PossAbilities Plus, Inc. was conceived by Susan Peters, a mother of three children,
including two sons on the Autism Spectrum. She has a passion for helping children with
different learning abilities. In addition, she taught students with special needs for 14 years
and earned her Masters Degree in Special Education. During this time, she explored and
developed approaches that positively motivated her students to grow towards their
potential. She found incorporating peer mentors and authentic life activities into her
social skills curriculum allowed her students to develop confidence. For example, she
helped her students and peer mentors to create a coffee shop that operated out of their
classroom. The coffee shop provided drinks and snacks to school faculty and staff with
great success. The social skills, math skills, and organizational skills of the students
involved improved noticeably. Incorporating learning, practice, and peer relationships
into one activity was the key to success.
PossAbilities Plus, Inc. is not a traditional transition and training center for teens and
adults. We are an all-in-one center for learning, training, working, and socializing. Our
goal is to provide training to build skills including self-advocacy, resume writing, and
occupational competencies. In addition, clients will be able to earn certifications in areas
such as food safety, first aide, and child care. As part of the PossAbilities program we will
have three on-site opportunities: a tea room called Cup of Dreams, an upscale resale shop
called Unique Boutique, and a social program called SociAbilities. PossAbilities will
partner with community organizations to bring in peers to work alongside participants in
all areas. As clients skills grow we will assess their talents and help them find
opportunities in the local community to shadow, intern, or gain full-time employment.
Finally, we are a nonprofit organization and depend upon the generosity of the
community to help our customers. We need your help! Ways to help include:
volunteering your time, donating items for our upscale resale, purchasing a rock for our
rock garden, becoming a sponsor, and visiting our stores often.
