Abilities Unlimited of Jonesboro, Inc. is a nonprofit private rehabilitation center which began April 1, 1963. A group of concerned citizens spearheaded by the Jonesboro Jaycees formed the corporation. A start-up grant of $16,000.00 was awarded and a shop was set-up behind the old L & L Laundry on Huntington. Evaluation and Work Adjustment Training were the initial programs provided.
In the winter of that very first year a fire caused us to have to move to the Craighead County Fair Grounds. There we stayed until the early part of 1964 and then we were able to move into a section of the old coop factory on 220 Creath. Another fire damaged this building and again we were on the move in a very short while. This time we were located at the corner of Creath and East Street. A retail store was started at 112 North Main and another at 111 Burke which closed after a short time while North Main stayed open until 1973.
In March of 1967 a permanent home was found at 311 Union and another retail store was opened there. A 4,000 square foot’s facility improvement grant in October of that year allowed for additional office and subcontract space. This facility provided space for the Evaluation and Work Adjustment Training programs and allowed for additional growth through the years.
Another retail store was opened in 1971 in Paragould. This venture continued for a couple of years before closing. The location of the outlet and the personnel who were hired to run it are identified as the contributing factors for its not being successful. After the North Main store was closed in 1973 efforts were focused on making the Union Store location the only source of retailing efforts. This approach has paid off through the years and has resulted in the store being a viable source of training.
By 1970 many Rehabilitation Counselors, the Board of Directors, and the staff were concerned about inadequate living conditions for the consumers coming to Jonesboro for services. A small start-up grant was submitted to Rehabilitation Services to start what was called a sheltered living program. This $14,000.00 grant was approved and two adjacent homes were located for this purpose. They were renovated and outfitted for both men and women. This program was opened to its first client in August of 1971 at 417 and 419 Jefferson. That this was the first program of its type in the State and one of only a few in the nation, was the cause of some of the notoriety surrounding the “Jefferson House.” The concept was new which allowed consumers from outside this area to receive training leading toward independence as well for being provided a good homelike atmosphere in which to live. An additional grant of $12,600.00 early the following year allowed for a needed expansion on both the men and women’s dorms.
The rehabilitation aspects of the program didn't change until October of 1972. At that time a new programmatic concept was added which was called the Work Activity Center which addressed the needs of some of the long term lower functioning consumers. This approach combined work-oriented assignments with those of a habilitation nature allowing for a broader treatment/training perspective.
Another program was added in 1974 that brought dramatic changes in our training of rehabilitation consumers. This program was called Extended Services and brought about dual benefits. It allowed for specialized rehabilitation services that expanded and improved work adjustment services, plus it provided for some additional funding. This program emphasized specific activities leading toward competitive employment.
The first property purchased by the organization was a 5800 square foot building located at 1102 Falls Street which allowed us to expand our work training area. We obtained it in mid-1974 and the following year the building was expanded to include body shop training. Fire again hit our organization in April of 1978 when the Falls Street location burned. The 311 Union facility was reorganized overnight to absorb the entire subcontract and was fully operational within a 24-hour period. The property on Falls Street was eventually sold. A search committee located what is now our main offices and subcontracting area on Hwy 141 North which had a 20,000 square foot building and was purchased in June 1978. With some renovation activities the building was occupied in a couple of months.
Working with local industry in the form of doing subcontracts has always been an integral part of our training methodology for the disabled. From the beginning Alton Box Board (now called Jefferson Smurfit) and General Electric provided very regular subcontracting activities. Other small contract activities, along with subcontracts that we performed, were either sporadic or one-time jobs. Then, in 1980 a substantial long-running contract was signed with E.I. DuPont which added a new dimension to our ability to perform highly critical quality control and demanding inventory control. With this addition client work training assignments ranged from simple repetitive tasks to very detailed complex tasks.
