Taleen Movses has been working at Special Angels of The Woodlands since 2023. She says working with clients has left a major, positive impact on her life by being a part of clients' growth. Special Angels of The Woodlands is a faith-driven nonprofit organization serving adults 18 and up with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a day activity center.
It has been serving the community for 22 years and provides services such as enrichment groups for individualized skills and socialization activities, fellowship and interpersonal growth as well as community outings.
Did you know?
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, can affect an individual’s physical, intellectual, and/or emotional development, according to The National Institute of Health. Intellectual challenges affect the ability to learn, reason and problem solve as well as adaptive behavior such as social and life skills.
How it's going
The main staff at Special Angels include Executive Director Claudia Morales and Movses, who is the program manager and quality assurance specialist. Movses has worked for the organization since 2023. When the facility first opened, staff kept a roster of 20 clients, but it’s now up to 25 clients with the goal of 75.
“What we do day-to-day every single day is for them ... to keep them happy, safe, most importantly and keep them up moving, happy, dancing. Some of them don't have their guardians [or] their parents, that's why they have us to step in,” Movses said.
What parents should know
Movses said if a client is new to an environment like Special Angels, some parents may be afraid to let their child go and explore, but it helps to encourage independence.
“They want to be so involved, which is a great thing, but it's important for them to know that just because your child says, I don't want to go to Special Angels, I want to just stay home [and] watch TV all day, It's important not to give into that. Disability doesn't mean enabled, so the opportunity is there. So we encourage the parents to let them be free for the eight hours that they are here. Trust us to show them what we can do with them,” Movses said.
She said before clients are accepted into the program, they will book an appointment and take a tour to make sure the individual is a fit for Special Angels. Then, they’ll go through an assessment to find out their level of need and cost to attend.
Movses said the levels of need are state mandated and range from Level 1 for individuals who are mostly independent, to Level 8, which includes those who are blind, unable to walk and need full assistance. The level of care is customized for every client and their individual needs. Daily activities vary but can include math skills, outdoor activities, dancing and field trips.
In their own words
Working with individuals at the center has changed Movses’ life. She said that though staff help impact their lives in a positive way, the clients pour into her daily.
“I've done this for 10 plus years and they are my ‘why,’" she said. "They make me happy. I do what I do for them. I come to work every single day and just know that they're going to be here, they're safe and they're well taken care of. That's what makes me happy ... They want your advice and knowing that you can give that to them is everything ... you can't teach it, you can't train it. It just comes within your heart."
She encourages anyone unfamiliar with IDD to make the effort to learn more about individuals that live with certain challenges without judgment.
“They're unique in their own way. ... It's nothing to be afraid of. There are challenges and hurdles that you just have to figure out with them,” Movses said. “Some of them struggle with speeches, some of them struggle with sign language and some of them struggle with writing ... even walking, right, But it's okay. It doesn't mean they won't get there. They just need the extra hand to be able to get there...”
Lend a hand
Special Angels depends on donations from the community to help reduce the financial burden on families in the program. The board of directors created an Adopt an Angel program to help with tuition assistance for families in need. Angels spend $25 a day to attend the day center. Donations make a difference in the resources, field trips and activities that angels participate in for daily enrichment. Volunteers are also a critical part of daily operations within Special Angels. There are opportunities to spend two to three hours per week to help with many activities including:
- Leading crafts or songs
- Help loading and unloading buses
- Teach new skills
- Organize fundraisers
Volunteers and donors can take part in opportunities on the Special Angels
website.
