#MergerMondays: Disability Services
Across the country, disability service organizations are finding strength in unity. By merging with like-minded nonprofits, these organizations are expanding access, pooling expertise, and creating stronger networks of care for people with disabilities and their families. Each of these mergers is a commitment to ensuring that services remain sustainable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of communities for generations to come.
Image by Waldemar
In Wisconsin, Aptiv has announced a merger with the Opportunity Center and Southwest Opportunities Center, blending decades of service into a single, stronger network. Aptiv already supports more than 1,700 people across 42 counties, while the Opportunity Center and SOC each bring their own rich legacies, from Café Hope to community day programs. Together, these organizations will not only extend their geographic footprint but also strengthen staff development and create more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to thrive in work, learning, and community life.
Also in Wisconsin, Vernon Area Rehabilitation Center (VARC) is joining forces with Fox Valley–based VPI, Inc. Between them, the two nonprofits serve more than 2,850 people annually across over a dozen counties. Their combined services span licensed childcare, trauma-informed mental health support, supported employment, adult day services, and school-to-work transition programs. Importantly, the merger preserves existing services while opening doors to broader advocacy, business partnerships, and seamless, lifelong care for individuals and families.
In St. Louis, two nonprofits dedicated to supporting people with disabilities including hearing and autism services have merged to create a more integrated system of care. By bringing together complementary expertise, the new organization offers a full spectrum of services from infancy through adulthood. This merger doesn’t stop at the administrative; it providse a holistic, community-centered approach to disability services, strengthening the path of support at every stage of life.
Taken together, these mergers highlight a hopeful trend in the nonprofit sector: collaboration that expands access, sustains vital services, and ensures people with disabilities can learn, work, and live in communities that celebrate their full potential. Each step toward unity strengthens not only the organizations themselves but the lives and futures of those they serve.
Read more about each of these exciting mergers:
https://www.aptiv.org/about-us/news1
https://vernonreporter.com/varc-announces-merger-with-fox-valley-based-vpi-inc/