Later in 1980 we began studying the possibilities of production woodworking. In October a building was secured on Hwy 141 North between the main location and town. The building was then equipped with major pieces of woodworking machines which were mostly used equipment and then rebuilt by us. A major production contract was developed with Arkla Industries which was later discontinued and bootjacks were started. The endeavor has led to involving consumers in specific training on various woodworking machines. This type of training really increased the caliber of our training efforts. The primary activities conducted at this facility now involved a gas grill shelf-assembly, building cleats for Darling Store Fixtures, and sawing various types of corrugated board.
Also in 1980 an aluminum can recycling center was started. A small metal building was constructed on the south end of the main building on Hwy 141 North. October 30 we had our grand opening. This project was developed with National Can and was promoted as a joint project by Pepsi and Coke. Changing market conditions eventually saw the demise of this project.
Transportation through the years has been of key importance. The first van was purchased with a grant in 1971, then a replacement van, and finally the deluxe model in February of 1980. This nearly $50,000 30-passenger Blue Bird bus was also purchased with a special purpose grant. It is our major source of daily transportation. A 1985 Dodge Caravan (7-passenger) is used for doctors’ appointments, placement efforts, etc. A 1989 Dodge Caravan was used to start a route to Paragould and one to Marked Tree started in March of 1989. The Paragould route was integrated with the Paragould ARC bus that transports their area consumers to this program. The Marked Tree and Trumann route lasted one year and has temporarily been discontinued, while there are no further consumers needing this service.
We finally were able to get into independent living. In 1981 and 1982 we had submitted for HUD money to build two new group homes and twenty-four apartments. These applications were approved but not funded. On July 6, 1982 we submitted a grant application for special trust fund monies in order to secure an independent living facility for our consumers. We received $66,239.00 and in October purchased five apartments for $86,000.00. The first client entered the next month. We feel it has proven to be a great asset in working with our consumers toward learning to live independently.
Another major expansion took place in 1983. Our Hwy 141 N. facility had gotten so crowded that we had to build additional space and we designed a building that would best meet our need. We targeted our DuPont subcontract as the primary occupant of some 7,000 square feet of floor space which included a below ground storm cellar equipped with a freight elevator needed to accommodate some of the specialized quality control tasks that would be performed there. This $169,000 project was funded through our own sources. In the latter part of 1983 what has come to be another major subcontract was added with the purchase of three labeling machines. We began labeling boxes for Mead out of Memphis (now called Weyerhauser) that were sold to Waterloo Industries in Pocahontas, AR. Floor space for this project ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 square feet or more.
The latter part of 1984 we were able to bring about some major leasehold improvements at the Jefferson House for just over $11,000.00. The improvements were partly necessary to individualize bedrooms at the boy’s dorm and to replace carpet. It made a big difference in our programming efforts as well as the aesthetics of the facility.
A new subcontract with Gates Rubber moved into the area where the recycling center was housed. The contract required the designing and fabricating of certain test station in order to Quality Control the manufacturing of their washer machine hoses. Most of the materials were received in the latter part of 1984 and early 1985, but the project had been working on for more than a year. Later the entire project was moved inside the main building for more room. In 1989 Gates Rubber lost their contract and we had to close that department. Also, in 1985 we purchased a rotary blister sealing machine and began blister packing for KSH out of St. Louis. Through the year they remain the primary purchasers of these services with a few temporary subcontracts being performed. That project along with the materials handling demands led to buying a tractor and a 28-foot trailer in 1986.
In 1985 land was purchased at the corner of Walnut Street and Jefferson which would be the building site for a new complex. A year later we were breaking ground. In April of 1987 we opened the Personal Adjustment Center, a twenty-unit complex capable to serve forty people over a broad range of services in the area of supervised living. Each unit has two beds, bath, kitchen, dining area and living room that are furnished and decorated. The commons building allows for a wide range of training and programming both in a group and individually. The cooking and dining facilities are adequate for fifty people. The below ground basement provides additional room for laundry, storage, and activities. With the opening of this facility the Jefferson House was closed and sublet to another organization.
Although Jefferson Smurfit (formerly called Alton Box) has provided substantial work throughout the years a new dimension was added in November of 1987. Their project which was sold to J.I. Case was a specialized box assembly that required two commercial hot melt operations and production of two to four trailer truck load lots weekly. Floor space was a major draw back to this project. Due to these demands three forty-foot trailers were purchased in 1988 for storage and staggering material.
