The Entrance Program
The Entrance Program is designed for students transitioning from home or a secondary school program. Typically it lasts 2-3 years.
Comprehensive, tuition-based, residential program.
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2 years in the Residence (dormitory style living) in Westbrook, Connecticut
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1 year in the Transition Apartments (apartment living) in Guilford, Connecticut
Students receive a full range of services and around-the-clock support in the Residence. Through work experiences, individual and group counseling, classes and hands-on instruction, life skills training, community access, and recreational support, students develop the skills and behaviors necessary for success in adulthood. Each student has an Individual Program Plan prioritizing successful employment, independent living, wellness, satisfactory peer and interpersonal relationships, confidence, and community involvement.
Students who have completed their training in the Residence continue with a bridge year focused on the transition to living in the community. They reside in the Transition Apartments, and life skills and counseling focus on how to live independently in an apartment setting.
Upon completion of the Entrance Program, students graduate and most become members of the Outreach Program and live in the community with supports from Vista.
The Outreach Program
The Outreach Program is a fee-for-service program with a full menu of selective services to meet the needs of the Vista member who is living independently in his/her own apartment or house. Individuals who have not graduated from Vista’s Entrance Program, but who are living nearby with their families, may also apply for Outreach Program services.
Vista believes that our students and members have tremendous potential to live in the community. Community living is the culmination of the young adult’s efforts. Vista also believes that learning does not end upon completion of the Entrance Program. Students can become Outreach Program members and receive Outreach support services as needed.
Individuals in the Outreach Program live in local towns on Connecticut’s shoreline, near their jobs, close to community activities, and within Vista’s service area. They receive supports and training from a menu of services including vocational, life skills, counseling, transportation, and recreation. Members belong to an Outreach Club that offers opportunities for recreation and socializing.
Within the Outreach Program, there is also a service option that includes a full day of well-rounded and purposeful activities for participants who need a higher degree of structure and support built into a scheduled routine. This option is available from 1-5 days a week.
The Community Supports Program
The Community Supports Program is available for those members who have proven a substantial level of independence in their functioning and need only minimal services to succeed in work and life within the community and have someone who can be identified as a local support person.
Community Supports members can purchase Vista services “a-la-carte” for supports such as life skills and vocational training, transportation, recreation, and benefits counseling. They also must have shown the potential to manage their basic life skills and problem solve independently enough so as not to need significant counseling and case management supports. Instead of an assigned Program Counselor, members in Vista’s Community Supports Program are overseen by an identified support person in the local community identified and chosen by the member and their family. For these purposes, the local community is defined as within two hours drive from Vista. This person may be a parent, sibling, family friend or other professional. They may be given full responsibility for coordination and oversight of the services to the community support member, or may work collaboratively with a family member who lives outside the local area.
Extended Supports Program
This is a program designed for members who require intensive external supports and structure.
Vista offers an Extended Supports Program for a small group of members who need intensive external support and a highly structured routine in order to maintain the motivation to accomplish the tasks of daily living, integrate into Vista and community-based activities, and to benefit from opportunities for increased positive social interactions. Services are based upon Vista’s four major areas of focus: vocational skills, life skills, social-cognitive development, and community involvement. This program is customized to meet the individual needs and interests of the member. It allows those members who may not be able to sustain independent daily living to maintain their autonomy, self-worth, and peer relations in a community that they know and where they are accepted.