Our Mission
We believe that all people, regardless of ability, deserve to achieve their potential, advance their independence and act as full members of the community.
So we stop at nothing to provide life skills training, assistive technology, meaningful employment and a place to call home for people with disabilities. We place and support them in community jobs throughout the Greater Chicago area, including in our own social enterprises Seguin Auto Center and Seguin Garden and Gifts.
We ensure that adults with disabilities can live and socialize within their community, by offering residential services in multiple small, community-based homes. And we support their physical and mental well-being and vocational needs with training centers across the region.
We also give a home to children and adolescents, with nurturing foster care from birth to 21, including specialized care for children with behavior or medical challenges.
In addition, our specialized assistive technology and accessibility services allow us to serve more people, advancing independence and promoting inclusive opportunities for thousands of children and adults with disabilities. Infinitec, with its partners, provides invaluable information about assistive technology, as well as training, equipment and access to specialists and resources.
Our innovative programs leverage the latest technology, but the individuals we serve come first in everything we do.
Our goal: life without limits for people with disabilities.
Our History
1949
A group of parents in Chicago's western suburbs, seeking educational opportunities for children with special needs, begin holding day school classes in a church basement. This becomes Illinois' first pilot program for community-based special education and lays the foundation for what would become Seguin Services.
1951
United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago (UCP Chicago) is founded to serve children and adults with cerebral palsy, later expanding its mission to support people with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities.
1976
Seguin Services is incorporated and becomes one of the first agencies in Illinois to establish Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA), helping people with disabilities live in community-based homes rather than institutional settings.
1980s
Seguin Services becomes the first agency in Illinois to close its sheltered workshop and replace it with community-inclusive employment and training programs, promoting meaningful work alongside non-disabled peers.
1994
Seguin Services launches its Children's Foster Care Program, providing safe, nurturing homes for children with disabilities and special needs and earning recognition as an Illinois Champion of Adoption.
1995
UCP Chicago founds Infinitec, an innovative assistive technology initiative that increases access to technology, training, information, and resources for people with disabilities. UCP Chicago also launches the Assistive Technology Exchange Network (ATEN) in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education to refurbish and recycle donated computers and computer equipment and provide them free of charge to students with disabilities.
2001
Seguin Services launches Seguin Enterprises, creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities with the opening of its first social enterprise - Seguin Auto Center.
2009
Seguin Services establishes Building Bridges to the Future, a collaborative transition program helping students with disabilities and their families successfully move from school-based services to adulthood. Seguin's Social Enterprises expands with the opening of Seguin Gardens & Gifts.
2011
Infinitec expands beyond Illinois to serve schools and students across multiple states, including Kansas, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
2013
Seguin Services and UCP Chicago merge to become UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago, combining decades of expertise to provide expanded services and greater opportunities for people with disabilities.
