Community Inclusion (Adults)
Our Community Inclusion program offers a variety of supports for adults who have developmental disabilities depending on the person’s needs and wishes. People participate in a wide range of activities in the community either through one to one support or in small groups.
CVS works together with the supported individual and their family to discover what their interests are, what their strengths are and any area of growth they would like to focus on in our annual planning sessions.
Our focuses include Employment, Social Entrepreneurship, volunteering, life skills, recreation and leisure activities for adults of all ages. We have a number of offices where the support is provided from and we try to be as community oriented as possible.
We invite you to learn more about the community inclusion programs we offer at CVS by clicking below:
Community Inclusion
Our community inclusion programs are dedicated to supporting individuals to live full, engaged lives within their communities. Through personalized Individual Service Plans, our team works with each person to identify goals that reflect their interests, strengths, and aspirations. These goals often include recreational and leisure activities, volunteer opportunities, skill-building, and other ways to participate meaningfully in community life.
We provide hands-on support to help individuals pursue these goals, whether it involves developing exercise and fitness routines, exploring new hobbies, participating in social or recreational programs, or volunteering with local initiatives. For those who require additional support, we create tailored strategies to ensure safety, communication, and inclusion, including augmentative communication systems, social stories, and behaviour support plans.
Our approach emphasizes fostering independence, building confidence, and creating opportunities for genuine connection. By engaging in community activities, learning new skills, and contributing through volunteer work, individuals experience a sense of belonging and accomplishment. Our programs are designed not only to support personal growth but also to strengthen connections between the people we serve and the wider community, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive and participate fully.
Employment
The Employment program is focused on helping the individuals we serve find employment and develop employment skills, recreational healthy living and community-based activities. At CVS, we have a strong focus on finding employment for the individuals we serve. We know that individuals with developmental disabilities make a major contribution to the working world, they are loyal, have record low absenteeism rates and help foster a culture of inclusion within their organizations.
Our Employment team spends time educating and advocating for employment opportunities for the individuals we serve and individuals with developmental disabilities generally. It all starts with a Discovery process we run internally with the individual we serve to identify their interests and is then followed by a related job search. Once a job is identified and an employer is on board, CVS invests considerable time to assist with breaking down tasks, training and job shadowing. Once the individual we serve and employer are comfortable, we begin a phasing out process but are always on hand for the employer if more support is needed.
CVS is always looking for employment opportunities in the community. If you are a business who would like to learn more about our Employment program, please contact comms@communityventures.ca.
PBS AAC
At CVS, our team works with the individuals we serve to provide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and Augmented and Alternative Communications (AAC). We provide support and training across all programs, including developing and implementing PBS plans, Safety Plans, and De-escalation plans.
Our team also delivers MANDT training, helping CVS foster a culture that prioritizes emotional, psychological, and physical safety for everyone involved. The MANDT system focuses on supporting the person, not just their behaviours, and this approach guides all of our work.
In terms of AAC support, we help individuals use communication systems such as Picture Symbols and Proloquo2Go on electronic devices. Our team ensures that the people we support have a voice, a way to be heard, and the ability to communicate their needs.
We work closely with individuals, their families, and our staff team to support success and growth for every person we serve.
Social Enterprises
Community Ventures Society (CVS) is proud to currently have one social enterprise – DisDaBomb.
What is a Social Enterprise?
Social enterprises are revenue-generating businesses with a twist. A social enterprise has two goals: (1) to achieve social, cultural, community economic and/or environmental outcomes; and, (2) to earn revenue that can be reinvested in the business. On the surface, many social enterprises look, feel, and even operate like traditional businesses. However, when you look more deeply, one discovers the defining characteristics of the social enterprise: mission is at the centre of business, with income generation playing an important supporting role.
DisDaBomb
DisDaBomb has been part of the CVS family since 2017, when Angela Lusignan (founder of DisDabomb) gifted the business to CVS. Since that time, the individuals we serve in our Employment program have grown the business and are involved in all aspects of the business – from product design, production, packaging and sales. We source local, natural ingredients for our bath bombs. DisDaBomb offers a wide variety of scents, shapes & colours. We are happy to create a custom order for your needs.