Orange County Adult Achievement Center

The mission of My Day Counts is to train people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities for success in life and work. We accomplish this by offering a variety of programs designed to enrich the lives of the individuals we serve and enable them to achieve their full potential. We provide support for people of all abilities, including employment, classroom and community-based instruction, recreational activities, motor skills and sensory awareness development, housing, case management, advocacy support, in-home education for families, independent living support, and transportation.

Since 1951, My Day Counts has a rich history of developing and launching innovative services never before offered to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in Orange County. From the beginning, our founding parents discovered there were few opportunities for their children and friends to be included socially, find gainful employment, and live independently. It was because of these limited opportunities and lack of services to aid people with disabilities, that the organization was founded. My Day Counts provides life empowering programs and services to more than 350 adults with disabilities, at our 58,000 square foot facility in Anaheim, as well as throughout the greater Orange County community.

Today, we are committed to supporting participants as they work towards achieving their individual goals while helping them to be successful despite the tremendous economic inequity this population faces. We will accomplish this with our evidence- and outcome-based training philosophy that emphasizes community integration, person-centered employment options and curriculum-based trainings.

The LIFE Training Activity Program (TAP) provides program participants with curriculum-based life skills instruction and mastery in a combination of classroom and community-based settings. The purpose is to train and enhance each participant’s knowledge and functional skillset relating to Life, Independence, Friendship and Employment / Education (LIFE) and in determining social- and employment readiness. Approximately 75% of TAP participants will have college credits. This program is the initial step for participants interested in the Community Employment Services program.

After an initial evaluation, program staff complete an assessment, create a person-centered plan and focus on providing participants with the tools necessary to seek employment opportunities, engage in higher education opportunities, access the community, engage in volunteer activities, find independence and develop friendships.

As minimum wage rates increase, and the unemployment rate remains low for the general population, there is an ever-increasing burden to better prepare those participants seeking employment and higher education.

In the last year, we have bridged the gaps in knowledge and skills for participants while removing common barriers for this underserved population. We help improve our participants’ overall sense of well-being, build their self-confidence, and afford them access to many life experiences from which they have previously been excluded.

Through our Access to Higher Education Initiative, we have helped six participants earn their High School Diplomas, we are preparing another 12 participants to earn their High School Diplomas this year and facilitated 240 unduplicated participants to take 1,472 classes. The impact of this initiative goes beyond affording an adult with disabilities access to attend college courses for a single semester. This initiative opens the world of higher education for these individuals who have been told their entire lives that there are many life experiences in which they simply cannot participate.

Through our Workforce Development Initiative, program participants are prepared for entering the workforce by addressing common barriers this population faces to finding employment. Currently, of the program participants who have transitioned out of TAP and into our Community Employment Services program, worked in our 3:1 Training Work Crews, and have been placed in integrated and permanent employment for competitive wages, 93% maintain their jobs for 12 months or longer.

Currently, 56.7 million people are living with a disability in the United States and the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities in California has remained around 80% for more than a decade. Even in times of strong economic growth, adults with disabilities are not afforded the same employment conditions as their non-disabled peers and a vast majority remain unemployed with limited opportunities for personal success. My Day Counts believes in investing in people of all abilities so they may be empowered to find new opportunities and reach their full potential.

The Access to Higher Education Initiative is part of our LIFE Training Activity Program (TAP) which provides up to 200 participants curriculum-based life skills instruction classroom and community-based settings. The purpose is to train and enhance each participant’s knowledge and functional skillset relating to Life, Independence, Friendship, Education / Employment (LIFE) and in determining social- and employment readiness.

Most participants lack life experiences, basic skills, and an understanding of social cues necessary to be successful in college, whether they have recently transitioned from the school program at age 22 or come to My Day Counts years later. By bridging the gaps in knowledge and skills for participants while removing common barriers for this underserved population, TAP improves their overall sense of well-being, builds self-confidence, and affords access to many of life experiences from which they have previously been excluded. Without these important services, many participants would be isolated, prevented from making meaningful choices about their daily lives, have no opportunity for employment or higher education, and live in a restricted environment lacking in social engagement and opportunity.

