About Us

 “We must move from the outmoded use of distant custodial institutions to the concept of community-centered agencies that will provide a coordinated range of timely diagnostic, health,educational, training, rehabilitation, employment, welfare, and legal protection services."
President John F. Kennedy Special Message to the Congress on Mental Illness and Mental Retardation. February 5, 1963

Abilities Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc. is one of the largest community rehabilitation providers of its type in New Jersey. 

It is recognized as a  tax-exempt, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization by the US Department of Internal Revenue and also registered as a charitable organization with the state of New Jersey. 

Abilities Center's history is a source of inspiration to its leadership, staff and consumers. The Abilities Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc.  started in 1963 because a group of civic-minded citizens were paying attention to their community’s needs. People with disabilities in their towns wanted to work -- but they could not find jobs. Their futures depended on it.

Recognizing a vital  community need, the Center's founders - a group of citizens - were determined to provide the means for people with disabilities in their community to have jobs. Their vision was quickly transformed into what would soon be known as Abilities Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc. Abilities Center adopted its mission to provide employment services for people with disabilities, raised initial funds to operate, and became a nonprofit in 1963

This was remarkable under any circumstances, but especially in historical context. In the early 1960s, there were few laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities or advancing their potential. Vocational rehabilitation services did not include extended evaluation services for people with severe disabilities until the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1965. 

Thousands of people with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, were institutionalized in facilities lacking any vocational rehabilitation services. 

The Center opened and was innovative; it soon demonstrated a willingness to adapt to market changes. For a number of years, it served about 100 people in the community. Under Susan S. Perron, President & CEO, the Center developed a product line in vocational rehabilitation services to meet community need and increased its census by 800 percent. It now serves about 800 consumers from across the region annually.

Ultimately, the trustees expanded the Center's scope by including people with other disadvantages which may be barriers to employment. Today, based in Gloucester County, NJ, the Center has a presence throughout the seven counties of southern New Jersey.

Abilities Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc.
1208 Delsea Drive
Westville, NJ 08093
856-848-1025
856-848-8429

www.abilities4work.com

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