Rutgers Community Living Education Project (CLEP)

The Community Living Education Project (CLEP) has provided essential services under funding from the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (NJ DDD) for over thirty years, beginning in 1991. Team members bring decades of professional experience to their roles, and as parents of adult children with disabilities, they also bring lived experience. CLEP is a person-centered organization with a commitment to using tools that recognize the person as a whole, not just their disability. Whether an individual is moving out of the family home, a nursing home, a Developmental Center, or simply changing providers, the CLEP team shares possibilities in community living, both self-directed and provider managed. We facilitate extensive interactions with each person, their family members, and others in the individual's circle of support. When working with younger adults, CLEP may also engage with school social workers, Care Management Organizations (CMOs), and others who have supported the individual in the school system. These essential conversations help the CLEP team better understand what is most important to and for the individual, including their hopes and dreams for the future.