Empowering Persons with Disabilities

Imagine experiencing a serious mid-life accident resulting in your inability to live in your own home, drive, work, or navigate your community. Imagine growing up with a disability and dreaming of entering the job market, only to experience multiple systemic barriers to your desired employment. Imagine being told that despite your medically-documented disability, you cannot qualify for public benefit programs that are designed to help you achieve economic and personal stability. These daunting scenarios are the daily reality for many Ohioans with disabilities.

Thankfully, Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential (LEAP) is there to help. LEAPis a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by people with disabilities, to advance a society of equal opportunity for all persons, regardless of disability. LEAP provides information, education, training, employment, recreation and independent living services to people with disabilities and promotes social change to improve their quality of life. LEAP operates as a Center for Independent Living (CIL) and has been accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) since 1991, ensuring high quality services, and the use of best practices in disability services policy and procedure uniformly throughout the entire organization.

LEAP has been at the forefront of delivering individualized and award-winning services to persons with disabilities in Northeast Ohio for 37 years, providing resources and support to more than 1500 individuals with disabilities and their families annually.Although LEAP is funded in a large part by established government programs, these reimbursements do not fully cover the cost of delivering individualized, high quality servicesto those most in need. LEAP therefore relieson the generosity of our donors and the broader Northeast Ohio philanthropic community to help us continue to address the emerging needs of persons with disabilities throughout Greater Cleveland. 

LEAP’s success is based in large part on the generosity, passion, and talents of those who invest in our mission. In terms of financial support, LEAP provides many ways for you to invest. All investments are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. LEAP acknowledges all donations with a statement that can be used for tax purposes.