OCTOBER 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 29
For more than 50 years, ACDS
has been providing muchneeded
services to children and
adults with Down syndrome
and other developmental
disabilities.
The organization was founded
in 1966 as The Association for
Special Children by a group of
enterprising parents of children
with Down syndrome, who
turned against the accepted
wisdom at the time that had
advised them to institutionalize
their kids. They fought back and
built the agency that would
become ACDS. In 1999, the
agency changed its name to
Association for Children With Down Syndrome
and in 2012 changed its name again to ACDS to
reflect the continuum of services offered to children
and adults with a wide variety of developmental
disabilities.
Plainview-based ACDS now has 450 employees
who provide lifetime services to more than 1,000
people with developmental disabilities and their
families. It has an early childhood education center
on Long Island encompassing day care, center-based
early intervention and preschool special education;
a special needs preschool in Westchester; eight
group homes and one transitional apartment; two
locations for its “Opportunities” day habilitation
program without walls; a 5-plus program for
recreation and respite that meets in various sites
throughout the community; a sleepaway summer
camp in Garrison, N.Y.; and brokerage/fiscal
intermediary services for families on LI.
We recently interviewed Michael M. Smith, ACDS
executive director for the past 15 years, about his
rganization’s mission, challenges and more.
Spotlight Long Island
ACDS executive director on what makes his
organization and LI so special and more
Q:What make s your
organization special?
A : Our heri tage i s an
organization founded by
parents who had few options
at the time. We continue to
be guided by the vision of
these founding parents as an
agency that embraces quality,
innovation and inclusion. We
are particularly attuned to
the needs of our families and
offer specialized care to each
individual engaged with the
agency. We are unique in our
lifetime array of services, in our
expertise across a wide variety of
developmental disabilities and
in our geographic reach throughout Long Island
and Westchester. ACDS is also distinguished by a
feeling people have as soon as they walk through
the halls of any program. We are a rare agency that
is distinguished by the expertise and innovation of
our staff and the heart and family atmosphere that
infuses all of our programs.
Q: What is your organization’s mission?
A: ACDS is dedicated to providing lifetime
resources of exceptional quality, innovation and
inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome and
other developmental disabilities and their families.
Building on more than 50 years of service, ACDS
seeks to be widely recognized as a leader in the
field of Down syndrome and other developmental
disabilities by its commitment to quality, innovation
and empowerment.
Q: What role does technology play in
accomplishing that mission?
A: ACDS has embraced technology across our
agency. For individuals who are nonverbal, iPads
and other communicative devices can literally serve
as their voice. Our teachers and therapists are able
to update their attendance records and submit
their treatment notes using laptops. We utilize
iPads and SMART Boards in our classrooms to
introduce children to the type of technological
interaction they can expect as they move on to
upper grades. We are also embracing technology
in our move into electronic health, personnel, and
service provision records.
Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do?
A: Interacting with our clients. From a preschool
student who calls me “Ho Ho” in reference to my
white beard, reminiscent of Santa Claus, to group
home residents who greet me with delight and whip
out their phones for a quick selfie when I stop by,
these interactions make the long days and many
tough decisions worthwhile.
Q: What is the biggest challenge of your job?
A: Managing the size and complexity of offering
a lifetime of services. We have a variety of business
lines, reporting requirements, and funding sources
across multiple government agencies, each with its
own robust reporting, programmatic, and regulatory
guidelines.
Q: What is the biggest challenge your
organization faces?
A: With reimbursement rates stagnant and costs
ever rising, it is a challenge to ensure we have
sufficient resources to recruit and retain quality staff
and invest in innovative programs. After 50 years,
we are confident in our programmatic expertise.
We must now build our marketing and fundraising
functions to ensure that we have adequate resources
to maintain our commitment to quality and
innovation.
Q: What new initiatives is your organization
implementing?
A: In September, we opened the doors to a new
Day Habilitation Program site, in Plainview. ACDS
“Opportunities” Day Habilitation (DayHab)
Program Without Walls offers those individuals
who are aging out of their educational placement
the opportunity to partake in an Adult Day Program
that enables them to volunteer in their community,
develop their skills and be engaged in the community.
We are proud to now have placements for nearly
200 participants. Also excitingly, after many years
of discussions and negotiations, the Plainview-
Old Bethpage School Board has authorized sale of
the Fern Place School to ACDS. This important
purchase will help secure the future of ACDS.
Custom Computer Specialists is proud to
sponsor Spotlight LI. Since 1979, Custom has
been dedicated to providing Long Island’s
schools, local government agencies, healthcare
facilities and businesses with advanced
technology solutions and support. To learn
more about Custom Computer, or to be
considered for a future Spotlight LI, please email
info@customtech.com.
Custom Computer Specialists
Right People. Right Results.®
Michael M. Smith,
ACDS executive director
link
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
link
