Chesapeake Group Home

Chesapeake Center, Inc. is a private, non-profit service provider for adults with disabilities, celebrating 50 years of continuous operation in Easton, Maryland. Chesapeake Center has evolved over the years as a comprehensive system of services designed to assist adult individuals with disabilities to reach their potential for independence by pursuing opportunities in housing, employment, transportation, natural supports, friendships and community activities. Their mission is to promote independence and an integrated life through interaction and association with other individuals and groups in the local community.

The Chesapeake Center’s vision is to realize a caring community in which adults with disabilities become empowered to demonstrate their choice of residence, career, friends and activities where they are safe from abuse, neglect, recrimination and ridicule. The Chesapeake Center was created by a dedicated group of people who recognized a need in our rural community to support those adults with disabilities. In the early years, the Chesapeake Center was a place where individuals could come for day activities and receive training in basic skills.

Today, these kinds of programs may seem like they would be a priority for any community. But it was not always so. When Chesapeake Center was founded, adults with disabilities were rarely seen in our communities on the Eastern Shore, or for that matter, across the country. Adults with disabilities were either institutionalized or kept at home and were not integrated into our everyday way of life.

As children, they were not introduced to other children since they did not attend schools. This was very difficult for the families of these children as there was no place where they could learn or socialize. In 1975, Public 94-142, or the Education for all Handicapped Children Act, was enacted by Congress. This required that all public schools provide equal access to education and one free meal for children with physical and mental disabilities. Initially in Easton, this was provided at the school at Idlewild Park. Even so, after their public school education, and as adults, there was little opportunity for these people to be given work opportunities, except at the most menial levels.

It was not until 1990 that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law and prohibited discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the public. In 2008, the American with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAAA) further expanded individual rights, including guidelines for reasonable accommodation to qualified workers. But barriers still exist. Our public places are still not accessible and transportation remains a problem if you are disabled and have to rely on others for your mobility. We must work as a community to embrace those adults with disabilities because we all benefit from their diversity and inclusion.

The Chesapeake Center has been actively supporting the integration of adults with disabilities into our community over these past 50 years. The Center has grown and adjusted to make the services they provide more flexible and more accommodating.

Under the leadership of Executive Director, Donna Harrison, with governance by a Board of Directors, the Chesapeake Center manages a budget of state and federal funds and individual contributions to hire 110 full time staff and 25 part time staff. Chesapeake Center manages the operations of Chesapeake Bay Industries, Inc., Chesapeake Group Homes, Inc., and Chesapeake Developmental Unit, Inc. Together, they provide supervised housing, transportation, training and career opportunities while operating 365 days a year.

Chesapeake Center, Inc. manages a multi-building campus, located at 713 Dover Street that includes administrative offices, a large work center, a bakery and residences, while serving a diverse adult population from the Mid-Shore region. They also own and manage 13 group homes and maintain a fleet of 25 vehicles.

Chesapeake Center is certified by the ​The Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) a state-wide developmental licensing authority and by the Office of Health Care Quality. Chesapeake Center is a Member of SourceAmerica (formerly NISH) and the Maryland Association of Non-Profits. They are active in many local and community organizations including the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce.