Welcome to Community Options
Since 1977, Community Options has provided employment and community-based day services for adults with developmental disabilities in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Our services are carefully tailored to meet each individual's unique needs and personal preferences. Services may include employment assistance, community-based day activities, or a combination of both. We also offer door to door transportation services As a smaller organization, we are able to deliver personalized and knowledgeable services, fostering meaningful relationships with those we support. We are strong advocates for our clients and are wholeheartedly committed to promoting true integration into the community.
This is a sculptural piece put together by Community Options for a special exhibit at the former grounds of the Belchertown State School. This is one of five, “Birdcages”. Each one represented an individual’s personal story shared by either a former resident or staff person. This specific cage was about how the food was often ground up into one bowl of mush and often residents were not taught or able to use utensils other than spoons. The birds in the cage represent that this was one of many stories that could be told.
Our History
Community Options was incorporated in 1977 as a sheltered workshop for twenty-seven adults who had spent most of their lives at the Belchertown State School. This workshop was located in Belchertown, as part of a retail store that sold crafts made at the workshop, and outside vendors. The goal of this workshop was to provide genuine employment for people with developmental disabilities who had never had a job before. For many this was their first opportunity to work in the community. This was a time of great change, with many state institutions closing, and more services being based on community integration.
By 1981, it became evident that the workshop model, though beneficial in many ways, was still a congregated environment that did not fully support the inclusion of individuals into the broader community. In response, Community Options restructured its approach. The focus shifted to securing community employment opportunities tailored to the unique talents and interests of each participant.
Today, Community Options serves approximately 80 individuals, continuing to adapt and evolve its services while steadfastly prioritizing personalized support and community integration. This enduring commitment reflects the agency's mission to facilitate not just job placements, but meaningful participation in the community. Currently, the agency serves approximately eighty participants. While the services have continued to evolve over the years and the agency has grown, the commitment to individually tailored services and community integration has remained steadfast.
Mission Statement
It is the mission of Community Options Inc. to help persons with developmental disabilities access employment and other opportunities so that they may fully participate in their communities.
Community Options is guided by the following principles:
Services will be designed according to the present needs of each individual.
Each individual will be encouraged to make educated choices regarding their vocational career.
Community Options will respect and promote the mission and guiding principles of the Department of Developmental Services.
Community Options will help raise public awareness of the contribution persons with developmental disabilities can and do make in their communities, both on and off the job.
Community Options will support the health and welfare of the people it serves.
