Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services held a grand opening Wednesday, of a new 25,000 square foot building in Eugene. The place was designed specifically to meet the needs of clients living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Steven Valvo has I/DD. He’s holding the giant scissors used to cut the ribbon on the new building. “It’s helped me get like jobs, helped me get more stable in the community,” he said. “Just being more stable for home life too. When I moved here in 2014, we were homeless.”
Today Valvo serves on the advisory board for LCDDS.
Inside the two-story building, the lobby is welcoming. There’s a quiet space and adjustable lighting to support those with sensory needs. The artwork was created by clients.
Manager Carla Tazumal said the new building makes a statement to the 3,000 clients they serve. “Really for people to feel treated with respect and dignity. This is designed for them.”
Lane County spokesperson Jason Davis described what makes the new building and the services provided in it so important.
“Community is everybody. And it’s making sure that everybody knows each other and everybody rubs shoulders on a daily basis,” he said. “We can’t expect to understand folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities if they are somehow cordoned off into a different part of the community. We need to be with them. We need to be experiencing the joys that they bring to Lane County.”
Davis said LCDDS helps the community appreciate an overlooked part of diversity.
Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services is located off Martin Luther King Boulevard, across from Autzen Stadium.