Wabasha DAC’s Programs and Services: In and Of the Community
Ty Gaedtke, Executive Director of Wabasha County Developmental Achievement Center (DAC), calls it a "completely different program." He is describing the changes throughout his agency’s programs and services. Since taking the helm in 2021, Gaedtke has been steering Wabasha DAC, a day and employment provider based in Wabasha that serves about 50 people, towards the future of disability support services. He sees this change as a move away from legacy or center-based models toward services that connect people to, and take place primarily in, their local community. “Our goal here is to provide people the skills and support necessary to achieve the highest level of independence possible,” Gaedtke said. “In a perfect world, the end goal for all of our individuals here is to live and work independently. We can much better help them get to that goal by providing community-based services rather than center-based services.”
To reach this goal, Wabasha DAC applied for and received two grants over the last several years. The first grant, a capacity-building grant funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN DHS), aimed to expand services supporting people to achieve competitive integrated employment (CIE). The grant funded additional job coaches, who helped increase the number of people working in CIE from 0 to 8. Besides bolstering internal services, Gaedtke wanted to connect with community members and strengthen Wabasha DAC’s community presence. Part of the funds went to relocating the agency to a more central downtown area. Moving downtown helped make the agency an easily accessible hub within walking distance of many community offerings. Funding was used to create a promotional video for networking and outreach (watch the video here ).
To support Wabasha DAC’s goals related to increasing employment and community life engagement opportunities, Gaedtke applied for technical assistance (TA) through the Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) in 2024. This opportunity has included assignment of a TA team, consulting, a Community of Practice cohort, and training and resources to support their organizational transformation goals. MTI uses TA tools developed at the Institue for Community Inclusion at University of Massachusetts, Boston (ICI UMass).
Building off the momentum from the successful shift to community-based employment, Wabasha DAC set its sights on community life engagement (CLE), which refers to people accessing and participating in their communities outside of employment. The second grant, also funded through MN DHS, aimed to start and expand community life engagement efforts. Gaedtke explained that building out community life engagement services was meant to find more integrated and individualized non-work community placements for people, where they could connect with community members. “Working and engaging in the community helps build those natural supports that there is a stark lack of in the disability community,” he said. Wabasha DAC used the funds to buy a vehicle to reach community resources and tablets to connect staff and participants to technology in community settings.
To realize this goal, grant funds were used to create a new position: Community Life Engagement (CLE) Coordinator. The role appealed to Molly Talle, who joined Wabasha DAC as a DSP in 2021 and saw the position as an opportunity to “be a part of the direction we are headed in.” In her first seven months as CLE Coordinator, Talle connected with seven new community partners, ranging from the local food pantry and thrift store to fitness classes, horse arenas, and farmers' markets. These new connections opened community participation and engagement opportunities for 14 people receiving services, like the service recipient pictured with a horse she works with, doing equine therapy. When Talle was asked what she enjoys most about her new role, she responded, “The look on their faces when they realize there’s more to the world.” Her passion for community engagement includes meeting businesses where they are, thinking outside the box, and remaining flexible. The creation of the CLE Coordinator position, which has been made permanent beyond the timeframe of the grant, marked a turning point for Wabasha DAC. “Before we had this position, we were doing a lot of community outings—which are great in their own right—but we are just doing something fun in the community,” Gaedtke recalled. “The CLE position has allowed us to add community placements that allow our individuals to be of the community.”
Today, Gaedtke and his team at Wabasha DAC feel like they are just getting started and show no signs of slowing down. Their commitment to CLE and CIE is bolstered by the overall improvement of quality of life, expanded community connections, and increased sense of self-worth reported by people receiving services.