Services
and Ministries for Persons with Disabilities and their Families
Advocacy
Disability Services advocates for persons with disabilities within
the community and refers them to other services in and outside the
Catholic Charities system. Together with the Office of Disability
Ministry, Disability Services sponsors a parish advocacy program to
assist parish communities in identifying and responding to the needs
of persons with disabilities.
Contact Marilyn Scott
Camping
Programs
Camp Happiness
Since 1966, Disability Services has offered a summer camp program
for persons with developmental disabilities. Camp Happiness is a
six-week day camp at several sites throughout the Diocese for
individuals six years of age to 21 years of age.
Contact Marilyn
Scott
Augustine Rainbow Camp
Camp Rainbow provides diverse day camping experiences in the Tremont
area for young people from throughout the diocese. The Camp
emphasizes inclusion of all people. For further information on the
Rainbow Camp, call St. Augustine Parish at (216) 781-5530.
Additional
Information
Camp
Christopher
Residential Camp for adults with disabilities is offered at Camp
Christopher in Bath, Ohio. Contact 1-800-CYO-CAMP or visit their
website at
www.campchris.org
Catholic
Camping Programs
offers many options for people with disabilities. Visit their
website at
http://www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/camping
Education
OLA/St. Joseph Center Day School
OLA/St. Joseph Center is the home to the Rose-Mary Center day
education program, monthly dances, Saturday Adult Education
Program and is used for various community ministerial and social
programs that include persons with disabilities. Contact Marilyn
Scott
Continuing Adult Education Program
Disability Services provides adults with developmental disabilities
who are more than 18 years of age with educational options through
the Continuing Adult Education Program (CAEP). This program prepares
a person for independent living while at the same time providing an
opportunity for educational services and social activities tailored
to individual needs. Contact Marilyn
Scott
Monthly
Dances/Socials
Monthly dances and social gatherings at OLA/St. Joseph Center,
Rose-Mary Center and the Catholic Charities Family Center in Lorain
offer persons with developmental disabilities the opportunity to
learn social skills and form friendships while gathering as a
community. This program is provided in cooperation with many
organizations and group homes throughout the Cleveland area and
surrounding suburbs.
Contact Marilyn
Scott
Respite Care
Respite care for an individual with a disability gives the primary
caregiver an opportunity to attend to a variety of needs and
activities with the assurance that the individual is receiving
proper care. Structured goal-directed activities for youth with
disabilities are an important piece of this care.
Contact Joe Ungarsky
Rose-Mary
Center ~
The Johanna
Grasselli Rehabilitation and Education Center
Rose-Mary Center is a residential center for the treatment
and rehabilitation of children. Children who have mental
retardation, developmental disabilities and behavior disorders
receive comprehensive services designed to develop basic skills.
Rose-Mary Center also manages seven group homes for adults with
cognitive disabilities.
Contact Rose-Mary Center
Special
Events -
Contact
Marilyn Scott
-
Annual
Walk-a-thon (every October)
-
Journey to
Bethlehem (every December)
-
Annual
Pilgrimage liturgies
-
Religious
Outreach to People in Developmental Centers and Group Homes (The
Circle)
St.
John Bosco Program at Parmadale
The St. John Bosco Program at Parmadale provides specialized
residential treatment services for male adolescents with
developmental disabilities and mental/behavioral health needs, which
place these youth or others at risk in less restrictive or intensive
treatment settings. Growth, development, and treatment for youth
begins with a positive relationship with a caring adult. Child and
youth care workers and other treatment staff develop this caring
relationship with youth by being appropriate adult role models, and
providing an environment that is firm, fair, consistent,
developmentally appropriate, and nurturing. Contact Parmadale
Supported Employment
Job placement services for persons with disabilities include job
seeking skills training, job placement assistance, on-site job
coaching, and job placement follow-up for 90 days. We recognize that
employment provides not only financial self-sufficiency but also a
sense of belonging, empowerment, and enhanced self-respect.
Contact
Employment and Training
Supported
Living
Direct caregivers assist persons to enhance their skills in living
independently in their own homes or apartments. The assistance can
be as little as one hour a day up to 24-hour care, depending on the
needs of the person.
