Sprout

Misson and activities:

Sprout is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities and mental retardation grow through challenging and safe travel experiences. Based in New York City, our programs are available to people with MR/DD and the agencies that serve them throughout the U.S.
Founded in 1979, Sprout is an exciting and innovative organization that serves over 1800 people with special needs each year.
Our participants have the opportunity to experience age-appropriate, recreational and leisure activities in a small group setting. By offering these experiences, we hope to enhance the mobility, self-confidence and socialization of our participants. And through community-based activities, Sprout strives to break down some of the barriers that exist between participants and the general public.
The majority of the people who participate in our vacations are adults with developmental disabilities, with the most common disability being mental retardation. Our participants fall in the range of moderate to high functioning levels, with some individuals requiring a fair amount of assistance with basic living skills, while others are quite independent. All of our participants can travel within the typical group size of 10 participants and 3 leaders.
In addition to the travel program we also run the annual Sprout Film Festival. A weekend festival that showcases films and video related to the field of developmental disabilities.
Through our Make-A-Movie program we make videos using people with developmental disabilities as actors in narratives and as subjects of documentaries.

Our non governmental, non-profit, organization works at the international level.

We consider ourselves as part of the international Independent Living and Disability Rights Movement.

Our organization is to some degree run, controlled and represented by disabled people.

We have expertise, or are interested in cooperating with other organizations, in the areas of:

Recreation and travel.
Travel.
Film.

We have traineeships or volunteer positions that people with disabilities are welcome to apply for.

Contact us:

This entry added: Thursday 29th August 2002. (record #510) Changed: Friday 8th April 2005. Link checked Wednesday 28th February 2024.