A fresh cup of coffee, inviting company, and a place to come together with people who all have the same goal – to grow. That’s the experience people have at the Coffeehouse at The Harris Center.
“Coffeehouse is a great environment for participants to learn life skills. The program teaches social skills, communications skills, entrepreneurial and employment skills to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) and persons with autism,” said Charles Kerlegon, Director, IDD Services Division at The Harris Center.
In a group setting, participants drop in to the Coffeehouse and join their colleagues. Each visit focuses on addressing and enhancing different skills, such as independent living, anger management, making and keeping friends, time management, coping with stress, and self-awareness, including dating skills.
“The program also focuses on building confidence, communication skills, and teaching practical skills like workplace etiquette and maintaining an appropriate social presence. It prepares them for meaningful employment and successful social interactions in the community,” said Dr. Evanthe Collins, Vice President of IDD Service Division at The Harris Center.
CapeABLE Coffee
While the Coffeehouse is a space for people to gather and enjoy coffee, another program at The Harris Center focuses on brewing and serving it – CapeABLE Coffee. Every Wednesday, individuals with IDD open a coffee shop and get to work. They make smoothies, serve pastries, and popcorn. Roles include greeters, servers, and cashiers.
“Our individuals are more of the same than they are different. I think that oftentimes, there has been a dismissiveness, so to speak, about their abilities. That's why we have CapeABLE Coffee. There's not been a lot of concentration on focusing on the abilities. Instead, there’s been a lot of concentration focusing on the disability. But when you take apart that word, and you make the “dis” small and you make the ABILITY big, that’s what we focus on. Because they do have those abilities and capabilities to be productive citizens in the community,” said Kerlegon.
CapeABLE Coffee and Coffeehouse are just two of more than a dozen programs at The Harris Center that support individuals with IDD.
Harris Center Programs for Individuals with IDD
Here’s a look at some of the other programs:
Free Monthly IDD Learning Sessions: Both virtual and in-person options are available for The Harris Center's free monthly learning sessions. These sessions cover a wide range of topics, including guardianship 101, navigating social security, trauma-informed care, dance/exercise, dating and relationships, yoga and meditation, healthy living, photography, and computer literacy.
Summer Enrichment Programs: The Harris Center offers summer enrichment programs over seven weeks to school-aged individuals ages 13-17. These programs aim to prevent the regression of learned skills. Participants engage in daily activities such as art and music and learn socialization and communication skills.
IDD Step-Down: The Harris Center's IDD step-down program provides in-patient, 24/7 crisis respite for individuals who are discharged from an institutional level of care and need additional behavioral support before reintegrating back into their community.
General Revenue Employment Assistance: The Harris Center aids individuals in locating paid, individualized, competitive employment in the community. This includes helping individuals identify employment preferences, job skills, work requirements, and conditions, as well as identifying prospective employers offering compatible employment.
General Revenue Supported Employment: This service is provided to individuals with IDD who have paid, competitive employment in the community. The Harris Center provides supported employment services to help sustain that employment. This includes individualized support services consistent with the individual’s plan of services and support, as well as supervision, self-employment, and training.
Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation Services Provider: The Harris Center offers job placement assistance and job skills training tailored to job duties and employer culture. They also offer a work experience placement program, which allows individuals to gain employment skills by working at a business or agency in the community. This work experience can be in the form of a volunteer position, internship, or temporary short-term paid position.
Vocational Apprenticeship Program: The Harris Center's vocational apprenticeship program includes curriculum-based classroom training followed by paid integrated employment. Participants receive transferable job skills to assist them in pursuing competitive and integrated employment opportunities post-apprenticeship.
A Message of Inclusion
Dr. Collins and Kerlegon say this is just a glimpse of all the programs The Harris Center offers. Each program and mission share the same goal and message: we are all human beings, coexisting and honoring one another.
“Inclusion is important because number one, it breeds acceptance to the greater success of society, and secondary, inclusion is important because they're human beings just like the rest of them,” said Dr. Collins.
Seeking Services
If you are seeking Early Childhood Intervention services for a child under the age of 3, please call 713-970-4800. For all other services, you, your parent, legal guardian, or primary caregiver can call The Harris Center Access Center at 713-970-7000.
