A Social Recreation Center for Adults with Mild Intellectual Disabilities
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Q. What is the Spaut?
A. The Spaut is an open-access social recreation center created for adults with mild intellectual disabilities who want opportunities to make friends, explore interests, and enjoy a community of their own.We also welcome other neurodivergent adults and neurodivergent-friendly adults who appreciate and respect the community we have built. Members do not need to share the same diagnosis, interests, or ways of communicating to enjoy being here. The Spaut brings together recreational activities, creative opportunities, and social support in a setting where adults choose how they spend their time.
Q. What does open access mean at The Spaut?
A. At The Spaut, members choose how they spend their visits, whether they want to join an activity, move between rooms, take a break, or spend time with friends. They are not assigned to a group that stays together or accompanied by a Spaut staff member throughout their visit. Members are also free to leave whenever they choose. Attendance is voluntary, and leaving does not require staff permission or a supervised handoff to a caregiver or transportation provider. The center is located on a busy street, with direct access to the surrounding community.
Q. Is The Spaut a day program, and how much staff support is available?
A. The Spaut is a social recreation center, not a day program. Our services focus on recreation, friendships, and helping members enjoy a social community. The Spaut operates with approximately one staff member for every 25 members. Our team facilitates activities, makes introductions, helps members join conversations and games, and supports occasional social disagreements. We also provide activity assistance, reminders, occasional redirection, and occasional support during anxiety or another moment of distress.
Day programs vary, but many offer a structured schedule, instruction, and closer supervision, sometimes with staffing ratios such as 1:3 or 1:10. Some also provide personal-care assistance or specialized behavioral services. At The Spaut, members can receive individual attention when they need occasional help, but a Spaut staff member is not assigned to stay with them throughout their visit. We do not have the staffing to provide continuous individual supervision, ongoing individual behavior management, or crisis-management services. Additional disability-related assistance may be considered through reasonable accommodations, including a request for an accompanying support person.
Q. How do you help members connect and build friendships?
A. Social support is a central part of what we provide. Our team actively helps members meet people, discover shared interests, join activities, and build relationships over repeated visits.
That support includes:
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Making introductions and helping members reconnect with familiar faces;
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Inviting someone into a game or helping them find a gaming partner;
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Helping start or sustain a conversation;
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Encouraging someone who feels shy, anxious, or unsure about joining;
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Helping members navigate personal boundaries or an occasional disagreement.
We also build opportunities for conversation into events. Photo booths invite people to take pictures together, while mocktail bars, balloon art, and shared food give members places to gather and something to talk about. Our team helps those interactions develop through introductions and invitations.
Membership & Application FAQ
Q. What are the membership options?
A. We currently offer two membership plans:
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One-Day Membership – Attend one day each week and enjoy full access to activities and events that day.
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Anytime Membership – Enjoy unlimited access throughout the week, including drop-in use of the space and scheduled classes.
Q. Do you work with Self Determination programs?
A. Yes, we work with Self-Determination Programs, and many members use their Regional Center services to cover their membership. For full details and pricing, please contact our Membership Coordinator.
Q. What are the steps to becoming a member?
A. The process begins with a required tour, followed by an application, an individualized review, and a written decision.
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Tour The Spaut: The prospective member and their support team visit the center, learn about the program, and ask questions.
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Submit the application: After the tour, the Alta service coordinator submits the required Service Coordinator Application. The prospective member or their support team may also submit the optional Client/Family Application.
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Application review: We review the submitted information, tour observations, and accommodation requests. If clarification is needed, we may send follow-up questions or request another visit before making a decision.
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Written decision: We send an admission offer or a letter explaining why membership cannot be offered.
Q. Does completing these steps guarantee admission?
A. Completing a tour, submitting an application, or being on the waitlist does not guarantee admission. Each application and accommodation request receives an individual review. We proudly serve members with a wide variety of disabilities and explore arrangements that could make participation possible. Occasionally, membership cannot be offered because significant current safety risks cannot be adequately addressed through reasonable accommodations, or the services needed would fundamentally change our social recreation program.
Q. How much does membership cost?
A. Membership rates vary depending on the plan you choose. To learn more about current rates and which option best fits your needs, please reach out to our Membership Coordinator.
Q. What is included in the membership?
A. Membership includes access to all spaces within The Spaut, use of all materials, and participation in events and activities. Light snacks such as water, soda, and chips are provided. Members also keep anything they create in our art, music, or workshop sessions. Please note that lunch is not provided.
Q. Do you offer private pay options if I’m not with Alta Regional?
A. Yes. We offer private pay memberships for individuals who do not qualify through Alta Regional. Options include both limited access and full access plans.
Eligibility & Accommodations FAQ
Q. Who can become a member of The Spaut?
A. The Spaut was created for adults with mild intellectual disabilities who want opportunities to make friends, explore interests, and enjoy a community of their own. We also welcome other neurodivergent adults and neurodivergent-friendly adults who appreciate and respect our community. Membership is not limited to individuals with a particular diagnosis or disability. We review applications individually, considering each person's support needs, our social recreation setting, and any requested reasonable accommodations.
