Exploration Institute

Our Mission

The Exploration Institute is intended to celebrate human potential, create participation and inclusion. This one-of-a-kind facility will be specifically designed to serve children and youth with varying and differing abilities; and when complete, it should become the benchmark and inspiration for similar facilities worldwide.

The Exploration Institute will be a unique, safe place for children and persons with disabilities to learn by interacting with their environment.  Climbing trees, hiking, riding horses and swimming are just a few of the ways the students of the Institute will “play”, all under the watchful eye of highly trained specialists.

Our Vision

To be the choice for children, parents, educators, healing arts professionals, and employees in Latin America.  We strive to be known because of our preeminence in education, therapeutic care, scientific and medical research and teaching programs.

Our Values

The Exploration Institute is committed to:

• Dignity and Reverence – Safeguarded by recognizing the interconnectedness of life.
• Compassion – We treat all those we serve with kindness and compassion.
• Integrity – Honesty, fairness and self-scrutiny in everything we do, as the ideal means to protect overall safety, as well as assure confidentiality and privacy
• Passion – To live joyfully, cherishing each moment as a gift.

One of the guiding principles of the Institute is to “work with what we have”.  Borrowing heavily from the famed psychologist, Erik Erikson and his idea that “play is therapy”, playing becomes learning for both students and their parents.  Think of it as a kind of “summer camp”, where students learn and practice skills that are key to their development, all the while they are having lots of fun and making new friends.

Moving Forward

Work is already underway on the Institute.  The therapeutic program is currently being developed by Dr. Mark Kovic, an Occupational Therapist of Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois.   Dr. Ricardo Senno, a brain injury physician and rehabilitation expert, is a consultant on the project, along with several other experts in the fields of childhood development and education for persons with disabilities.

Through our partners at Dominican University, the University of Illinois and the University of Milagro, we have begun training the specialists who will work directly with the children.  We have also started the process of finding a suitable site to build the Institute, and have already received several offers that we are currently reviewing.  Juan Moreno of JGMA Architects, is working with us to design the facilities.  But there is still much to do and plenty of ways to help  Contact us to see how you can help.