by Steve Wiandt
Reporter
Cuyahoga Falls -- In addition to the new County of Summit Development Disabilities Board community service center that opened downtown March 1, another opened in Barberton the same day.
According to a DD Board press release, the centers are specifically designed to provide work supports and habilitation programs. The centers are designed to serve no more than 75 people and will have a staff of approximately 15 direct care employees and two managers.
Each center is a community location for three to four Service and Support Administrators to meet with families, guardians and caregivers of all those served in the respective communities. Neither center began operating at capacity as less than 60 people arrived at each site on March 1.
The Falls Center has 56 people being served, McGee said. Forty are working and earning through vocational habilitation, he said, and the remainder are in habilitation programs only and don't receive a paycheck from Weaver Industries.
McGee stressed that neither the Falls or the Barberton center will serve more than 75 people with disabilities. "Smaller centers can be more integrated into the community," he said, "and less crowded centers provide a better environment for people with disabilities to learn and work, especially those with concentration and behavior issues."
E-mail: swiandt@recordpub.com
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