About

Cornerstone House of Santa Barbara was established in 1987 as a home for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Once all of our clients reached the age of 18, we became licensed as a home for adults to continue with around-the-clock care for our clients’ lifelong medical, emotional, social and recreational needs.

Licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health, Cornerstone House of Santa Barbara is a six-bed Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled-Habilitative (ICF-DDH). We provide 24-hour residential care along with developmental and supportive health services in a warm family atmosphere.

Located in the beautiful community of Carpinteria, California, our care facility allows clients to enjoy all that life has to offer in a safe community with various activities for a variety of client abilities. All clients attend a community-based weekday program. When at our care facility, they participate in physical, occupation, and/or speech therapy programs designed to meet each of their individual needs. All activities are monitored or facilitated by the Cornerstone House of Santa Barbara management team and staff.

Disability Awareness

People with disabilities are, first and foremost, people. When you use the word “disability”, you are referring to someone who has a physical, mental, emotional, sensory, or learning impairment. One of the largest barriers encountered is because of societies occupied with stereotypes and prejudice towards people with disabilities. So how can you become more aware?

• Understand that not everyone is the same! Accepting the fact that everyone is unique is the first step towards improving one’s disability awareness. Understanding and respecting a person’s individual differences can develop a culture of inclusion.

• Gain a deeper understanding! The worldwide Web offers a direct link to the struggles and lifestyles of people with intellectual and mental disabilities that have been identified to date. The Web can be a powerful tool in helping us gain an understanding of what a person may be experiencing or how their disability affects them on a daily basis.

• Avoid making assumptions! It is imperative that we avoid stereotyping impairments and making wrongful assumptions. People with disabilities are aware of their surroundings and have emotions just like you and I.

Our residents and their families understand the value of advocacy, support, acceptance, and respect for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. We encourage you to learn about autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, sensory disorders, genetic or birth defects, disabilities caused by severe trauma or injury, and more. We can support the families and disabled individuals, who are facing lifelong challenges, by spreading awareness and standing up to bullying at school, work, or in public. The fight for change and more advances is a cause in which we must all engage.