The A. Warren McClaskey Adult Center in Sacramento, Calif., has classes for disabled adults and for older adults; it also offers parent education. The school had an enrollment of 800 in 2010. The mission of the school is to increase the life choices of developmentally disabled and increase their independence. Instruction at the McClaskey Adult Center is individualized and age-appropriate. Skill categories include community access, employment exploration, independent living, job readiness and socialization. It provides opportunity for and encourages group activity.
The Schott Center in Cooper City, Fla., serves deaf or disabled adults in South Florida and is an extension of the ministry of the Archdiocese of Miami. This nonprofit school offers social and educational programs that help the disabled become more independent. Classes include sign language for the deaf, cooking for the blind and socializing for all groups. Students may also enroll in art classes and craft classes. The center, which also has residences for its clients or students, provides a family-support program, counseling services and public advocacy. It also serves younger adults who have outgrown the public school system.
The Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind in Washington is not only for visually impaired adults but also for those who are deaf or have other disabilities. It provides vocational training and employment as well as life-skills training such as traveling with a seeing-eye dog or a cane. The school is equipped with computers adapted for the visually impaired. The Seattle Lighthouse offers employment opportunities; it is a manufacturing company that focuses on jobs for the disabled. Its manufacturing operation is under the AbilityOne program, which produces airplane parts for the Boeing Company. It also has a wide-range of classes to increase quality of life for its students.
Once serving only children, the Dallas Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Texas offers a multifaceted adult education program. The adult program serves people 21 years old and above to help them develop living and vocational skills. The center works with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Aging and Disability Services and U.S. Department of Labor. Developmentally disabled adults are offered music, art, physical education and social opportunities. Adults may take part in pre-vocational training and subcontract work in which they earn money. Individualized occupational and physical therapy is available for those who have special needs.