OUR HISTORY

Coastal Connections, Inc.

is a new name and corporate status for a well established, well respected program that provides support to individuals with disabilities in the local community through day programs, advocacy and individualized support. From 1976-1990 two teachers, Deb Plumer and Vicky Hunt worked tirelessly to develop and provide exemplary special education services in the Greater Newburyport Educational Collaborative.  In 1990 the school program morphed into Petalworks and began providing services to adults with multiple disabilities earning exemplary certifications for every quality survey performed by the Department of Mental Retardation, our primary stakeholder and funding source at that time.

 

In 1996, Petalworks moved its operations to the Salisbury area and became part of the rebirth of Crossroads Plaza. Since 1996, our population has grown as has the array of services we offer; from providing services to less than twenty individuals we now provide a menu of services to over one hundred individuals and families including:

• Day programming for adults with mild to multiple disabilities

• Vocational assessment and job supports

             

In July, 2008 Coastal connections was established as a non-profit by co-founders Vicky Hunt, Deborah Plumer and Sheila Skane, to provide a continuity of services to people with disabilities previously served under the Coastal Education Collaborative.  

 

In summary, Coastal Connections, Inc. is not “new”.  Our name and corporate structure may be new, but the entity and all that it is made up of… the people, the policies, the philosophy, the values, mission and goals have been developed and honed over the past 40 years.  We bring a wealth of knowledge...academic, financial, philosophical and basic common sense and hard work to this project.  We will succeed and the individuals and families we provide service to will benefit from that wealth of knowledge.

 

The roots we have go deep and the branches of our tree grow slowly, but strong and steady.  We believe that everyone has the right to live, work and play in the community; we believe in ‘ability’ and that each of us has something to offer and all lives are enriched by the lives that we help support.