The State of America's Direct Support Workforce Crisis 2024
Our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide!
It’s holiday gift-giving season! No matter what you may be celebrating this time of year, it’s a time of love, togetherness, and giving. So we thought what better way to help people make decisions on what to buy for those they love (or themselves, we’ve all done it) than by promoting businesses that support, hire, and/or are operated by people with disabilities?
This is by no means a complete list of all the amazing offerings to be found in the world, but hopefully it’s a starting point. From LEGOs to pet toys to original artwork, we’ve found more than a few fun ways for you to spend your dollars—and feel good about it!
Brick It Again
Website: brickitagain.org
Who doesn’t love Legos? Brick It Again is a retail storefront business for the resale of Lego® building blocks. People who work or volunteer at the store are from Day Habilitation, Community Employment Services, Prevocational and Vocational programs, and PROS Behavioral Health programs. We like this store because they also offer classes locally in New York, and Legos by the pound!
Jared’s Jams
Website: jaredsjams.myshopify.com
Jared’s Jams was started by Jared Niemeyer in 2014 as a personal fundraising initiative for the Special Olympics. Now it has evolved into a small business with a fully-operational FDA-approved kitchen where jams, jellies, fruit syrup, specialty coffee blends and vanilla extracts are lovingly created in small batches with quality ingredients for wholesomeness and flavor. Also, if you live near or are ever in Edina, MO, visit Jared’s Jams coffee shop!
sammysoap
Website: sammysoap.com
The namesake of Sammysoap is Sammy, the son of co-owner Karen Copeland. Karen was worried that her adult son had already been labeled as unemployable by most employers, so she set out to help him become a small business owner by opening a soap and gift store. The store has grown to offer much more than soaps (though they all seem amazing), including shampoo, moisturizers, aromatherapy items, and more!
Blossom
Website: blossomartisanal.com
Blossom employs adults and teenagers with developmental disabilities. Their team produces all-natural artisanal products like goat’s milk soap, soy wax candles and bath teas, while providing meaningful employment and learned skills that last a lifetime. Their artisans are responsible for each phase of the business, from hand producing soaps, candles and bath teas to packaging, shipping and sales.
Imagine Pet Products
Website: imaginepetproducts.com
From plush toys to pet throws, these pet products are handmade using upcycled material donated from high quality brands. They note that by purchasing products, you are empowering their employees to achieve their personal best, and that every dollar spent goes towards serving people with disabilities.
Madam Clutterbuckets
Website: madamclutterbuckets.com
Madam Clutterbuckets is a family-owned business that believes that neurodiversity makes our communities stronger and abilities always outweigh disabilities. They are driven by personal experience to spread awareness of the abilities of disabled adults and help decrease the workplace limitation stigma by creating employment opportunities that are built for success. They have a wide range of products—some PG-13, others maybe even R—with spot-on sentiments, and designs are unique, vivid and fun.
The Squeaky Wheel
Website: thesqueakywheel.org
The Squeaky Wheel is a satirical site that basically The Onion meets disability. Through humor, they challenge common misconceptions, criticize imbalances, and brings disability satire for disabled people and by disabled people. While you definitely want to bookmark and read the site, this approach extends to their shop through clever and well-designed apparel and other items.
Seguin Gardens & Gifts
Website: seguingardens.com
Named after Edouard Seguin, a French person who taught people with cognitive disabilities in the 1800s, Seguin Gardens opened in 2009 with a mission to create jobs for adults with developmental disabilities. A social enterprise of UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago, they offer a bevy of items from holiday and home decor, to plant care, bath & body, jewelry, apparel and more!
spArc Marketplace
Website: sparcmarketplace.org
From original art to prints, soaps, notecards, ceramics and more, SpArc Marketplace is a virtual salesroom designed to provide a space and opportunity for in-house entrepreneurs to showcase their talents and assist in bringing their products to market. Here you’ll find original art, limited edition prints, soaps, ceramics and notecards.
Justin K. Valenti
Website: jkvalenti2014.com
Justin Valenti is an artist, author and advocate who lives in Maryland. He enjoys creating artwork in his home studio and is an artist at the VisAbility Art Lab at VisArts in Rockville. Fluid painting, digital artwork and animation are his specialties, but he also explores other mediums including printmaking and ceramics. In addition to being an artist and advocate, Justin is also an author of five books and the drummer in a band called Neurodiversity.
Also, we had a very fun time with the cursor effects on Justin’s website!
That’s not all! We were overwhelmed by the response from our members, so below is a list of other business to check out: