Vista Life Innovations Inc

Programs: Vista's engage program offers long-term, community-based services and support for individuals with disabilities who live along the shoreline towns in south central connecticut. Engage members may come from vista's discover program, home settings or other residentially based programs. Individuals in the engage program receive support and training as needed, choosing from a menu of services designed to flexibly meet their needs in the areas of life skills, employment, case management, and recreation. Life skills and counseling supports are provided both one-on-one and in group settings to allow for the member's development of self-awareness, individuality, self-esteem, competence, resilience, coping skills, optimism about their future, and increased autonomy.

the discover program is a comprehensive, tuition-based residential program for individuals who are coming from family homes or residentially based programs and are ready to learn the skills required to successfully transition to adulthood. The discover program offers both on-and off- campus housing opportunities to suit a variety of needs and provide training opportunities commensurate with students' skill levels. Core training components focus on the development of vocational, life, social and cognitive skills, and community involvement and integration.

vista offers respected and specialized employment services that range from skill building internships, volunteer opportunities, and hands-on training and assessments, to paid employment. In addition to offering employment support to our students and members directly, vista also collaborates with state agencies such as bureau of educational services for the blind, workers rehab and bureau of rehabilitation services to provide a broad and comprehensive range of employment services to a diverse spectrum of individuals. An individualized approach to finding the right job placement for each person is key to employment success. A professional and well trained team of job developers and coaches work to assist with training and acclimation to new jobs. Through creative and individualized systems and strategy development, vista's job coaches assist students and members in learning complex work tasks and honing the skills necessary to maintain long-term employment.

connect and connect through art - vista offers two day programming options, connect and connect through art. Connect provides a 6 hour daily fusion of productive activity, camaraderie, community involvement, social support, and fun, built into a scheduled routine. Each day combines staff supported (paid or volunteer) work experiences, fitness and fun activities, group instruction and social support training. Programming options change regularly, as members choose their schedule of activities on a monthly basis. By wrapping the structure around the members and providing them well-rounded and purposeful training experiences, the engage/community support day program provides the support and opportunity for continued personal growth in a shared community of peers. Vista's second day programming option, connect through art, features 6 hours of daily arts instruction and expression and includes a myriad of community based opportunities to experience and produce art in a wide variety of ways. Create - a diverse arts program designed for all people, offering classes in literary, performing, and visual arts. Create programming and instructional methods, encourage the inclusionn of all talent and skill levels while providing a platform for the development of artistic and interpersonal skills development, self-esteem and confidence. All courses are led by professionals with many years of experience in their specialized respective fields and in individualizing instruction for a variety of students. Benefits and advocacy services - these services offer oversight of an individual's federal, state and local entitlements, life planning, case management and program coordination. Life planning and consultation can help individuals and families explore and identify potential supports that may be needed or desired during the lifetime of an individual with disabilities. Advocacy services help to ensure that an individual's ongoing needs are met and that he or she enjoys the highest quality of life possible. Recreation - vista's students and members have the opportunity to access additional services for their enjoyment and to enhance their quality of life. Vista offers a wide array of recreation, fitness, and social clubs to students and members with common interests. On average, students and members have the opportunity to participate in around 15+ activities or clubs each week, which translates to about 30 hours of structured recreational services. Housing - vista provides room and board to students in the discover program which includes the residential phase of program as well as transition apartments that are community based housing within the program to support needed services. Transportation - vista's transportation services provide the necessary support to assist students/members, the majority of whom do not drive, in accessing their communities. Services provided include student/member rides for work and vocational opportunities, health and medical needs, social, recreation, and leisure pursuits. Vista's transportation services, in conjunction with local public transit system, ensure consistent daily transportation availabiility to students/members throughout the daytime and evening hours. Exploring independence - exploring independence is vista's two week summer program, which incorporates social skills, self-discovery and team building in an enjoyable and lively atmosphere. Participants are exposed to a wide array of experiences that challenge them to stretch outside of their comfort zone and experience something new in a safe and supportivve environment. Functional skills evaluation - the functional skills evaluation is a required component of admission to vista. Prospective students are invited to spend five days and four nights at our westbrook campus for an evaluation of his or her skills and readiness to live in a community-based setting. Transition assessment - this evaluative assessment pairs an individual in need with our trained assessment coordinator in order to provide valuable information regarding an individual's strengths, preferences, interests and needs for additional skill building.