Day Support Services are designed for adults ages 18 and older, and can include community volunteering or local employment, planned group outings, cooking, gardening, swimming at the local YMCA, crafting pottery at The Clayworks and much more. Programs in both Hutchinson and McPherson offer more options and opportunities than typically attempted and deliver a level of activity that helps support each person in appropriate ways.

Assistive Technology — Our Assistive Technology Center in Hutchinson features Apple TV, Wii Gaming Consoles and other tools that help bring the world closer. Clients explore the day’s events, communicate with friends and family, or take a virtual trip to a faraway locale. The more activity we offer, the better for those we serve. The center includes 20 computer workstations, seven of them equipped with adaptive software and hardware to accommodate different users’ needs.

• Brainfingers  Some people need hands-free computer access. By wearing a headband that senses and responds to eye movements, alpha brain waves, beta brainwaves and facial muscles, clients can control a mouse, and keyboard commands with the blink of an eye or by gritting their teeth.
   
• Tongue Switches  Individuals with severe physical or neurological disabilities can hold a switch between their teeth and control a mouse or issue keyboard commands by using their tongues.
   
• Adaptive Keyboards  The Assistive Technology Center provides keyboards with oversized keys for people who are visually impaired. Other computers are fitted with finger traps for individuals who have reduced muscle control. Touchscreens are another option.

The Clayworks — Located in the close-knit communities of McPherson and Hutchinson, in the heart of Kansas, The Clayworks is a creative hub for artists of all abilities. Inside, clients of Disability Supports are the artists, creating handcrafted ceramic products, and making their pieces available for sale. The Clayworks retail galleries, art studios and community spaces are a natural, entrepreneurial extension of our commitment to supporting a full and complete life for all we serve.

Volunteering and Employment — Disability Supports clients are invited to be part of the community in varying degrees, including volunteering and service through partnerships with community clubs and organizations. Those who are able and interested in working are encouraged and assisted in doing so.

Socialization and Leisure Activities — To be inside the facilities at both McPherson and Hutchinson is to be surrounded by a mixture of vibrant sounds and movement: one group playing cards, the arrival of a birthday cake for a group celebration, a line dance routine. Even in the midst of such group activity, the many employees of Disability Supports are providing individual attention to each person, helping to move them to the middle of the action, receiving and giving spontaneous hugs, facilitating communication in a myriad of ways, and joining in the laughter or the challenges of any given moment.