October 19, 2021 | Press Release.pdf

Philadelphia, PA – Community Options, Inc. announced today that it received accreditation as a training provider by the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). Community Options will provide certified competency-based training to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Community Options is a national nonprofit that develops housing and employment supports for people with disabilities. Community Options supports over 5,000 people with disabilities across 10 states.

“The Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) board is pleased to announce that Community Options is now an approved ACRE curriculum training provider,” said the ACRE Board. “The process for having Community Options’ course approved includes a very detailed curriculum review of knowledge and skill-based competencies.  ACRE welcomes Community Options’ offering of quality training in order to prepare Employment Specialists and other employment support professionals to achieve employment opportunities for persons with a disability in Pennsylvania!”

Under Pennsylvania law, Employment Specialists are mandated to earn their certification within six months of the start of their employment.

As an accredited training partner with ACRE, Community Options will provide 40-hour training courses to certify Employment Specialists. The training is not exclusive to Community Options employees and will be offered to other community-based organizations as well.

“Community Options has long been a leader in providing the best quality care and community-based supports to people with disabilities since our founding in 1989,” said Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options. “Through our partnership with ACRE, Community Options can now offer our high standard of training in a curriculum-based format to those aspiring to become certified Employment Specialists, even to those outside of our organization.”

Since its inception, Community Options has promoted competitive and integrated employment for people with disabilities. Employment Specialists prepare individuals for employment in integrated settings. They assess each individual’s abilities, support career exploration and skills development, and work with employers to ensure retention.

Community Options places individuals in jobs where they work alongside people without disabilities and earn competitive wages, which promotes dignity and independence. Through ACRE training, Employment Specialists learn about the dangers of archaic and counterintuitive practices like sub-minimum wages and sheltered workshops where people with disabilities are paid pennies to complete menial tasks in segregated settings.

ACRE is a national membership organization for trainers and educators in the field of employment for people with disabilities. Members come together to share training strategies, techniques, and tools as well as to identify emerging needs in the field and approaches to address those needs. Their shared mission is to use education to improve the quality of employment services for people with disabilities.

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About Community Options, Inc.: 

For over 30 years, Community Options has developed housing and employment supports for people with disabilities – serving thousands of people from over 40 offices across 10 states. Community Options provides advocacy assistance to empower people with disabilities because all people – regardless of ability level – should live and work in the community with dignity, choice and self-determination. For more information, please visit our website: www.comop.org and to follow along with the #AllItTakes campaign, search #AllItTakes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.