Students in the manufacturing and production lab create a wide variety of products, including tee-shirts, wall ornaments and other consumer goods. Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
The 51,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility boasts a modern, open-air environment, with classroom instruction, lab work and flexible spaces geared toward one goal: independence
Since its grand opening in August 2024, the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit’s (MCIU) Discovery Center has sought to provide an innovative approach to learning for young adults with disabilities.
Located at 375 Morris Road in Upper Gwynedd Township, the 51,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility boasts a modern, open-air environment, with classroom instruction, lab work and flexible spaces geared toward one goal: independence.
“What we’re always trying to do is work on independence so that they can do these things by themselves,” said program administrator Brittney Gambone. “They might need our support to start and then we move out of the way.”
A culmination of years of planning by the MCIU, an educational services agency, the Discovery Center focuses primarily on vocational and independent living skills. The facility has roughly 70 students, who are referred to the center by their respective school districts.
“We service students with all different types of [disabilities], whether emotional, behavioral, intellectual,” said Gambone, adding, “The students here are 18-22. They are adults, so they call us all by our first names. They look at us like colleagues rather than necessarily teachers.”
The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Discovery Center building in Lansdale. (Courtesy of the MCIU)
The 51,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility boasts a modern, open-air environment.The center offers four main labs for career readiness, including childcare, horticulture, manufacturing and production and hospitality. Each student completes an aptitude test to identify their most appropriate lab placements, said Gambone.
In the childcare lab, students learn the theories of child development before receiving in-house hands-on experience working with children in the Head Start, Pre-K Counts and Early Intervention programs, housed on the Discovery Center’s first floor.
“I like working with the kids, seeing them grow and helping them as much as I can,” said student Connor, 20. “I would like to be an assistant teacher hopefully. There are some jobs that only require two years of experience, so once I’m here for another year, I can get a job at the YMCA working with the kids and then maybe being a teacher full-time.”
“The kids are funny and nice, and I just like helping them out” said student Lena, 20. “When they get frustrated, I can help them and say, ‘Hey it’s ok, just try and calm down.’”
Student Lena, 20, works in the Independent Living program.
Student Ayden, 21, participates in the hospitality and manufacturing and production labs.The horticulture lab, meanwhile, offers students a range of hands-on activities, from plant classification and care to managing a vegetable garden to taking care of the classroom pet, a Herman tortoise named Cuddy. Students also tend to the plants in the atrium and recently cut flower arrangements for Valentine’s Day.
“So they can learn all different kinds of skills that they can transfer out into the community,” said Gambone.
Many lab activities are grounded in the local community. In manufacturing and production, students have filled orders from local school districts for Special Olympics tee-shirts and classroom bulletin board materials. Students have also made signs, wall ornaments and other consumer goods.
“I made a giant sign for Halloween,” said student Ayden, 21. “We also made a bunch of mini sleds you can hang on your wall, and we always use pallet wood to make them, stuff you can take from the back of a hardware store or factory. It’s a great way of recycling.”
Students learn about mushroom cultivation and uses in the horticulture lab at the MCIU’s Discovery Center in Upper Gwynedd.
A student works on a craft.“We always take the time to learn job skills, specifically in desk jobs, working around customers as cashiers and hotel clerks,” said Mosser, who works at the Goodwill store in Pottstown. “It’s helped me a great deal with my work.”
In addition to the labs, the Discovery Center offers an Independent Living program to help students navigate the real world. The program includes a fully-furnished apartment, with a kitchen, bedroom, computer room, living room and a laundry room. Participating students engage in over 100 real-life activities, such as personal grooming, cooking, filing taxes, reading and paying bills and more.
Student Daryl displays the cookies he baked.
Carolyn Fulke, a special education teacher for 14 years, describes the Discovery Center’s atmosphere as positive and open-minded.“We really feel like we’re on the vanguard of something innovative,” said Carolyn Fulke, a special education teacher for 14 years. “As a teacher, it adds to your enthusiasm, you can do meaningful, innovative, educational work here, and that’s exciting.”
Fulke described the Discovery Center as a positive, open-minded workplace willing to embrace change. She cited the decision to transition from a cumbersome mobile coffee cart to a stationery store with orders placed via a QR code.
“It’s been helpful to work in an organization where it’s like, ‘Can we change how we’re structuring this?’ and they’re like, ‘Yeah go for it. Try it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something new,’” said Fulke. “It’s really refreshing and exciting, and it helps the kids get enthused.”
The students roundly echoed Fulke’s sentiments, adding particular praise for the teaching staff.
“Here, it is more supportive, with smaller class sizes,” said Connor. “And the teachers are more supportive and understanding of things. If I have issues with them, I know I can talk to them.”
“I really like the vibe, and I like how very nice everyone around here is,” said Ayden. “Granted, it can test your patience with certain people here, but as long as you keep it in a good place, then you should do fine. It is a beautiful view here.”
