I Can Living and Learning Center

What I Can Living and Learning Center does

I Can Living and Learning Center (ICAN) is a Florida-registered non-profit vocational rehabilitation organization headquartered in Deerfield Beach that helps individuals with disabilities find and maintain employment across South Florida, from Miami to Fort Pierce. Founded in 2016 by Debbie Telsey, a former special education teacher and executive recruiter, the organization employs roughly nine job coaches/success coaches alongside administrative staff and runs a coordinated suite of programs including Vocational Evaluation, Pre-Placement Training (20-40 hours), Employment Services, Supportive Employment with 90-150 days of post-hire coaching, Discovery Services, Self-Advocacy Training, and the Career Camp program for students ages 14-21 with IEP or 504 Plans. The organization reports an 80% placement rate among job seekers using its services and has documented placements at employer partners including Publix, FedEx, McDonald's, YouFit, Atria, Sky Chef, and Knoll Publishing.

There is no proprietary technology underlying the offering; the product is a people-intensive service model. The business model is primarily contract-based: ICAN operates as a not-for-profit vendor of the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (a federal-state program), which provides client referrals and reimbursement funding, supplemented by donations. Go-to-market is referral-driven through VR counselors, social service agencies, schools, and parents, with employment specialists building local employer relationships through community outreach. The organization also conducts employer education on the ROI and tax credits associated with hiring individuals with disabilities.

The competitive position rests on three reinforcing elements: state vendor status with Florida VR (a regulated, hard-to-replicate channel), a referral ecosystem spanning multiple agency types and a diverse roster of South Florida employers, and the founder's distinctive dual background in special education and recruiting. Risks include heavy dependence on a single state funding program, a small team with limited bench depth, no documented fundraising infrastructure beyond a donation page, and the absence of any proprietary technology or data moat.

Name

I Can Living and Learning Center

Legal name

I Can Living and Learning Center LLC

Website

https://icanfl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit vocational rehabilitation organization that helps individuals with disabilities across South Florida secure and maintain employment through job coaching, placement, and pre-employment training, operating as a vendor of the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Supported Employment & Job Coaching (EDAKANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF), Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO), Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG)

Keywords

• Vocational rehabilitation services
• Disability employment support
• Job coaching services
• Pre-employment training
• Career transition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Deerfield Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Contract: I Can Living and Learning Center is a not-for-profit agency that delivers services as a vendor through the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). VR is a federal-state program that helps people with disabilities find and keep a job. The organization also accepts donations to support their mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Provides vocational rehabilitation and employment services to individuals with disabilities, including vocational evaluation, pre-placement training, job placement, supported employment, discovery services, a Career Camp, and self-advocacy training. Operates as an approved vendor of the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, delivering individualized one-on-one coaching from a base in Deerfield Beach across South Florida (Miami to Fort Pierce).

Product overview

I Can Living and Learning Center is a nonprofit vocational organization that offers a coordinated suite of employment services for individuals with disabilities. The core offerings include Vocational Evaluation for career assessment, Pre-placement Training for job readiness, Discovery Services for identifying strengths, Employment Services for job placement, Supportive Employment for ongoing job coaching, Career Camp for youth transition, and Self-Advocacy Training for skill development. These programs work together within the Florida VR system to help clients secure and maintain meaningful employment, supported by community outreach and donation initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vocational Evaluation

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% placement rate for job seekers who use the service

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICAN Living and Learning Center is a not-for-profit vendor agency delivering services through the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. VR is a federal-state program that helps people with disabilities find and keep a job. The organization serves as a referral source and funding mechanism for ICAN's employment services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Best Buddies Jobs Program: Best Buddies operates a national jobs program that places individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities into competitive employment with corporate employer partners. Comparable target population, employer-driven placement model, and supported employment coaching.
• Melwood: Nonprofit providing job coaching, vocational evaluation, and supported employment for people with disabilities, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic but operating a similar VR-vendor service model. Direct functional peer in the vocational rehabilitation services category.
• Easterseals South Florida: Provides vocational training, supported employment, and transition services for people with disabilities and special needs in the same South Florida market. Overlaps directly with ICAN's VR-vendor, job-coaching, and Career Camp-equivalent offerings.
• The Arc of Florida: Statewide network delivering employment, transition, and supported employment services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Competes with ICAN for the same VR-referred client population across overlapping Florida counties.
• Goodwill Industries of South Florida: Operates vocational rehabilitation, job coaching, and supported employment programs for individuals with disabilities across South Florida. Directly competes with ICAN for VR referrals, employer relationships, and donor support in the same Miami–Fort Lauderdale geography.

Broad incumbents

• SourceAmerica: National nonprofit that channels federal AbilityOne contracts to affiliated agencies providing employment for people with disabilities. Operates as a scaled umbrella over the same VR-style employment category with much broader employer reach.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Division, Florida Department of Education: State agency that administers the VR program ICAN serves as a vendor for. Not a competitor per se, but the primary funder and referral source whose policies, eligibility rules, and rate-setting directly govern ICAN's volume and revenue.

Others

• FedEx (contract employer relationship): Listed ICAN placement employer; comparable as a downstream buyer of supported-employment labor and as a model of how large employers partner with VR-vendor nonprofits for inclusive hiring pipelines.
• Publix Super Markets: Named ICAN placement employer with multiple successful hires and hour expansions. Represents a comparable downstream employer channel for VR-vendor nonprofits serving South Florida.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County: Regional youth-services nonprofit in ICAN's South Florida service area that runs career exploration, work-readiness, and transition programs for teens, comparable in mission overlap to ICAN's Career Camp program for students with IEP/504 plans.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=mT2OHiy8bbE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icanliveandlearn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 I Can Living and Learning Center