilities. Sherwood provides ongoing coaching to the employee and employer to ensure long-term success. Sherwood strives to not only place people in jobs, but to ensure they are in jobs they love. A job leads to increased economic independence, community integration and greater self-worth.

Sherwood was recognized by the community for our dedication to our clients as was named “Best Non-Profit" in Snohomish County by The Daily Herald. We lead through advocacy and community education and have increased the number of people receiving services by 25% over the last year. Through our three programs: Early Intervention (birth to 3) and Vocational Services (adults) in fiscal year 7/1/16-6/30/17, we served 1,117 people with disabilities.

Client services can be for short periods or stretch into years depending on the program, updates, and growth. People with developmental disabilities deserve an opportunity to realize their potential and be productive members of society. Sherwood is entering Year 5 of a 5 Year Business Plan with goals to the number served in each service area by 2021; we are currently on track to meet the increasing needs of our community.

At Sherwood, success looks like:

Everlee an Early Intervention client who began services at 8 months old when her mother and doctor had concerns over her motor development. At 14 months Everlee began crawling, she can now walking and climb independently. During services delays in Everlee's speech were also identified and she began receiving speech therapy; at two and a half years old she continues to work hard and has acquired a vocabulary of nearly 30 words.

Mira, a Vocational Services client finding a job that allows her to do what she loves most: helping people. As a receptionist at a local college, she spends her day helping students navigate the online platform for classes and IT issues. More recently she has started to serve as resource to professors at the college needing assistance with making their instruction materials accessible – something she has first-hand experience with because she is blind. Mira uses a Braille Display to translate the writing on her laptop computer to braille and quickly zips through her work.