ICAN California Abilities Network – Long Beach

ICAN California Abilities Network is a nonprofit offering employment, life skills and social programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the South Bay and Long Beach. The Long Beach site hosts its Partial Work Program, which combines employment skills training and work opportunities with social development, healthy living and community integration, in AM and PM sessions with a 1:3 staff-to-client ratio. Participants help build their own schedules from seasonal clubs such as cooking, art, photography, drama, hiking, technology and sign language. A parent describes the program as engaging and skill-building for a young adult son with autism, while a few reviewers report less positive experiences. It is licensed by the California Department of Social Services as an Adult Day Program for up to 18 participants.

The Partial Work Program balances on-site programming with off-site community integration, and offers clubs including cooking, music, TV news, fitness, art, photography, drama, books, improv, crafts, hiking, technology, community garden, interview skills, Spanish, budgeting, games and sign language. The facility has a kitchen, art room, computer lab and meeting rooms. Both ambulatory and non-ambulatory clients are accepted; clients need to manage their own bathroom needs and have no aggressive behaviors.

ICAN Long Beach is at 4200 E Pacific Coast Hwy Ste 200, Long Beach, CA 90804; parking is behind the building and reached only from the Outer Traffic Circle. The Partial Work Program runs Monday through Friday, with an AM session from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and a PM session from 2 to 6 p.m., for full- or part-time clients. A referral from a regional center service coordinator is required before ICAN schedules an interview. Call (310) 374-8295 to schedule a visit.