KENT-SUSSEX INDUSTRIES INC

KSI, as an organization, believes that work, community integration, and the opportunity to contribute and grow as a person, is important to all people, especially people with disabilities. Integration with others in our society helps to give our lives purpose and meaning. Community integration allows us to learn and be successful, and to interact with people in the pursuit of common goals or outcomes. Employment and community integration creates opportunities for choice, education, recreation, and socialization and allows us a chance to discover talents and skills we never knew we had.

In pursuing our mission, we provide a wide array of services to our program participants, including vocational training and employment, transportation to and from service locations, life enrichment, day habilitation, community inclusion, and nutritional services.

To be eligible for services, an individual must have a documented disability and eligible for third party funding. Program participants are referred to KSI by agencies such as the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Division for the Visually Impaired, Veterans Administration, the Division of Services for Aging & Adults with Physical Disabilities, and school districts. KSI's service area reaches across Kent, Sussex, and lower New Castle counties in Delaware.

Originally known as the Golden Opportunity Center, Inc., KSI was founded in 1962 with a grant from the DFRC. What began in a small facility in Camden, grew over the next decade to include four satellite facilities. In 1985 programs in Woodside, Bridgeville, Dover, and Milford were consolidated and moved into KSI’s current location, a 72,000 square foot facility in Milford.

The organization’s programs have developed into a highly-effective path for people with disabilities to reach their highest potential through access to employment and meaningful involvement in their communities. KSI’s goal is to help develop useful skills and strong self-confidence, and equip participants for richer and more independent lives. This goal is accomplished through KSI’s Employment and Day Habilitation Programs, starting with assessment and planning with participants to help them define and meet their own goals.

Life Enrichment and Explore Programs: The Life Enrichment and Explore programs are day habilitation programs designed to aid individuals in self discovery and empower them for meaningful participation in their communities. Life Enrichment and Explore program participants benefit from opportunities to learn skills, volunteer, contribute and access community life and resources. These programs provide non-employment activities to help participants who are not focused on work placement.

Prevocational Services: Providing opportunities to build skills and confidence for workplace readiness is crucial. KSI helps individuals by assessing job goals and providing customized training to prepare them for community-integrated employment. Prevocational Services provide our participants with the support they need to understand and prepare for the workplace. It also offers participants earning opportunities, motivating them to reach higher. As part of Prevocational training, KSI’s Skill Development Center in Milford has the capacity to handle numerous deadline-driven production, assembly and mailing projects at the same time. And businesses can utilize this affordable resource to help achieve their goals.

Community-Based Employment: KSI provides fully-supervised work crews to perform ongoing projects at the customers’ own facilities. These crews are truly-integrated opportunities for individuals to apply and grow their employment skills. As the employer, KSI is responsible for all employment-related expenses, including payroll administration, payroll taxes and employment-related insurances. The businesses benefitting from KSI work crews gain dedicated employees and uniquely-effective solutions to their production issues that can’t be found elsewhere.

KSI Food Service Program: KSI’s cafeteria provides healthy daily breakfasts, snacks and lunches free of charge to each Skill Development Center participant. It ensures that participants’ bodies are well-nourished, as well as providing important time to socialize with friends. The KSI cafeteria also offers vital employment and training opportunities in food preparation and service to prepare participants for community-based jobs.

KSI Transportation: KSI’s fleet of vans and buses guarantees participants get to work training and get back home safely on a daily basis. This service is available to both KSI’s Skill Development Center and work crew locations throughout Kent and Sussex Counties.