Adult Programs
Expectations matter. At Ala Costa Centers Adult Programs our participants are given the right and expectation as adults to make choices, engage in community life, self advocate, and apply those skills to live more self determined lives - defining their own success.
Photo by Jamie Meronk
100% Community Based Programming
Ala Costa Centers Adult Programs is proud to be the only adult day program designed by openly autistic and neurodivergent people serving the intellectually and developmentally disabled community.
[Image description] A participant wearing a hat and pink t-shirt stands on a stage holding a microphone. She is smiling and looking to the left of her.
Ala Costa Adult Transition Program (ACAT)
Ala Costa’s Adult Transition Program [ACAT] serves transition age participants ages 18-22 with intellectual and developmental disabilities from the Berkeley Unified School District. ACAT is a community-based program that focuses on self-determination skills, vocational skills, independent living skills, and community integration. Our Adult Programs team works in partnership with Berkeley Unified, participants and their support systems to ensure each person experiences success in compliance with their IEP goals.
Program hours: 8:30 AM-2:30 PM, Monday-Friday
Adult Community Training (ACT)
The Adult Community Training [ACT] Program is a community-based adult day program serving intellectually and developmentally disabled adults in Berkeley, Oakland and surrounding areas open to Regional Center Clients 18 and up. Our participants practice vocational skill building, self determination, independent living skills and community integration.
Program Hours: 8:30 AM- 2:30 PM, Monday-Friday
.jpg)
[Image description] Two women are sitting and smiling. One is holding up a peace sign. They are both carrying purses that are sitting on their laps. They appear to be waiting for the BART Train
[Image description] Two people bend over a big box of orange in a warehouse. The person to the left is wearing a sweatshirt with a hood and the person on the right is wearing a blue down jacket. They are volunteering at a local food bank sorting fruit.
Tailored Day Service
TDS offers a tailored solution for those seeking to achieve individualized goals with 1:1 support. At the heart of our philosophy is active participant involvement, translating choices into tangible goals across various domains such as career support, independent living skills, transportation, post-secondary education, self-advocacy, and self-development. To embark on this journey, participants first engage in a self-discovery process, ensuring a high degree of participant agency.
​
Service Hours: Available from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, subject to individual student choice
Curriculum Highlights
Ala Costa's strength-based instruction occurs in community spaces, not on a school campus or in classrooms. We prepare participants in the least restrictive environment and in real-time
Ala Costa aims to empower all our participants to lead self-directed lives, fostering connections with their chosen communities and support networks. Participants in ACT/ACAT engage in cultivating independent living skills and establishing natural supports. This involves learning to access community resources, demonstrating leadership to their peers, participating in cooking classes, engaging in regular exercise, managing budgets, utilizing public transportation such as buses and BART, and advocating for their needs – all within the community and in real-time.
The ACT/ACAT program follows a Service Learning Model for vocational training. Every day, our participants volunteer at a variety of local non-profits where they have the opportunity to support community members, learn new skills and practice working in the real world where they gain a sense of independence and responsibility. To take a look at the current organizations we work for head to the community partners page.
Participants volunteer at a local soup kitchen preparing meals for community members in need.
ACT/ACAT participants rely on public transit to access their daily activities, providing an authentic immersion in the community to teach essential skills. Navigating the community using public transit offers participants opportunities for real-world problem-solving, reinforces crucial safety skills, and instills a sense of accountability for themselves and their belongings. Numerous participants have successfully applied the skills practiced in the program to become independent travelers.
a Participant swipes his clipper card at the BART station
We believe that community access is a human right, and that community life is better when everyone is included. Historically, disabled individuals have been segregated in care settings due to unfounded concerns about their safety in the community and perceived dangers they might pose. In traditional program settings, support staff often unintentionally act as barriers, hindering genuine moments of inclusion and exchange. At Ala Costa Adult Program, our support staff actively facilitate interactions between community members and program participants, fostering meaningful relationships where mutual learning and understanding can take place.
Participants workout at the YMCA in downtown Berkeley
Disabled people have the right to try, fail and learn from their experiences; this is the foundation of the learning process. Yet, throughout history, individuals with disabilities have faced adversity due to the limited expectations within educational and care systems, perpetuating dependence. At Ala Costa Adult Programs, we embrace a distinct teaching approach. We empower participants by offering them the freedom and respect to navigate their own experiences, valuing each person's unique learning path, irrespective of pace.
Photography by Jamie Meronk and Ala Costa Centers