Disabled Persons Action Organization

What Disabled Persons Action Organization does

Disabled Persons Action Organization (DPAO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1974 and incorporated in 1976, headquartered in Watertown, New York. It provides individualized services to developmentally disabled children and adults and their families in Jefferson and Lewis Counties, New York. The organization employs more than 150 full- and part-time staff and serves over 500 children, adults, and families, operating as the region's primary provider of overnight and hourly respite services for individuals with developmental disabilities living at home.

DPAO delivers a coordinated suite of programs including Family Support Services (Family Reimbursement, Light Touch Case Management, Snoezelen Room multi-sensory therapy), Respite Services (Weekday Respite at a Drop-in-Center, Free Standing Respite in Jefferson and Lewis Counties), Community Habilitation, a Community Employment Program, Self-Direction, a Fiscal Intermediary service, and Day Habilitation at the William J. McClusky Day Habilitation Center. Services are delivered through five physical facilities across Watertown and Lowville, plus in-home and community-based outreach. The underlying technology footprint is minimal: no proprietary digital platform, no AI/ML components, and no public-facing software product; the notable physical asset is a Snoezelen Room for multi-sensory calming stimulation.

DPAO's revenue model is primarily that of a managed-services nonprofit. The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) directly funds many of DPAO's programs on a per-slot basis, restricting the number of individuals state funding can cover. A long-running Summer Concert Series, founded in the early years when no state funding was available, supplements special-needs programs and contributes over $1M annually to the Northern New York economy. Additional revenue comes from family reimbursement/voucher arrangements, the fiscal intermediary function, and self-direction budget administration. Customers are not commercial buyers but rather the developmentally disabled population of Jefferson and Lewis Counties and their families, accessed through OPWDD eligibility rather than through a sales motion.

Name

Disabled Persons Action Organization

Legal name

Disabled Persons Action Organization

Website

https://dpao.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Disabled Persons Action Organization is a non-profit providing individualized services to developmentally disabled children and adults and their families in Jefferson and Lewis Counties, New York, including respite care, day habilitation, community habilitation, employment programs, and family support funded primarily through NY State OPWDD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Developmental Disability Human Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs Adult Day Programs (Developmental/Physical Disabilities, Seniors) (HLADAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Respite Adult Day Programs (Short-Term/Drop-In) (HSABANAD)

Keywords

• Developmental disability services
• Respite care services
• Day habilitation programs
• Community habilitation support
• Nonprofit human services

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding (OPWDD): Primary funding from the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), which funds many of DPAO's programs for a set number of individuals.
2. Concert Fundraising: DPAO organizes concerts to raise funds for additional services not covered by state funding. Concert fundraising started in the early years when no state funding was available and continues to supplement special needs programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Disabled Persons Action Organization (DPAO) provides individualized services to developmentally disabled children and adults in Jefferson and Lewis Counties, New York. Its core offerings include respite services (weekday drop-in and free-standing overnight), family support services, community habilitation, day habilitation, employment programs, fiscal intermediary, self-direction, and Snoezelen multi-sensory room access. Services are delivered directly by DPAO staff at multiple dedicated facilities and through home- and community-based programs.

Product overview

DPAO offers a comprehensive suite of individualized services for developmentally disabled children and adults in Jefferson and Lewis Counties, New York. The organization operates as a coordinated service platform with multiple interconnected programs including Family Support Services (Family Reimbursement, Light Touch Case Management, Snoezelen Room), Respite Services (Weekday Respite, Free Standing Respite), Community Habilitation, Employment Program, Fiscal Intermediary, Self-Direction, and Day Habilitation services. The portfolio includes dedicated facilities such as the William J. McClusky Day Habilitation Center and Free Standing Respite Homes in both Jefferson and Lewis Counties. Services are coordinated through corporate offices in Watertown with specialized staff including Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director, Financial Director, Human Resources, Corporate Compliance Officer, Program Managers, and Coordinators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Reimbursement / Respite Reimbursement Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 500 children, adults, and families in the region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Birch Family Services: New York nonprofit providing educational, residential, day habilitation, and employment services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Comparable service categories and OPWDD funding model, though larger and NYC-focused.
• YAI (Young Adult Institute): Large New York nonprofit providing lifespan services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including day habilitation, respite, employment, and self-direction. Directly comparable service portfolio, but operates primarily in NYC metro and broader NY region.
• Heritage Christian Services: Rochester-area New York nonprofit offering day habilitation, respite, employment, residential, and self-direction services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Closely comparable service portfolio with overlapping upstate NY geography.
• AHRC New York City: One of New York's largest nonprofits serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering day services, residential, employment, and family support across all five boroughs. Operates the same OPWDD-funded service categories as DPAO but at much greater scale.
• CP of NYS (Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State): Statewide association of CP affiliate agencies delivering OPWDD-funded day, residential, employment, and respite services for people with developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy. Directly comparable service lines and NYS regulatory environment.

Direct peers

• AccessCNY: Central New York nonprofit providing case management, day habilitation, residential, and employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Comparable service mix and OPWDD contract relationships, with overlapping upstate New York geography.
• Lifespire: New York-based nonprofit providing residential, day, employment, and family support services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Comparable OPWDD-funded program mix including self-direction and community habilitation, with similar nonprofit operating model.
• Wildwood Programs: New York nonprofit providing educational, residential, day habilitation, and employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities including autism. Comparable service mix with self-direction and community habilitation offerings, operating under the same OPWDD framework.
• The Arc of Jefferson and Lewis Counties: Local chapter of The Arc, providing advocacy and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the same Jefferson and Lewis Counties that DPAO serves. Directly competes for OPWDD-funded programs and family referrals in the same geographic market.

Regional players

• St. Lawrence NYSARC: Adjacent Northern New York chapter of NYSARC providing OPWDD-funded day, residential, employment, and family support services in neighboring counties to DPAO. Comparable mission and funding structure with directly competing rural upstate NY provider model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/disabled-persons-action-org

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Disabled Persons Action Organization