Expanding services to the client has really come to fruition the last few years. New programs were developed and funded that increased and improved a wide variety of services to the disabled. In July of 1986 the Follow Along program was added which provided specific services in the community to developmentally disabled people to help them remain living independently in the community. The Adult Development component was added in October 1986 which provided specialized habilitation training to Work Activity Center consumers. The Supported Employment program was begun in May 1987. This program targets severely disabled individuals for job coaching and training in competitive jobs in the community. When the Personal Adjustment Center was opened in April of 1987, we were allowed to expand the number of our funded slots for consumers to 25. This has provided a better funding base for the greatly expanded programming efforts in Supervised Living. Then, in 1988 a program called Maintenance and Monitoring was added to provide the necessary long term support for those persons going through the Supported Employment program.
In an effort to meet continuing needs of the DD population we became Medicaid Waiver Providers in 1989. We were authorized to provide Alternative Community Services under this program in eighteen counties. The program provides alternative community services and supports to that of institutional care. Other growth includes 96 different work stations in the three rehabilitation locations and 53 identified DOT classified jobs. These DOT descriptions are being used in reporting to the Rehabilitation Counselor. Effective March 1, 1990 there is one primary full-time Case Manager over both WAC/AD and Follow Along. This will facilitate better coordinated services in both of these programs.
Also, in 1990 the 311 Union location was purchased and renovation efforts begun to bring it up to the desired level of occupancy. Another new program called Personal Care was opened in 1993 for persons who need special medical assistance to carry out daily living activities. In the latter part of 1993 we enrolled in the ADP Nursing Home Waiver and Nursing Home Specialized Services. These services were chosen for the same eighteen counties as the other Waiver program. A contract to provide case management services to the VA was started in June of 1995 which involves providing qualified veterans who are disabled in this area of the state with case management services. In October of 1997 a contract was signed with the Social Security Administration as an Alternative Rehabilitation Provider. A contract for Disability Management Services was signed with CNA Risk Management in October of 1998. A Paragould Program was started in May of 1998 and a retail store was opened three months later. A 15-passenger van with lift was obtained in July of 1999 with a grant from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).
The Paragould program got a big boost when the landlord built on the same property a new 4,000sf building in December of 1999 into which we moved our retail thrift store, and the other one was closed. In August of 2001 a new 25 passenger van was obtained through a AHTD grant. During that same month the VA changed drastically when their central office took back all of their cases in order to be served by a counselor out of that office. We maintain a contract with the VA in case they may need other services at a later date. In September of 2001 the 8,000sf building attached to the new Paragould retail thrift store was leased and the consumer services program was moved into part of it. In two months we opened the other part as a consignment shop we called The Unlimited. In March of 2002 a full branch satellite was opened in Blytheville after the existing CRP in the area closed. Two of the other program’s AHTD vans were transferred to us for providing services in that area. The program is housed in a 40,000sf building at the Arkansas Aeroplex. In July of that same year we obtained a new 15 passenger van from the AHTD for Blytheville. A year later we were able to get the former CRP’s location at 317 East Main donated to us. During the following year extensive renovations lead to opening the facility up to a retail store and work adjustment center.
The growth pattern in the Adult Development Center in Jonesboro led to locating a building at 1334 West Monroe for expansion purposes. The building was purchased in March of 2003 and renovated to accommodate the Adult Activities Center a few months later. Transportation services continued to be augmented with annual van grants thru AHTD that allow both for some expansion and retiring older vans. In the latter part of 2006 we secured a lease of three adjacent offices at the Paragould location. After some renovations the Rehabilitations and WAC/AD moved into that area in early 2007. The new location was a much better facility. In March of 2008 we purchased a special collection bins system which is centered out of the Jonesboro production center that services the collection of donations at Union and Paragould, along with handling the garbage from that location, Monroe and PAC. The investment in the system has greatly improved the collecting of donations and handling of trash.