St. Coletta of Greater Washington

St. Coletta of Greater Washington is a non-sectarian, non-profit organisation serving children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Its stated mission, "seeing possibilities beyond disabilities", frames its work around special education, adult services and a social enterprise, under the premise that people with intellectual disabilities are valuable contributors to society. The organisation is a registered 501(c)(3) and relies on community support and partnerships.

Its largest programme is a special education public charter school in Washington, D.C., serving 270 children and young adults aged 3-22. The curriculum combines functional academics with daily living skills, community-based instruction and career-based training. Adult Day Services operate from two centres, in Alexandria, Virginia and Rockville, Maryland, and support 220 adults through vocational and pre-vocational training, supported employment, life skills instruction and community integration programmes.

Coletta Collections, the organisation's social enterprise, employs artisan participants who produce handcrafted jewellery, accessories and home décor. Techniques include fused glass, beadwork, silk dyeing and hand weaving on traditional looms. The enterprise provides meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and forms part of a broader vocational offering that spans special education, supported employment and community-based instruction.