Fairbanks Rehabilitation Association
Synopsis
The Fairbanks Rehabilitation Association has experienced significant growth and success, expanding its services to include specialized foster care, in-home training, and respite care for people with disabilities. With achievements such as doubling the number of employed people with disabilities and increasing contract sales income tenfold, the association stands out for its commitment to creating employment opportunities and supporting the community.
The Full Story
The quality and diversity of programs and services offered through the Fairbanks Rehabilitation Association, along with its rapid growth, have made this small Work Center a winner for 1986.
Incorporated in 1967, the FRA has accelerated its program to include over 250 families and expanded its services to include specialized foster care, in-home training to families, and respite care for the elderly and developmentally disabled individuals. Its residential programs now span a continuum of training opportunities and living situations designed to meet the individual needs of people with disabilities.
Most dramatic, however, are the following achievements: the number of employed people with disabilities has doubled over the last seven years; the number of contracts has grown from 4 to 58; the gross sales income from contracts has increased tenfold, from over $13,000 to nearly $158,000. The gross annual wages for employed people with disabilities have ballooned from $7,600 to almost $105,000.
Fairbanks was the first Work Center in Alaska to obtain a Federal contract under Javits-Wagner-O’Day. Their contract to stock commissary shelves at Eielson Air Force Base provides employment for nine people with disabilities who learn marketable skills, work in an integrated environment, and earn an average wage of $5.87 per hour.
The establishment of the Fairbanks Rehabilitation Foundation has added a creative flair to the basic provisions of the program. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by community leaders to support the efforts of the FRA. In December of 1985, the Foundation sponsored the award-winning play “Creeps” as a major community outreach and education project. Over 1,800 people attended productions of the play, and the success of the performances has spurred other groups nationally to sponsor the play in their communities.
It is this type of insight and commitment to creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities that makes the Fairbanks Rehabilitation Association a winner for 1986!
