Helping KidsAbility clients transition into adulthood

Workplace Innovation program at the GreenHouse Social Impact Incubator helps students find innovative ways to solve real world problems. Every year, KidsAbility supports more than 11,000 children and youth in Southwestern Ontario. Clients are helped through programs designed to assist with communication, social and physical goals, but face significant challenges when they move beyond the scope of their services at 21 years old. "Over the many years I've worked in this field, the consistent complaint I've heard is that youth fall off a cliff when they transition from the children's services sector to the adult sector," says Linda Kenny, the Chief Executive Officer for KidsAbility. "A young adult leaving home at 18 or 19 is already trying to navigate their way into that next stage of their life. Now add on complexity around needing services or equipment or accommodations and take away the services they relied on because they are over the age of 18 or 21. You can appreciate why people will describe it as falling off a cliff." As children and youth, participants can access a variety of treatments and services under one roof at KidsAbility.