The Life Skills and Transition Center works with other providers to deliver effective services in the least restrictive setting. The specialized services are provided at the Life Skills and Transition Center using person-centered plans based on individual needs and goals.
Traditional Intermediate Care Facility/Intellectual Developmental Disability Services
These services have been the core of the LSTC for over 100 years. Our intermediate care facility provides 24-hour comprehensive services and support including medical and clinical programming. This includes services for those requiring skilled nursing, behavioral health services, services for youth in transition from the agency to community settings, and services for adults with sexual offending behaviors.
Vocational Services
The Work Activity Program provides services for people in vocational work on-site at the LSTC and in various locations throughout the greater Grafton community. People have opportunities through the Dakota East Day Program to gain experience while working at local businesses such as Hugo’s, Marvin Windows, the local Chamber of Commerce, and the airport.
Dakota East Day Program Services
As a licensed day support provider, Dakota East provides productive and meaningful work to help people reach their work potential. This is accomplished through evaluations at various work sites to determine interests, abilities, and training needs. Services are provided in conjunction with physical and occupational therapy, adaptive equipment, and psychological and medical services as appropriate.
Employment training opportunities range from direct employment with a range of support to enclave and sheltered workshop assignments. Production line rooms, mobile work crews, and community job sites are available for employment experience.
Items produced by the employees of Dakota East are available at the Trophy Store, Gift Shop on campus, or through a variety of local retail outlets. Wholesale products are distributed to many local and regional retailers for value-added processing.
Check out the Dakota East Trophy and Engravings Facebook page for pictures and descriptions of items available.
Recreation Services Department
Recreation Services provide the LSTC with a variety of fun, engaging resources and programs. The LSTC Recreation Department provides community resources like the Dial-A-Ride transit system to assist community members and people supported in participating in life around town.
The Recreation Department assists people in joining and participating in several community clubs. People are supported to participate in the North Dakota Special Olympics. LSTC also has a branch of the Aktion Club, and the group works together with local Kiwanis members at community events throughout the year.
Admissions and Accessing Services
There are two types of admissions to the Life Skills and Transition Center:
- Regular - Provides residential and day services that promote responsible personal independence, social skills, stable health, and employment development.
- Respite - This is a legislatively mandated service that has not been used in many years. It provides a time-limited, often repeated, residential service to eligible North Dakotans younger than 22 years of age, to preserve home living arrangements when short, out-of-home placements are beneficial for the individual and/or family. This is only available pending the availability of space, staffing resources, and a lack of other alternatives. In current operations, some admission experiences that reflect this pattern, but are done under Regular admission as full services are preferred over the more limited scope of Respite Services.
Three main criteria need to be met for admission to our agency:
- The person has been determined eligible for developmental disabilities services and has been referred for admission by a regional developmental disabilities program administrator.
- The LSTC Superintendent determines that a comprehensive evaluation establishes the appropriateness of services of the LSTC for the person, and services are available (or will be by the time the person arrives - including safe and sufficient space). The evaluation establishes that all reasonable alternatives for service within the state have been investigated, and those services have been deemed inappropriate by the person/guardian, regional developmental disability program administrator, and LSTC Superintendent.
- The person has been evaluated for and offered all reasonable alternatives for service within the state, and those services have been deemed inappropriate by the person/guardian, regional developmental disability program administrator, and LSTC Superintendent.
For more information, contact a developmental disabilities program administrator located in each of the state's eight regions. Their staff determine eligibility for developmental disabilities services and make referrals to the LSTC, if appropriate.
People may also contact the LSTC Director of Social Services for assistance and information.
Residential Building Locations
LSTC Maplewood and Cedar Grove Buildings
Building Address: 840 W. Maplewood Drive, Grafton ND 58237
Mailing Address: 816 W. Midway Drive, Grafton ND 58237
Phone: (701) 352-4200