ServiceSource Opens Disability Center in Chantilly

As the music plays, Dawn Van Kuren smiles and ducks her head as she dances to an upbeat tune. Dressed in a bright yellow shirt and with a beaded necklace around her neck, she takes the hands of a man laying in a wheelchair. He can't move on his own, but he seems to smile as she bops to the music. 

The parents of 37-year-old Van Kuren say she's blossomed in many ways lately. 

"I think she's much more outgoing than she used to be," said her mother, Sue Mobley, a Fairfax resident. "It used to be, 'Mom, Mom, Mom,' and now she's willing to go out."

"She's grown by leaps and bounds," added her husband, Tom Mobley. 

Van Kuren spends many of her days at a new disability center in Chantilly, run by ServiceSource, a nonprofit organization. The center opened at 14048 Parkeast Circle, Suite 200A, in July, and there is a grand opening celebration scheduled for today (Wednesday) from 2 to 4 p.m. It was built in response to increased need for services in the western Fairfax County area, according to ServiceSource staff. Though $2 million in funding came from private investments, money for core services comes from Fairfax County. 

That means that local residents like the Mobleys don't have to spend hours in the car every day, driving their loved ones to Springfield, Annandale, Arlington or other locations to get care.

"We were quickly reaching capacity at those locations, so we started looking to expand," said Taylor Ham, the communications manager at ServiceSource. 

Through the Day Habilitation Program, Van Kuren is able to enjoy some activities like going to the movies and getting smoothies at a restaurant, along with services like speech therapy. 

"I think we feel a security with her coming here," said Sue Mobley, explaining that her daughter has a tendency to wander sometimes. "We know that the facility is secure."

The new facility was designed to be accessible for people who have a need for greater safety and accessibility. There is new exercise equipment, a sensory perception room, and gym equipment to accomodate the approximately 30 people enrolled at ServiceSource. Activities at the center include music and dance classes, and art therapy. 

Staff expects that enrollment will grow as word spreads about the new center and more young people graduate. The program has capacity for about 75-80 participants, with one staff member for every three or four people. 

The Mobleys know that their daughter loves the dance therapy classes; after all, at home, listening to the radio is one of her favorite things. But one of the best things for them is that their daughter can spend some time out of the house.

"I think that she likes to go out in the community," said Sue Mobley. "She doesn't like to sit quietly at a table."