From basic academic training and hands-on job experience to leisure activities and life skills coaching, Pine Castle provides a wide range of opportunities to adults with developmental and acquired disabilities.

Vocational Skills Training

For those who’d like to learn vocational skills but aren’t quite ready for community employment, Pine Castle provides job preparation training, paid work opportunities and hands-on job experience in a facility-based setting. Participants can choose from a range of on-campus work opportunities:

• Various assembly and packaging jobs are performed for companies like AT&T, Comcast, CSX, Vistakon and other local and national businesses.
• The Pine Castle Wood Shop was created in the 1970’s as the agency’s first production area and has become the largest regional supplier of survey stakes for construction and survey companies, in addition to products for garden centers and politicians.
• Pine Castle’s Mop Shop produces several lines of industrial mops available to government agencies across the state of Florida, including schools, hospitals and correctional facilities.

Participants are paid an hourly rate or by-the-piece, depending on the type of work.

Life Skills Training

Individuals challenged with more severe to profound levels of intellectual and physical disabilities receive daily training and care on campus to meet their goals of developing or improving self-care, communication, and social skills. Program services are individualized to meet mobility, feeding, hygiene and behavioral needs within in a safe and person-centered setting at a 1:1 or 1:3 staff-to-participant ratio.

Seniors Program

Our Seniors Program provides activities that enhance individual wellbeing and ensure continued engagement within our community. Caring and experienced staff members provide a creative program that nurtures self-expression and interpersonal relationships for aging people challenged with intellectual disabilities.

The program is geared toward meeting the special needs of individuals whose disabilities are often compounded by age-related secondary conditions such as physical limitations and/or dementia conditions that require moderate- to intensive-levels of staff support. Staff members provide one-to-one personal care to individuals throughout each day as they participate in the activities offered in a beautiful and comfortable setting.

A range of activities is offered, including social engagement, learning about current events and health issues, light exercise, cooking and baking, menu planning, grocery shopping, arts & crafts, games, birthday celebrations and holiday parties. The program operates weekdays between 8:30am and 2:30pm.

Adult Education Program

Pine Castle’s Adult Education Program is designed to help general education students develop and improve their academic skills. The program—a long-standing collaboration with Florida State College—provides training through G.E.D., literacy and computer skills programs.

Recreation & Leisure

The Recreation Department offers opportunities for various types of physical, social and creative self-expression activities at Pine Castle. These activities include:

• weekly organized sports such as kickball, volleyball and soccer
• mild exercise programs (basic stretching exercises, walking the track, etc)
• arts & crafts
• club activities centered around dancing, music, singing and drama
• reading and relaxation in the on-campus library

Participants also have the option to get involved with the Special Olympics by attending organized practices on campus and traveling to events across the state.