GRAFTON, Wis. — Inside a building that resembles a school in Grafton, a local charity is connecting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For six decades, Portal Inc. has been working to give neurodivergent people a place and community to call home with day services and job training.
RJ Bottalla runs one of the organization's more unique programs.
As recreation manager at Portal Inc., he is responsible for planning events across the county for his adult recreation group to take part in.
"This program is centered on how we get people to have fun," Bottalla said. "How can we adapt the neurotypical world to make people who might think a different way, who see the world a different way, find belonging in themselves?"
Bottalla spends his days organizing events for this small group, including sports games, movies, bowling and shopping trips. The latest such event was a trip to the Lakeshore Chinooks baseball game in Mequon.
One participant, Tessa Michaels, finds the program particularly meaningful.
Watch: Neurodivergent adults find community through Grafton charity’s rec program
"I feel understood here, which is something I've always struggled with," Michaels said. "It's fun for me but at the same time a little push to do things on my own with other people."
These recreational events represent just one aspect of Portal Inc.'s mission. The charity also provides financial education and job training.
They are one part of a larger countywide support network for children and adults with IDDs.
"I hope people can look to what's happening in Ozaukee County and use that as a model for helping build a very inclusive community," Bottalla said. "We're not trying to sell something. We're trying to tell what I think are the most important stories we can tell."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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