The Dawn of Hope Development Center is a non-profit agency designated to provide a wide array of service to intellectually and developmentally disabled persons. Developmental disabilities are defined as those that become evident in childhood, that are expected to continue indefinitely, that constitute a substantial handicap to the affected client, and that are attributable to mental retardation, cerebral Palsy, epilepsy, autism or other neurological conditions closely related to mental retardation.

The facility adheres to the normalization principles defined by the Accreditation Council for Services to Mentally Retarded and other Developmentally Disabled Persons (AC/MR-DD), and the facility acknowledges that this principle applies to every client enrolled at the Dawn of Hope Development Center. The Normalization Principle means making available to mentally retarded persons the patterns and conditions of everyday life, which are as close as possible to the norms, and patterns of the mainstream of society. Every mentally retarded person, whether mildly or profoundly retarded, must be provided with opportunities for a normal rhythm for daily life, a normal routine, opportunity to undergo the normal developmental experience of the life cycle.

A client possessing a developmental disability is one who, because of the intensity of his physical, mental, or emotional problems, needs education, social, psychological, or medical services beyond those, which have been offered in traditional adult, and public school special education programs. Meeting the client's special needs will enable him to maximize his full potential for useful and meaningful participation in society thus enabling him to function in the most appropriate learning environment that is available in the community.

Through initiation of developmental programs that begin in infancy and continue throughout the life span of the client, and through assessment information on adaptive behavior patterns, appropriate change in the client can be effected by application of correct methodology to identifiable patterns, as determined by individual developmental records. A tailored program of instruction land experience is used to provide the balance needed between individual and group development. A phased effort is made to progress from maturational to and through learning skills. Our purpose then is to provide each client, regardless of background or development, age or time restrictions, an opportunity to achieve a more positive way of life through normalizing experiences at the Dawn of Hope.