Program Description:
Beginning in 2018 and in partnership with local colleges, this Initiative (something that sets My Day Counts apart from other nonprofits serving this population) has supported more than 80 participants (mostly youth) who have collectively taken 611 college classes proving that attending college is possible. Prior to 2018, only 3% of participants had earned their High School Diplomas. Statistics prove having a High School Diploma leads to better employment options, higher earning potential, and greater levels of independence which is why this Initiative is an important component of TAP.

In the first term, 65 participants signed up to take college courses while many more have shown an interest in future semesters. On May 4, 2022, four participants graduated successfully earning their HS Diplomas and 14 more are currently working towards becoming the next set of graduates. (We are not aware of any other nonprofits doing this work – in fact, many serving this population are not even open and providing limited or remote services only.)

This Initiative provides groups of six participants with TWO hours (on average) of instructor-to-student support, Monday through Friday, for the entire duration of the semester (1,080 instructor-to-student hours costing approximately $4,446/group). Instructors attend all classes with participants, ensure participants understand and retain lesson information, provide homework follow up, and facilitate test preparation.

Through this Initiative, not only are we providing our TAP participants the opportunity to attend college but educating all our participants (and their friends and families) that attending college is not out of reach, as well. We have proven that with the right support and assistance, our participants are able to pursue their dreams of higher education.

The reason this Initiative is important and has successfully transformed the lives of hundreds of participants so they may lead more independent lives is that our model provides the training experiences and skills these participants did not have prior to coming to My Day Counts. Additionally, it helps this economically disadvantaged population overcome the unacceptable 80% unemployment rate to earn a competitive wage.

The impact of this initiative goes beyond affording an adult with disabilities access to attend college courses for a single semester. This initiative opens the world of higher education for these individuals who have been told their entire lives that there are many life experiences in which they simply cannot participate.

2024 TOTAL BUDGET STATEMENT:
The total budget for the Access to Higher Education Initiative is $217,875.84. Of the total organizational budget of $9,437,215 this initiative is only 2.31% of the total budget and of the TAP program budget of $1,369,361, this initiative is only 15.9% of that budget.

My Day Counts serves people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, 100% of whom are low income. Our program participants primarily reside in North Orange County, California, and most are served at our Anaheim location. City of Residence: Anaheim 35% Fullerton 8% Buena Park 8% Garden Grove 7% Santa Ana 7% Orange 6% Not Specified 9% Other 20%.

In the past 12 months, I can hardly believe just how much we have accomplished! I am so grateful that so many of our supporters were active partners in helping us to provide life-enhancing programs and services to more than 350 adults with developmental or other intellectual disabilities in our community who seek to equitable inclusion yet need assistance to be a part of society.

Led by our values and in partnership with important members of our community, our participants are working hard to overcome their personal and physical challenges to be included into the fabric of society and achieve new milestones, previously believed to be impossible. Today, participants are earning their High School Diplomas, taking college classes, advocating for themselves, earning their Driver’s Licenses, living independently and much much more!

We have a rich history of developing and launching innovative services to bridge the gap in opportunities for our participants. And although the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities in California has increased to now being 80%, we remain hopeful that our programs and services will continue to break down barriers and combat this unacceptable number.

There is still much to do, but our continued success fuels our drive to keep going. And we certainly don’t do this important work alone. We are so grateful to so many hardworking individuals, foundations and corporations who supported us through another year of growth and change. We accomplished so much together!

Our work is never done! Our story is on-going, and as long as our participants want success in life and work—we will continue to invest in people of all abilities to provide them with meaningful services and programs, so they may be empowered to find new opportunities and reach their full potential.

In the coming 12 months, I look forward to seeing how these changes increase each participant’s own success and how it will impact each of their stories. I hope you’ll join me at one of our special events or by taking a tour of our facility!
Michael Galliano

Thank you for your consideration and support of this very important organization. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am grateful to have your interest and support.