Contact Joe Ungarsky
OFFICE OF
DISABILITY MINISTRY
PASTORAL CARE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES
Monthly Retreats
The Monthly Retreat offers adults with
cognitive disabilities (mr) and other developmental disabilities an
opportunity to develop their religious faith by participating in
weekend activities and discussions. The program also functions as
respite for caregivers and provides adult interaction for persons
with disabilities. These Retreats are offered 1 weekend each month
from September to May at the St. Joseph Christian Life Center (Lake
Shore Blvd.). The cost is $90.
Contact Marilyn Scott
Deaf and hard of
hearing persons
The Catholic Apostolate for deaf persons is a ministry that
proclaims the gospel through educational, spiritual, pastoral,
sacramental, catechetical and social programs. The Apostolate
provides a signed [bi-lingual] deaf liturgy at more than 10
locations throughout the Diocese as well as all other aspects of
pastoral ministry, including counseling, religious education, crisis
intervention, advocacy, home and hospital visitation, transportation
and social/recreational activities. Interpretive services provide a
qualified interpreter for deaf persons and their families as needed.
Contact
Disability Ministries at St. Augustine Parish
Blind and vision-disabled persons
The Catholic Blind Community assists people who are blind, vision
disabled or deafblind realize, understand, develop and live out
their lives to their full potential within the community in which
they live and within the Church. The Catholic Blind Community
provides monthly gatherings that include a liturgy, meal and a
presentation. In addition, there are other meetings of the Catholic
Blind Association to plan programs and services to develop ways to
involve blind individuals within the community and the Church.
A home and hospital visitation program provides audio description
for activities that involve the blind and transportation to church
and community-related activities.
Crisis intervention, social service and advocacy are all part of
this ministry.
Contact
Disability Ministries at St. Augustine Parish
Persons with Mental Illness
The Office of Disability Ministry provides persons with mental
illness the support necessary so these individuals will be able to
function within community and within the Church. Disability Ministry
and St. Augustine Church host the Links Clubhouse, a drop-in center
providing educational, social, recreational and spiritual programs
for persons with severe mental illness.
In addition, a support group for families with persons with mental
illness meets monthly. Assistance to persons with mental illness
include counseling, crisis intervention, social service and advocacy
and hospital and home visitation, transportation, referral and
involvement with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and
other groups established to assist them.
Contact
Disability Ministries at St. Augustine Parish
Persons with
Developmental/Physical Disabilities
The Office of Disability Ministry, in cooperation with Disability
Services, provides educational, spiritual, pastoral, sacramental,
catechetical, social and recreational programs. The mission is to
assist people with MR/DD and physical disabilities to understand,
develop and live out their lives as completely as possible within
the Church and the larger community. Some of the programs provided
include religious education, sacramental preparation and pastoral
care at centers throughout the diocese and at OLA/St. Joseph Center.
Special liturgies are celebrated throughout the year such as the
Journey to Bethlehem and the Pilgrimage Mass.
Counseling, social service, advocacy, crisis intervention, outreach
retreat program, a drop-in program for young people, specialized
ministry to institutions and group homes.
(Note that developmental disabilities includes various types of
disabilities, including mental retardation, autism and some physical
disabilities.)
St. Augustine
Parish, together with the Office of Disability Ministry and Catholic
Charities Disability Services provide several special services. The
St. Augustine Hunger Center provides two meals per day, every day,
as well as holiday meals for homeless individuals and persons with
disabilities
Augustine Rainbow Camp is a five-week summer program for children
with disabilities with a special mission to children who are deaf,
blind, mentally and developmentally disabled as well as children
from the Near West Side community, homeless and multi-disabled
children.
The Seeds of Literacy Learning Center provides educational and
personal development, sometimes leading to the GED, and always
helping to develop the skills of all the individuals involved.
St. Augustine Catering/Job Development Program seeks to develop
individual skills while giving a person the opportunity at
consistent work.
Contact
Disability Ministries at St. Augustine Parish
|