Who We Are
Our History
In 1972, a small group of local educators and business people came together, committed to providing community-based services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Paul Dever State School. These efforts were part of the growing national deinstitutionalization movement, which created a lasting impact on the services we provide today.
Cooperative Production, Inc. was incorporated in 1976. Since then, the agency has expanded dramatically as community services became the norm rather than the exception. Our journey has taken us from one small vocational program to an organization that provides a variety of residential, employment, and day program services. Today, we support more than 300 people throughout southeastern Massachusetts.
We are recognized as an essential local resource for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and brain injuries and their families. We remain committed to supporting the needs of individuals from surrounding communities. Equally important, our services receive the highest levels of licensure and accreditation from the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Disabilities and the Commission of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
Cooperative Production is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and brain injuries as valued members of their communities. Our services are person-centered, embracing each person's vision, interests, and support needs.
Charity Navigator rates Cooperative Production FOUR STARS, indicating to donors that they can safely take action to support our organization because of its financial health, transparency, accountability, and more.
President & CEO’s Message
Dear Friends:
At Cooperative Production, our work begins with a simple belief: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and brain injuries should have the support, opportunities, and meaningful connections they need to build lives of their own choosing.
Since 1972, that belief has guided our growth from one small vocational program into a comprehensive network of residential, employment, day, brain injury, health care, and clinical services. While much has changed over the years, our purpose has remained constant. We listen to each person, recognize their individual goals and interests, and provide support shaped around the life they want to lead.
That commitment comes to life every day through the work of our staff. Their skill, compassion, and persistence make it possible for hundreds of people across southeastern Massachusetts to live, work, learn, contribute, and participate more fully in their communities.
Our responsibility is also to keep looking ahead. We are strengthening our programs, investing in our workforce, and creating new opportunities for connection and inclusion. We do this in partnership with the people we support, their families and guardians, our employees, our Board, and the many community members who believe in our mission.
I am proud of what Cooperative Production has accomplished and even more confident in what we can accomplish together. Thank you for being part of our community and for helping us build a future in which every person is known, valued, and supported.
Thank you,
Michael Cancilliere, LMHC, MBA
President & CEO