Saturday, November 14, 2026
For adults with disabilities, opportunities to develop job skills, build independence and become active members of the community can make a meaningful difference. Kulanu Academy in Cedarhurst is expanding those opportunities with the opening of its new Kulanu Center for Adult Services, a facility designed to help participants learn, work and thrive.
Located just behind the organization’s school building on Central Avenue, the new facility officially opened Sept. 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Oct. 11. The addition expands Kulanu’s ability to provide vocational training, life skills development and social opportunities for adults with disabilities in an environment centered on dignity and inclusion.
“It’s really about all members of our society, all members of our community, and being able to help provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to be productive members of society,” said Michael Appelbaum, Kulanu’s executive director. “That’s really what the organization is about.”
Kulanu, which means “all of us” in Hebrew, operates four divisions, including Kulanu Academy, which provides educational services to students ages 11 to 21, and three adult service programs now housed in the new building.
Through its vocational services, Kulanu helps adults with disabilities develop employment skills and find job placements, including through the state Education Department’s Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation program, known as ACCES-VR.
Its other adult programs, supported through the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, focus on habilitation, employment and community-based support. Participants work on developing practical skills, including money management, communication, social interactions and everyday tasks.
“We’re helping individuals with disabilities gain skills, whether that’s social skills, life skills, vocational skills, money management or learning to be included in the environment,” Appelbaum said. “One of the things we talk about a lot is that the community is our classroom. The community is the place where people learn.”
One of the most anticipated features of the new center is an on-site cafe, where adults with disabilities will have the opportunity to work and serve customers. The cafe is expected to offer coffee, muffins, cookies, salads and paninis, providing hands-on experience in food service, customer interaction and workplace responsibilities.
“Individuals with disabilities are going to work in our cafe and be able to serve coffee, muffins, cookies and things like that,” Appelbaum said. “That really personifies what we’re trying to do: help adults with disabilities find opportunities for employment, for social fulfillment and for all of those things.”
For Appelbaum, the expansion represents an opportunity to give participants greater independence while helping them establish meaningful connections and become more involved in their community.
“It’s an opportunity for Kulanu, an opportunity for everyone,” he said. “We’re excited about being able to offer our community, our people with disabilities, the opportunity to do things, whether that falls on the vocational side or on the social side.”
The new facility was designed with careful attention to creating an environment that respects the needs and dignity of its participants. Its modular construction and thoughtfully planned interior provide space for the organization’s expanding adult services.
“What Kulanu has accomplished is truly remarkable,” State Assemblyman Ari Brown, who also serves as Cedarhurst deputy mayor wrote in a statement. “This beautiful new facility is more than bricks and mortar; it represents dignity, opportunity, and a place where adults with disabilities can learn, grow, connect, and thrive.”
At the heart of that work, Appelbaum said, is a simple belief that everyone deserves the chance to participate and contribute.
“We all want that,” Appelbaum said. “And it shouldn’t be any different for people with disabilities.”
