About
Opportunity Through Equality
WHAT WE DO
Who we are
Dreams of America assists developmentally disabled adults in building up their skills, talents and overall self-sufficiency. We are a proud vendor of Regional Center, a nonprofit organization that is committed to serving disabled families.
We meet the needs of many parents of adults with disabilities who don’t have access to the resources they need to properly care for their children. That is why we’ve created a supportive, educational place that bridges the gap between school and home. We offer hope to parents and real enrichment opportunities for their developmentally challenged adult children.
Engaging People, Changing Lives
To dream is to believe, and we believe in each and every one of the men and women in our program. Students are too-often treated like they can’t do things. Our ethos is the opposite: we believe that they can do whatever they put their minds to.
At Dreams of America, we pride ourselves on how we engage with our students. We run our program like an extended school, teaching participants to explore outside their comfort zones in a supportive place. Rather than allowing a low level of functioning, we think outside of the box to keep people constantly active in an educational, interactive and positive atmosphere.
Our staff is made up of people with a range of skills, training and experience. They help foster students’ self-esteem through fun-filled social interactions, increasing their sense of physical and emotional well-being. We also cultivate cultural sensitivity by embracing diverse backgrounds, languages, staff and participants.
Meet our Executive Director
Our Executive Director, Tala Fazeli, is a highly experienced public servant with a passion for facilitating exceptional day programs. With more than 8 years of experience at the Regional Center of Orange County, she’s worked with many developmentally disabled adults, placing them in day programs and employment agencies that fit them best.
Since she has worked with over 15 different day programs in Orange County, Tala is extremely knowledgeable about the features of adult day facilities that benefit students the most.
She designs Dreams of America’s unique programs to promote the most effective progress possible for students. In doing so, Tala focuses on the students’ personal goals to build fulfilling lives while helping them remain active and consistently engaged.
Tala earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine and holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is well-versed in psychological and developmental delays and the most impactful ways to support students of all age groups and disabilities.
Extensive workshops (i.e. – Social Skills Training, Toilet Training, Thinking Outside the Box, and How to Improve Day Programs), numerous outreach activities, and in-depth experience with Individual Support Plans (ISPs) further qualify Tala to lead Dreams of America.
A compassionate, insightful individual, Tala understands the challenges our students face. She implements program activities that help students overcome those challenges, reach their objectives and, in many cases, attain full-time employment.
North Campus: 14 Goodyear, Suite #110 Irvine CA, 92618
South Campus: 18 Goodyear, Suite #120 Irvine, CA, 92618
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