The OMO Way

The OMO Way is our organizational philosophy for how we approach the work of making independent living possible for people with developmental disabilities.

Our work is:

• guided by our members,
• grounded in accepting our members as they are,
• collaborative (we do things with our members, not for them), and
• focused on increasing independence and decreasing dependency on others.

Our work is also guided by our beliefs about what independent living includes:

• the same freedom of choice and lifestyle that adults without disabilities experience, including the freedom to make mistakes and choices that others might not approve of,
• right-sized support from others as needed to maintain a high-quality of life, and
• freedom from intrusive monitoring and control by others.

As we help young adults achieve independence, we look to partner with families who:

• have been working alongside their young adult to develop independent living skills,
• are willing to support the independent living goals of their young adult,
• are ready to let go of some control over their young adult's life,
• are ready for their young adult to make mistakes and experience natural consequences, and
• are willing to remain present in the life of their young adult and provide appropriate support as needed.

We're the one-stop independent living shop for people with developmental disabilities.

We provide the critical momentum, safe community, and right-sized support necessary for people with developmental disabilities to successfully live on their own.

When you work with us, you can rest assured you've found the solution for long-term independence.

Our programs are open to people who:

• have a developmental disability
• want to participate in our programs
• can stay safe without 1:1 supervision
• achieve a baseline score on the On My Own assessment in line with the requirements of the program they're applying to
• can complete tasks without constant prompting or redirection
• do not have a recent history of self harm or mental health crisis
• do not have a history of physical violence or aggression toward others
• can manage their daily living activities independently
• can reliably and accurately communicate their needs without prompting
• can use basic technology appropriately

Our programs are focused on supporting three primary outcomes:

• successful long-term independent living,
• stable competitive wage employment, and
• a high quality of life.

Each program supports these outcomes differently though, so check out our program pages and logic model for more information.