Incorporated
in 1991, ADI is an entrepreneurial, non-profit organization
dedicated to assisting disadvantaged, disabled and non-disabled
people in Colorado, by creating meaningful career opportunities
for those who may lack such opportunities in the existing job
market. ADI's goal is for its employees (consumers) to achieve
their highest potential while working toward self-sufficiency.
Currently, ADI has over 200 employees of which over 50% are
disabled or disadvantaged.
ADI's
mission is not to create fleeting job experiences, but to promote
lasting career opportunities for its consumers in an integrated,
normalized environment. ADI is a vibrant business providing
relevant training, steady and meaningful employment, and skills
for life. ADI's service lines are diverse including:
- Vocational
Services
- Training
and Education Services
- Career
and Development Services
ADI
pays market rate wages and offers an attractive benefits package.
Accompanying these paychecks and perks is a sense of pride
and status. ADI consumers are valued for their individual contributions
to the business and to the community. In pragmatic terms, ADI
means real jobs in a respected business where the value of
workers' productivity is apparent. For local businesses it
means more wage earners and a new pool of potential employees
who understand the value of hard work. For the community it
means a practical, proven way to get people off of government
assistance and become productive members of society. Remarkably,
over the past two years close to 10% of ADI's disabled employees
have moved off of public entitlements.
Prior
to the establishment of ADI, employment opportunities and training
for persons with disabilities or disadvantages in El Paso and
Teller Counties were limited to traditional vocational services
such as developing job placement skills and job coaching. Although
these services can be beneficial in their own right, they are
most effective when embedded into a more comprehensive program
- one that develops and supports consumers after employment
is obtained. ADI, with its broad array of training, certification
and service lines, offers such a program. ADI also is unique
by providing an integrated, normalized work environment for
its consumers. Disadvantages do not set mental health consumers
apart from other employees. Unlike traditional, sheltered work
settings offered by many vocational programs where 100% of
the workforce is disabled, ADI's disabled and non-disabled
employees work side by side to get the job done.
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