THE PHILOSOPHY
ACT exists to serve the special needs of children and adults who have severe expressive communication difficulties. The primary mission of ACT is to help these individuals become communicatively effective and independent adults. However, it is the manner in which ACT fulfills its promise that makes it unique. From the moment an individual comes in contact with ACT, he/she is accepted with warmth regardless of the limitations of the condition or conditions which cause the disability. It is the individual's mutual acceptance of the clinician that allows the process of growth and remediation to begin. The course of this process is always based on the individual's needs but also recognizes and responds to the whole person inside that individual. In a more general sense, ACT fills a need for a community agency which is able to provide specialized services, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies and professionals, to assist in training future professionals and specialized personnel from several local colleges and universities, and to increase the public's awareness of people with disabilities as valuable members of society. By treating the whole person, by working with the family, and by facilitating transition into society, ACT attempts to help the individual find success in his/her endeavors; ACT tries to give him/her the extra tools he requires to be a functional, independent, and satisfied adult. |