ABOUT US

Our Mission

To promote improvements in the quality of life of adults with intellectual disabilities in Puerto Rico, through the creation of direct service programs that will increase their visibility, and community inclusion. 

History

Asociación Mayagüezana de Personas con Impedimentos Inc. has been offering services in Mayagüez PR since 1983. At the beginning, AMPI's services were aimed exclusively to serve the adult population with intellectual disabilities. Originally, this was due to the need identified by a group of parents of young people with intelectual disabilities who, by that year, ended their services in the Department of Education. This was because their reaching their adulthood legal age of 21, terminated their eligibility for services under the Department of Education guidelines. Because of the severity of their conditions, these participants had no possibility of employment or continuing some additional form of training. This would leave them devoid of services and other community aid, making it much harder to continue their lives and allow them to be part of the community. 

Over the past 36 years, AMPI developed more than a dozen direct service’s programs that have allowed adults with intellectual disabilities to have a safe place where to receive services and access to additional help in their daily needs. Many of these programs are no longer available due to lack of funding to provide them, even though the need is exceptionally large and palpable in the island.

It is AMPI’s commitment to keep identifying funding to continue serving this population, even as the situation in our country becomes critical. It is incredibly sad to recognized that people with intellectual disabilities remain invisible to most of our society and their needs are very seldom fulfilled.

Currently, AMPI offers several programs aimed at facilitating the integration of adults with intellectual disabilities into the community. AMPI also works on promoting their capacity for independence, educational and recreational skills, serves as a source of information and referral, and provides assisted housing service to this much-needed population.

After Hurricane Maria ravaged our island, because of the incredible and variable need within the communities, AMPI expanded its programs in order to provide direct services to all types of populations in need. This included those affected by the 2017 hurricanes, the 2020 earthquake and the Covid 19 Pandemic. This has been achieved through new direct service programs that have exponentially increased the amount of people served by AMPI as well as the community outreach we have achieved. 

Sponsors

Presently, our main sponsors are the Comisión de Donativos Legislativos, United Way Puerto Rico, the Banco Popular Foundation, Hispanic Federation, the Angel Ramos Foundation, MCS Foundation, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, Firstbank, PR CARITAS, Puerto Rico Legal Aid, Enterline Foundation and the Federal Housing Department (HUD), among others.

On the other hand, over the past few years we have received financial support from the Fundación Acceso a la Justicia, La Borinqueña Grant, Juntos y Unidos por Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Corporation for National and Community Services and some other foundations and sponsors, which has allowed us to continue our direct service work for many years.

We are also infinitely grateful to our individual donors, those who recognize the need and value of our services and support us with their personal donations. At this time, we are also working through collaborative agreements with community organizations and universities such as Carlos Albizu University, Sociants, the Puerto Rico Down Syndrome Foundation and some other collaborators with whom we have joined efforts. Through these collaborative efforts we expect to achieve the desired change for the benefit of our communities.

In May 2019, AMPI became a member of  ANCOR International, a nationally recognized  organization composed of assisted living service providers. This has led AMPI to witness up close the services offered to the intellectually disabled population outside Puerto Rico. This has also promoted a special desire to support other providers in Puerto Rico in terms of the quality of the services they should offer to this much marginalized population. Also, it provides a clearer vision of what we want to offer our participants in Puerto Rico.

In addition, AMPI continues to work hand-in-hand with other organizations in the pursuit of improving services to this special population in Puerto Rico. Our work with the Puerto Rico State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the MAVI organization, the Federal Monitor Office and others, will eventually lead us to the desired change AMPI wants to reach for the benefit of the population with developmental disabilities in Puerto Rico.