Intellectual and developmental disabilities are relatively common in the United States. So is the need for safe, reliable employment and housing for individuals with disabilities, who often face joblessness and unsustainable housing situations.
Enter Tall Tales Ranch, a wraparound organization working for the disability community in Colorado. The nonprofit serves Coloradans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering vocational and skills training, employment and networking opportunities, and soon, an affordable living community.
Let’s take a look at the resources and services Tall Tales Ranch offers to Colorado’s adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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What Is IDD?
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, encompass a broad spectrum of mental and physical differences that affect more than 7 million Americans.
An intellectual disability impacts mental processes like problem-solving, learning, reasoning, or using social skills. Meanwhile, developmental disability applies to a wider array of mental and physical conditions that include autism spectrum disorder, language or hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and more.
While adults with IDD live rich, fulfilling lives, they often face a lack of access to some critical opportunities. About 82% of adults with IDD are unemployed, while only 7% live independently. That housing statistic is made urgent by the fact that 85% of adults with IDD live with an aging parent, a situation that is unsustainable in the long term for both parent and child.
What Is Tall Tales Ranch?
Pat and Susan Mooney are determined to address those statistics. The Mooneys’ son Ross was 14 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive genetic brain condition that, while treated through a bone marrow transplant, left Ross with an acquired brain injury.
The Mooneys created Tall Tales Ranch as the kind of resource they wanted to see in Ross’ life: one that provides services that safely connect and support adults with disabilities in Colorado. Today, the nonprofit — which will be located on 4 acres in Lone Tree — is an employer for Colorado’s IDD community and is planning a liveable community.
The organization currently operates Tall Tales Coffee Company, a coffee shop run out of a small trailer that travels the Denver metro and is staffed by adults with IDD. Tall Tales Ranch also runs a life skills program, social enrichment outings, and a young professional board, a community of people living with IDD who serve as ambassadors for Tall Tales Ranch in central Colorado.
Tall Tales Ranch is also working on transforming its community into a physical space. They’re planning a complex that will include 28 units of affordable housing, a community event barn, a resource center, and a brick-and-mortar coffee shop, all located on their land in Lone Tree. In fact, the facility will be stationed right next to the RidgeGate Parkway light rail station, ensuring that the adults living at Tall Tales Ranch will have reliable access to affordable transportation.
The eventual Tall Tales Ranch community won’t be an assisted living facility with built-in medical and nutritional support. Instead, the Mooneys and their team envision a place for some of Colorado’s neurodiverse adults and adults with IDD to live in the community and form important bonds, all supported by affordable housing and accessible gathering spots.
How Can I Support Colorado’s Disabled Community?
An effort like Tall Tales Ranch’s expansion is only possible with broader community backing. Fortunately, the organization has two upcoming events that will give Colorado families the chance to support the IDD community:
- 5th Annual Mini Horse Derby: 1-5 p.m. May 3 at Sky View Farm in Castle Rock — The family-friendly event will benefit Tall Tales Ranch and two other local nonprofits with a mini horse race, whiskey and wine tastings, auctions, a petting zoo, and more activities.
- 3rd Annual Golf Tournament: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 23 at Cherry Creek Country Club — Avid golfers can hit these stunning greens for a few hours in support of Tall Tales Ranch.
Tall Tales Ranch’s mission centers on giving Colorado adults with disabilities the independence and opportunity to thrive through vocational training, employment, and social opportunities, all of which require their neighbors’ belief and support.
