ABOUT US

ACDS was originally founded in 1966 by a group of parents on Long Island who were seeking services for their young children with Down syndrome. Since then we have grown and evolved into a lifetime services agency that serves families of children and adults with a wide range of disabilities that include; Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Speech and Language Delays, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD).

Our programs are delivered in a variety of settings, beginning with our educational center and flagship preschool in Plainview Long Island. Our recent expansion has included a special needs preschool in Westchester County and two adult Day Habilitation programs in Plainview and Merrick LI. We also continue to provide high quality services in the family’s home, in community based programs and in our Individualized Residential Alternative group homes (IRAs) with a current capacity to serve more than one thousand people across all of our programs.

The continuity of service that we offer is one of the unique characteristics of ACDS. A great percentage of our teens and adults started with ACDS in early childhood in classes that were staffed by teachers, assistants and therapists, many of whom are still with ACDS to this day. These dedicated individuals are committed to our mission in a way that is best appreciated by visiting our facilities and observing the patient, caring, nurturing approach with which our staff and administration conduct themselves. When we refer to the ACDS family, it is more than a cliché. We are in a unique position to help complete the “Circle of Life” for our families.

Regardless of the program type or size, our services are designed with the individual in mind. There are no cookie cutters in our tool bag. All of our activities; educational, recreational, therapeutic, and social, focus on the unique characteristics and abilities of the person we are serving. There is one goal and that is to help that individual develop to their full potential. We bring a wealth of experience, developed over nearly a half century, to the job every day. And we are proud to say that our greatest reward is having families share their stories of how ACDS has made a difference in their lives.

ACDS is a 501(c)(3) corporation that relies primarily on government funding. However we remain dependent on private support to fill the gap between public funding and our operating budget – and that gap is ever growing in the face of federal and state budget cuts.