History of Options Unlimited
Options Unlimited started providing Supported Employment services to Bullitt County residents in February, 1985 as a program of Seven Counties Services. In March of 1987, Options was incorporated as an independent non-profit agency and an affiliate of Seven Counties Services. Contractual arrangements were also established with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to broaden the array of services offered to persons with disabilities.
In November, 1987 the Adult Day Habilitation Program was added to broaden the services capabilities. This program focuses on developing the independent living skills of the clients by participating in community based events. Community events are accessed daily in small groups. Supported Employment services are available to all the participants in the Day Program. In 1992, this program moved to the Hillview Community Center where it operated for 9 years before moving to Options' building on Castlerock Drive. In July 1995, Options obtained a grant to convert the day program to a more individually based program that increases the involvement of each individual in his/her community through employment and or volunteer experiences.
A third program was added in 1990 through a Projects with Industry grant. The "Imagine Tea Rooms" was established to provide on-site training and employment to a wide range of disabled people in a restaurant setting. This project received support from the Bingham Foundation who funded the purchase of the building that was used for the restaurant and administrative offices. This program was discontinued in February of 1994 due to lack of business. The grant was also discontinued at that time and the building was sold in June of 1995.
Over the years, Options has expanded by providing services in new communities with in the Seven Counties Region serving Bullitt, Spencer, Shelby and Southern Jefferson Counties. Options’ administrative and supported employment staff moved to the Hadley Building on Buckman Street in Shepherdsville in July 1994. We opened an office on Main Street in Shelbyville in May of 1996 and another office on Main Street in Taylorsville in July, 1998. We provide primarily employment services from these office.
Options Unlimited has been instrumental in the development of a United Way chapter in Bullitt County in 2000. The United Way provides a resource for the discussion and implementation of programs that address service needs in the county. The need for a county wide effort to raise funds for human service organizations had been apparent for many years. Options continues to play an active role in establishing this chapter.
In 2001, Options passed more milestones in the development of services. In January, we moved our Day Program and Supported Employment staff into our building at 205 Castlerock Drive. This provided further sharing of resources between the programs and allowed more efficient use of staff. The Nicholas X. Simon Activity Building was completed in April, 2001. Later in this year, we became a vendor for Medicaid services and started billing Medicaid for our services instead of the families.
A new program to serve deaf people in supported employment was initiated in 2002. This program is unique to this region, and has received a number of referrals. Many of these individuals have secondary disabilities (mental retardation, mental illness, cerebral palsy, etc.) that pose additional challenges to employment. With the help of skilled staff many of these individuals are now working.
We now serve Bullitt, Spencer, Shelby, and southern Jefferson counties. Since its incorporation, Options has broadened it services to include a wide range of people with disabilities. We remain committed to expanding these services as resources allow to improve the lives of people with disabilities.