Aspire Living and Learning Empowers Employment. Welcome to FCIDD!

4 days ago
2 min read

As part of the March grant cycle, the Baltimore club sponsored a grant to start-up a micro-printing business for their Baltimore clients to learn, start, and run. Aspire Living & Learning (‘Aspire’) serves neurodiverse children and adults who are discovering their passions, un-locking potential, and thriving. Aspire is a human service and educational nonprofit treating and supporting nearly 500 adults and 200 children who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Aspire began in 1981 as The Institute of Professional Practice to de-institutionalize people living at the Brandon Training School in Vermont. In 2020, we rebranded as Aspire Living & Learning to better reflect our work.

Aspire’s clinical approach embodies a robust data-based decision-making model, where understanding and collaboration illuminate the path forward. We meticulously track progress towards specific goals, ensuring every intervention is grounded in proven methods and the latest research, while staying true to a person’s desired path of growth.

Aspire’s Residential Services include Shared Living, staffed residences, intensive treatment facilities, and in-home support. Our Day Options offer food, exercise, collaborative activities, and opportunities for artistic expression.

Both Residential Services and Day Options also provide behavioral support, trauma-informed clinical care, and connection to broader community. We host Aspire Online as a virtual Day Option, to offer remote learning and socialization opportunities to home bound adults. Aspire also partners with businesses to offer employment skills-building, placement, and coaching for adults with IDD seeking to build skills and earn income.

In Maryland, Aspire’s programs include residential services, supported employment, and a Day Option program that fosters skill development, community engagement, and personal growth. Our mission is rooted in helping every person discover and achieve their own definition of a meaningful life. Aspire has proudly served the Baltimore region for more than two decades, employing local staff and partnering with families, businesses, and community organizations to create inclusive opportunities with the people we support.

Grant Request

Aspire sought $10,000 to launch a Screen Printing Microbusiness within our Day Options program in Baltimore. This initiative will create opportunities for adults with IDD to learn valuable, transferable skills in design, production, and small business operations, and fostering creativity, confidence, and pathways toward competitive employment.