We Love What We Do

Joys To The World, Inc (JTTW) is a non-profit organization established in 2016 which aids multiple disabled adults located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the surrounding area.

Joys to the World (JTTW) currently manages The Joy Academy for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) and their families.

The Problem

Every year, parents across the Tulsa area celebrate as their young adult children prepare to graduate high school and transition into adulthood.

However, for parents of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), graduation is a time full of fear and anxiety due to the unknown future for their graduate.

What happens when the student with PIMD graduates and cannot go to public school anymore? Who will take care of them during the day while parents work? Do these parents have to quit their job to care for their adult 24/7?

Who can afford to hire full time caregivers or does the graduate have to go to a nursing home? The question was raised, “Tulsa is a progressive city, so why isn’t there a tertiary facility for young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities to help with transitioning into adulthood like all other graduates?”

The Beginning of the Plan

Joys to the World was established in 2016 by special education teachers to help families who had limited options for their disabled young adults.

It became clear to the teachers that these graduates entered into adulthood with few choices. They were not able to meet minimal independent skill requirements like personal hygiene, feeding themselves or following a on part direction to attend Tulsa work programs. Thus their options were to stay isolated at home or spend the day in a nursing home if space was available.

From 2016 through 2019, a summer camp was established to test the market and the feasibility of opening a program for the PIMD population. The interest and enthusiastic attendance at camp indicated there was a probable solution for these underserved adults in the Tulsa area.

The Solution

Due to the successful camps and to fill the void for these young adults, Joys To The World started The Joy Academy in September, 2020.

The Joy Academy is a year-round tertiary school which offers a safe quality environment for these students to maintain their adapted life skills, increase their language experience, and develop lifelong friendships. We believe that all young adults with PIMD deserve to not only have their basic needs met but to live an abundant and purposeful life.

Currently there is The Joy Academy in southwest Tulsa and a second Joy Academy in Owasso. The Joy Academy offers excellent full-time care during weekdays so a parent or guardian can work or take respite.

Kathy Cott, CEO

Kathy is the CEO and co-founder of Joys To The World, Inc. She worked in public schools as a Speech and Language Pathologist for close to 30 years. She has been a children’s pastor and missionary in Africa and other parts of the world. Kathy also has a master’s degree in Spiritual Formation from Northwest Nazarene University. Kathy’s professional experience in language development has been the main factor in developing the structure and emphasis in The Joy Academy.

“I am privileged to be a part of something amazing. It awes me when I see the students interacting and having fun every day. They are no longer isolated and stuck at home but experiencing a joyful life.”