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MISSION
The Polus Center for Social
& Economic Development, Inc. strives to create opportunities
for persons with disabilities and members of other vulnerable
groups to become valued citizens within their communities.
The word “Polus” is of Latin origin and means the
highest point, suggesting reaching for the ideal. The name invokes
people being at their best by helping each other and welcoming
one another into a meaningful community life.
The Polus Center is a non-profit umbrella organization that designs
and implements community-based programs in the United States and
throughout the developing world.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
Shared Living
The Polus Center helps to establish and support households where
people with and without disabilities live in mutually beneficial relationships
based on respect and loyalty to one another. Shared Living encourages each person
to live a rich and meaningful life and promotes highly individualized supports
rooted in relationships. Ideal homes are supportive, safe, and comfortable while
accommodating the needs and preferences of each household member. In Shared Living,
people live together as equals, involve each other in other relationships and
activities inside and outside the home, and together share in life's joys as
well as its challenges.
International Programs
In 1997, the Polus Center entered into the international arena by coordinating
humanitarian efforts in Central America aimed at addressing the long-term needs
of people with disabilities, particularly those individuals who lost limbs due
to acts of war, landmines and diseases. Polus has now worked for many years in
developing countries to promote social and economic justice for some of the world's
most vulnerable groups. The Polus Center has an established track record for
creating innovative and flexible person centered victim assistance programs,
including prosthetic clinics and distribution, job training and economic development,
leadership training, accessibility and barrier reduction projects, and the development
of the PLUSSA wheelchair manufacturing facility. Grassroots development projects
and mini-grants help people with disabilities create or maintain small businesses,
access educational opportunities, combat social stigma, and become re-integrated
into their communities in Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua and throughout the world.
Polus also helps to administer the Coffeelands Trust, a fund dedicated to providing
direct support to victims of conflict who live and work in coffee communities.
Social and Economic Opportunities
In additional to mini-grants, job training and employment that
provides sustainable income for landmine survivors and their families in developing
countries, the Polus Center has helped match employer labor needs and qualified
adults who have disabilities in the United States for over 20 years. We advocate
a "place and train" method of job development, in which people with
disabilities find a job based on their skills and interests and then are further
trained according to their needs. We offer education and resources to workplaces
on how to access an untapped talent pool and how to build and foster an inclusive
and flexible workplace. In addition to individualized support for the people
we help to find competitive jobs and volunteer opportunities, we offer employer
workshops, resources and customized workplace team training programs.
Training and Consulting
The Polus Center works with grassroots organizations to help
them plan and implement economic, social integration, and community-based rehabilitation
projects. Active participation in these planning sessions offers a unique action
learning opportunity for participants to learn about victim assistance and developing
person-centered human service models. In addition, through the Academy of Professional
Skills Development (a division of the Polus Center), we provide leadership training,
organization development, and small business capacity building to both non-profit
and for-profit organizations throughout the U.S. and in developing countries.
Any proceeds earned through training and consulting work with for-profit companies
goes to people supported by the Polus Center.
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Coffeelands World Gifts Café is now open!
Built on universal design and direct trade principles, the fully accessible World Gifts Cafe provides employment opportunities for people who have disabilities, and promotes sustainable practices and global fair trade standards, while raising funds for the non-profit work of the Polus Center.
We offer great tasting organic, fair trade coffee from Dean's Beans and unique items handcrafted by people living in coffee growing regions, providing an alternative source of income for the 'thin months' while they wait to harvest their coffee. We also carry creative gift baskets and products made by local artisans and a collection of "Made in the USA" gifts.
Polus Center Board Member to Be Honored by the Disability Law Center
Keith Jones, a Polus Center board member, has been selected to receive the Individual Leadership Award from the Disability Law Center, for his impactful nationwide advocacy to advance special education initiatives.
Sharing
The News - Winter 2011 (PDF, 444k)
Give
a Child a Goat - The Uganda Goat Project
The Give a Child a Goat Project elevates the
status of children with disabilities and their families. A child with a disability
who owns a goat holds a valued position in local Ugandan society, since goats
provide families with a sustainable livelihood of food and milk.
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