The Connecticut Bond Commission awarded the disability-service organization, Favarh, The Arc of the Farmington Valley, a $2.5 million grant to build a workforce development and independent living center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
“The need is undeniable,” President of Favarh’s Board of Directors Augusto Russell said at a press conference about the grant on Sept. 8. “Less than one in five adults with IDD hold a paid, integrated job, yet almost half of those without jobs say they want to work. Those who do find work earn far less than their peers, and the unemployment rate is nearly four times that of the general population.”
While the IDD adult employment rate in Connecticut is still better than the national average, around 70% of adults with IDD in Connecticut are unemployed or underemployed, according to the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services. In contrast, more than 75% of people without disabilities are competitively employed.
This center will support Favarh’s ongoing initiatives to find work for adults with IDD. Presently, Favarh runs 17 job training schools for young adults with IDD, according to Executive Director Steve Morris. Ninety-eight percent of people who graduate from these centers find employment.
Favarh also provides housing assistance for adults with IDD.
In 2021, Bear Woods Apartments opened in Canton in collaboration with Favarh and Regan Development. On average, these apartments are one-third of the cost of assisted living communities, Morris said.
This was the first affordable rental facility with integrated supported apartments for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state, according to Morris. Since then, ten more facilities in the state have opened, and another ten are under construction.
Connecticut is leading the country in providing independent housing units for adults with IDD, but there is more work to be done, he said.
“By the end of 2026, CT will have 249 apartments helping 303 adults with IDD live as independently as possible in a home of their own,” Morris said.
One of those adults is Megan Morrison, a 27-year-old with Down syndrome. Her mother, Kim Morrison, is the co-founder of BeanZ & Co., a coffee shop in Avon that employs adults with IDD. Megan has worked there since it was founded in 2018.
“That job is not just employment, it’s her anchor, giving her independence, confidence, and a place to belong,” Kim said at the press conference. “It was hard for me to imagine that this would be her life for her with her medical needs… We worried that she would always need constant oversight and her dreams would be limited by systems that often overlook the extraordinary in those with disabilities, but Favarh saw what we couldn’t see at first.”
The organization helped Megan find independent living. Now, she lives with a roommate and is responsible for getting herself to work every day and largely takes care of herself, Kim said.
“Megan’s story is the exception and the rule in our state and beyond,” Morrison said. “Unemployment or underemployment doesn’t just limit opportunities; it erodes hope and denies individuals the independence they deserve.”
Statewide, there are around 188,000 people in Connecticut with cognitive disabilities, around 5.5% of the population, according to the Center for Research on Disabilities. This represents just a portion of people with IDD in the state.
The new facility will teach resume workshops, interview practice, and skills training for both the workforce and independent living. The grant covers half of the estimated costs of establishing the facility. Favarh is seeking donations for the rest of the project.
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