Q. What is a reasonable accommodation, and what can we request?
A. A reasonable accommodation is a change or arrangement that addresses a disability-related need and helps someone access or participate in The Spaut’s services. You may request any accommodation you believe would help.
Examples of requests we frequently receive and approve, depending on individual circumstances, include:
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Arrangements for disability-related medical assistance or emergency response;
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Specialized equipment or activity supplies you are asking The Spaut to purchase or provide;
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Disability-related food or beverage options, such as zero-sugar refreshments;
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An accompanying support person.
These examples do not limit what you may request. If the support needed is not listed, please still request it. Every request receives an individual review. We make every effort to find arrangements that help people enjoy our community.
Q. Can a support person accompany a member?
A. Yes. The Spaut welcomes approved support people when their assistance is needed for disability-related reasons. We recognize that some members may benefit from additional support to fully enjoy our activities and community.
Support arrangements are considered individually as part of our reasonable accommodation process. Families, members, and support teams are welcome to contact us to discuss available options.
Q. Can I sign up my elderly parent?
A. Yes, older adults with intellectual disabilities are eligible to attend The Spaut. However, we are not a daycare program. Our services are not designed for individuals whose primary needs stem from dementia, severe physical disabilities, or extensive personal care. We focus on supporting adults with intellectual disabilities who want opportunities for socialization, independence, and community engagement.
Q. I am not neurodivergent. Can I attend?
A. Absolutely—with a few caveats. We welcome anyone who is kind, respectful, and open to being part of a diverse community. While The Spaut was designed with neurodivergent adults in mind, we also value friendly allies who enrich our space through shared activities and positive interaction.
Q. Are you similar to a daycare program?
A. No. The Spaut is not a daycare, medical facility, or therapy program. We are a social recreation space designed for independent adults who want connection, creativity, and community.
Activities and Community FAQ
Q. What activities and services do you offer?
A. The Spaut offers dedicated recreation areas members can enjoy throughout their visits, creative workshops, monthly events, and active social support to help members connect and participate.
Our everyday recreation areas include:
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Art and creative space: Paint, draw, color, build, or experiment with a creative project. Materials and supplies are provided, and our team can help members get started or work through a question along the way.
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Video gamers’ lounge: Enjoy PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch games, join others for a multiplayer game, or connect with members who share a favorite game.
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Game rooms: Play darts, air hockey, Connect 4, UNO, and other board and card games. Members can start a game with friends or ask our team for help finding someone to play with.
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Quiet room: Enjoy books, work on a puzzle, or take a break from the more active areas of the center.
These areas remain available beyond scheduled activities, giving members choices throughout their visits. Someone might spend time painting, join a game, and then settle into the quiet room with a book or puzzle.
Q. Do you offer structured classes, or is it just drop-in?
A. We offer both! Members can drop in for gaming, art, or social time—or join scheduled classes like art workshops, social groups, and wellness activities. Each month, members receive a calendar of events.
Staff Support & Safety FAQ
Q. Are members supervised throughout their visits?
A. The Spaut is designed to give members the same freedom and independence they experience in the broader community. Members decide when to arrive, when to leave, and how to spend their time while visiting. Unlike a traditional day program, The Spaut does not provide continuous individual supervision or require members to remain under staff oversight.
Our staff and Social Coordinators are responsible for overseeing the center, facilitating activities, supporting social interactions, and responding to situations that come to their attention. However, members are not in our custody. They are free to move throughout the center and leave whenever they choose, without being stopped, questioned, or required to obtain permission.
This independence also extends to the use of recreational materials and equipment. The center has everyday items that require safety awareness, including hot surfaces such as heat presses, hot glue guns, and sharp tools such as scissors. These materials may be accessible without direct staff supervision. For this reason, it is important that members have a basic understanding of everyday safety precautions and can use shared spaces and equipment without continuous oversight.
Our goal is to provide a welcoming, supportive environment where adults can enjoy recreation and social connections while exercising the independence and personal choice they have in their everyday lives.
Q. What happens if a member needs assistance during their visit?
A. Our staff and Social Coordinators are available throughout the center to provide assistance with activities, social interactions, and everyday challenges. This may include helping someone navigate a disagreement, offering reminders or redirection, assisting with an activity, or providing reassurance and support during a moment of anxiety or distress.
We recognize that everyone needs help from time to time, and occasional individual assistance is a normal part of the support we provide. However, our team serves the entire community rather than being assigned to individual members. We can respond to situations requiring occasional attention, but we do not provide continuous individual supervision, ongoing behavioral management, or crisis-management services. When a member needs assistance beyond what our shared staffing model provides, we explore reasonable accommodations to determine if those needs can be supported within our setting.
Q. Can members leave The Spaut without staff permission?
A. Yes. Members are free to leave The Spaut whenever they choose, without requesting permission, explaining their departure, or waiting for a caregiver or transportation provider.
Our staff do not monitor exits, stop members from leaving, or require supervised departures. The Spaut is located on a busy street with direct access to the surrounding community, so members may leave the building without staff intervention.
Families and support teams should understand this open-access approach when making transportation arrangements or considering whether The Spaut is an appropriate setting for a prospective member.