Easterseals Southern California (ESSC)

What Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) does

Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate within the national Easterseals network, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Irvine, California, with 1,001-5,000 employees. The organization delivers a broad portfolio of disability and community services across 14 categories, including adult day services, assistive technology, autism services, camp and recreation, caregiving, early childhood care, education, employment and job training, in-home care, mental health, therapy and rehabilitative care, transportation and mobility, and veterans and military family support. ESSC is led by President and CEO Mark Whitley and serves children and adults with disabilities, caregivers, veterans, military families, and older adults across Southern California. Its primary customers are individuals and families, with corporate partners such as IBM, Lyft, GM, Coca-Cola, Comcast NBCUniversal, JP Morgan Chase, and Freddie Mac providing philanthropic and cause-marketing support rather than fee-based enterprise contracts.

ESSC's most differentiated proprietary offering is ReConnect by Easterseals Sensory Spaces, a program developed after approximately 1.5 years of research in collaboration with disability and autism strategists (Emily Ladau and Aaron Likens). The sensory rooms integrate Google voice-activated controls for lighting and sound with calming environmental design, sensory toys, and adaptable seating, and were first deployed at SoFi Stadium alongside venue-staff accessibility training. The organization also operates digital-literacy and workforce programs such as JETT (Job Exploration and Transition Training), delivers free ASQ-3 child development and mental health screening tools, produces two podcasts (Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong; On Board), and runs the ES Gaming esports initiative at esgaming.gg.

As a nonprofit, ESSC's revenue mechanics rely on a mix of government reimbursements, philanthropic donations, corporate partnerships, grants, and service fees — none of which are publicly disclosed in dollar terms. The go-to-market model is decentralized service delivery through the 100+ affiliate network, a self-serve zip-code locator for consumer access, and venue partnerships for the ReConnect program. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operates without external parent or private-equity ownership.

Name

Easterseals Southern California (ESSC)

Legal name

Easter Seals, Inc.

Website

https://easterseals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Easterseals Southern California is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate providing disability, autism, employment, therapy, and community services to individuals and families across Southern California, with proprietary ReConnect sensory spaces deployed in public venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human and Social Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game Engine & Creation Platforms (UGC/Modding) (BPAMAKAE), Creator Marketplaces & Asset Stores (UGC items, skins, templates, plugins) (MPAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Disability services
• Community services
• Autism support
• Rehabilitative therapy
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No source content was provided in the input; core offerings cannot be evidenced.

Product overview

Easterseals operates as a national nonprofit organization providing comprehensive disability and community services through a network of affiliates, including Easterseals Southern California. The organization offers a broad portfolio of services organized around key areas: Adult Day Services, Assistive Technology, Autism Services, Camp & Recreation, Caregiving Services, Community Services, Early Childhood Care, Education Programs, Employment & Job Training, In-Home Care, Mental Health Services, Therapy & Rehabilitative Care, Transportation & Mobility, and Veterans & Military Families. Key programs include ReConnect by Easterseals (sensory spaces for neurodivergent individuals), workforce development services, digital literacy training, screening tools (ASQ-3 Child Development and Mental Health), and educational content series. The organization also operates ES Gaming for accessible esports and produces podcasts including 'Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong' and 'On Board.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReConnect by Easterseals: Sensory spaces initiative creating inclusive environments in public venues for neurodivergent individuals.
• ES Gaming
• Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong
• On Board: Transparent Leadership Podcast
• Sensory Spaces

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Century 21minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• Coca-ColaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• Comcast NBCUniversalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• General MotorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• Abbot FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• Albertsons FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• JP Morgan ChaseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• Freddie MacminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational corporate supporter of Easterseals cause
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership with IBM to provide technology courses to clients, allowing them to stay current with AI and technology knowledge while providing certificates of completion to bolster resumes. IBM has a big course on AI and understanding it.
• SoFi StadiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEasterseals Southern California partnered with SoFi Stadium to create sensory spaces for neurodivergent individuals, including training all staff in accessibility and inclusive communication. This was the first venue to implement sensory spaces, taking approximately 1.5 years of research before approach.
• Emily LadauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisability strategist included in sensory space development and training processes to ensure lived experience and voice are incorporated
• Aaron LikensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutism strategist included in sensory space development and training processes to ensure lived experience and voice are incorporated
• LyftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEasterseals and Lyft partnered to provide free and discounted rides to polling places, ensuring voters with disabilities can access polling locations for elections

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Cerebral Palsy: National nonprofit providing disability services, advocacy, and support across therapy, education, and employment — directly overlapping ESSC's core mission and service mix.
• The Arc: National disability nonprofit delivering advocacy, education, employment, and community-living supports, serving many of the same population segments as Easterseals.
• AbilityOne / SourceAmerica: Federal employment-program network for people with disabilities; directly comparable to ESSC's employment/job-training and workforce-development service lines.
• Special Olympics: National nonprofit providing sports, recreation, and inclusive community programs for people with intellectual disabilities, overlapping ESSC's Camp & Recreation offerings.
• Best Buddies International: Nonprofit focused on one-to-one friendships, employment, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — overlapping ESSC's employment and community-services portfolio.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children: Nonprofit pediatric specialty-care system providing therapy and rehabilitative care to children with disabilities, comparable to ESSC's therapy and early-childhood services.
• National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS): Advocacy and direct-services nonprofit serving people with Down syndrome and their families, with overlapping programs in education, employment, and community inclusion.
• Autism Society of America: National autism-services and advocacy nonprofit with overlapping autism-services, screening, and family-support offerings relative to ESSC's autism program line.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Large nonprofit network with employment/job-training, workforce-development, and disability-inclusion programs; overlaps with ESSC's employment and digital-skills services but on a much broader retail-funded scale.

Regional players

• Lighthouse for the Blind (various affiliates, e.g., Lighthouse Guild): Nonprofit providing rehabilitative, assistive-technology, and employment services primarily to people who are blind/visually impaired — comparable in service-model structure (therapy + employment + assistive tech) but serving a distinct disability segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/easterseals1
• Facebookfacebook.com/easterseals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/easterseals
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastersealshq
• Pinterestpinterest.com/easterseals
• Xx.com/EasterSealSoCal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Easterseals Southern California (ESSC)