District of Columbia

St. John’s Community Services (SJCS) has served the Washington, DC community since 1868. From that time to the present, SJCS has changed and adapted to meet evolving community needs. In the 1980s, SJCS diversified its services, changing from a focus on children only to include adults as well. At the same time, the agency began a shift away from building based services to providing services only in community settings. Today, SJCS-DC is “advancing community support and opportunities” for children and adults with disabilities living in the District of Columbia. Contact SJCS-DC>

Children's Services

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

The Educational Services program, provided by highly trained SJCS staff within public schools, is offered to children with developmental disabilities between the ages of 4 to 22. We serve children with intellectual disabilities (mental retardation), autism, learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, emotional disturbance, cerebral palsy and other health impairments. We provide a safe and nurturing environment that fosters cognitive, social and psychological growth, with maximum opportunities for inclusion with peers without disabilities.

Each student is taught utilizing a functional and community based curriculum that stresses practical life and vocational skills along with traditional academic subjects such as writing, reading and mathematics. Students are assessed, and Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) are developed in conjunction with the families, students and the IEP team. The IEPs are as closely aligned as possible to the DC standards and curriculum to best accommodate students’ abilities. Developmentally appropriate activities and materials are used to promote academic and cognitive growth, as well as to foster social, emotional, behavioral, communication, vocational, perceptual-motor, community-survival and daily living skills. When possible, students are mainstreamed into regular education classes, with SJCS staff, for academic instruction and vocational training.

To better equip each student to succeed in life, classroom and school-based instruction is supplemented with learning activities that are conducted in the community. All students learn how to access and use local stores, banks, libraries, and other community resources. Additionally, older students participate in a work study program with local businesses to gain employment skills and develop work habits that will enable them to secure and retain paid jobs, as well as pursue careers of their choosing.

NON-PUBLIC/CHARTER SCHOOL CONSULTATIVE SERVICES

SJCS-DC also provides various consultative services to private and charter schools in the District. These areas include:

Discrete clinical services to students, including Psychological, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and use of Assistive Technology.
Special Education Services with Certified Special Education teachers and Para-Professionals.
Professional Development and IEP development, instruction, methodology and pedagogy.
Developing behavior plans, classroom management, positive behavior support, inclusion, and differentiated instruction.
Curriculum development in alignment with DC standards, strategic planning for schools, leadership and strategic planning training.
Use of adaptive equipment/supports and environmental modifications.