About Us
Who we are. What we do.
Skills Academy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2019. Our primary mission is to support and empower the adult developmentally disabled community, specifically high-functioning individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) aged 18-40. Our goal is to facilitate their journey towards living and working independently through self-advocacy, the acquisition of independent life skills, and seamless social integration.
Based in Colorado Springs and serving the surrounding areas of Castle Rock and Pueblo, the Skills Academy Foundation collaborates closely with school districts in El Paso, Elbert, and Douglas counties. Our focus is on aiding high I/DD, transition-aged young adults by providing purpose-driven services that directly address their needs for employment and apprenticeships. We believe in fostering an inclusive and supportive environment that enables individuals with developmental disabilities to thrive and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
What's the
Problem?
Many people with disabilities experience challenges to individualized community support. These issues create barriers for people with significant disabilities to live and work in the community.
How We Help
We partner with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, RYRA, and the Colorado Restaurant Association. We have adapted the Restaurant Ready and ProStart programs to an inclusive program that prepares the high-functioning I/DD community to work in the Restaurant and hospitality industry.
Through hands-on training and apprenticeships, our students are ready to work in a restaurant on day one. This lessens the training they will need from the restaurants, and employers receive trained employees from day one.
Advocacy
People with disabilities have the right to live independently in the community in the most integrated setting of their choice.
AAPD, 2022
Homelessness
30 to 40 percent of homeless people have a cognitive impairment, including traumatic brain injury, learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities,
autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Psychology Today, 2020
Employment
Only 21.3% of Americans age 16 and over with disabilities were working or actively looking for work, far below the 67.1% rate for Americans without disabilities.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021
