EL PASEO CHILDREN'S CENTER LEARNING DISABILITY TESTING LA QUINTA, CA

Question: We've just recently relocated to the desert with my autistic son. He's 19 years old, just recently completed his schooling program back home and has never had a job. Do you know of any local programs that my son can participate in?

Answer: DesertArc is a work training center for individuals with developmental disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and mental retardation. Programs promote independence and offer opportunities for employment with the goal of helping individuals with developmental and other disabilities live as independently as possible. Most DesertArc clients are placed by the Inland Regional Center, who you'll need to contact first.

Rich Sells, director of business operations at DesertArc, said, "Just because someone has a disability does not mean they cannot perform their job at a high level of efficiency. My clients take tremendous pride in the work that they do and know that they are contributing to our community as do I." I toured the Palm Desert facility this week and was quite impressed by the professionalism and sense of ownership exuding from the individuals participating in the program. It is apparent that they take great pride in their work. I observed employees embroidering school uniforms and screen printing T-shirts, to name just a few of the services they provide.

This is a great program for your son to participate in and a charitable cause for community members to support and be a part of. As Sells told me, "These are people without a voice, and we need to speak for them."

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