About us

The Education and Rehabilitation Society (SER) of Puerto Rico, Inc. is a non-profit organization exempt from contributions under sections 1101 and 501(c)(3). It was founded in 1950 and offers rehabilitation, education, psychological and support services to the population with physical disabilities and autism. Most of its participants are children and youth from low-income families (60% are below the poverty level). It has centers in San Juan, Ponce and Ceiba, as well as a community outreach program.

At SER de Puerto Rico, Inc., we are committed to providing exceptional services that allow people with disabilities and their families to have the same opportunity to live, educate, work and recreate in their communities. Currently, our team of experts annually serves more than 7,000 active participants with some kind of disability, most of them children from low-income families from all the municipalities of Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra.

Our organization offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary service of global competence that includes support for family members. SER de Puerto Rico has impacted more than 700,000 families of people with disabilities throughout the island of all socio-economic levels. Our 85% participants gain basic skills that allow them to be independent, productive, and self-sufficient, even making it easier for them to join the workforce. Fulfilling our mission, at SER de Puerto Rico we seek to provide participants with the best therapeutic alternatives and effective services that allow them to reach their maximum potential in a faster and more efficient way. Throughout the 73 years, we have achieved many goals for the benefit of our participants, which have been possible with the collaboration and commitment of the public, as well as government and private organizations. It is with great pride that I share with you the impact of our work. This is how we Create Solutions that Change Lives.

Blessings.

Nilda R. Morales, Dr. hc, OTR, MS

Provide exceptional medical, therapeutic and educational services to people with disabilities so that they develop their maximum potential.

Create solutions that change lives.

First center in the country linking resources for the comprehensive rehabilitation of people with disabilities and from where they help to build an inclusive society.

Love, professionalism, collaboration and commitment.

SER de Puerto Rico was founded on July 6, 1950 under the name of Society for Disabled Children and Adults of Puerto Rico by three community leaders related to the field of rehabilitation: Dr. Herman Flax, specialist in Physical Medicine; Atty. Guillermo Atiles Moreau, then administrator of the State Insurance Fund; and Mr. René Jiménez Malaret, professor at the University of Puerto Rico, specialist in communications. SER was born as an emergency response to the polio pandemic, which mostly affected children, at a time when the country was facing a dramatic poverty rate.

Since its inception, the organization has been an affiliate of Easter Seals, a national voluntary organization specializing in services for people with various disabilities. Since 1955, SER de PR has had an agreement with the Department of Education to administer Escuela Ciudadana Lcdo. Guillermo Atiles Moreau; located in the Center of San Juan, as an Elementary and Superior school. In 1999, the SER Center was established in the municipality of Ponce, which serves as a rehabilitation benchmark for the entire region. With this, the commitment to offer, under equal conditions, access to quality health services to all Puerto Ricans was reaffirmed.

In 2011, SER joined the International Telethon Organization (ORITEL); group of Latin American countries that seeks to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, through the exchange of scientific information from the different entities that comprise it and through technical support for the development of medical activities. The entity established the first inclusive Montessori environment for children with special education and autism in 2014. In 2015, the Herman Flax Rehabilitation Center was inaugurated, managing to increase the number of therapy services offered to participants and incorporating robotic technology from world class, unique in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane María in 2017, SER acquired a mobile unit and expanded the Community Outreach Program to benefit rural areas.

In 2019, the SER Center was inaugurated in the municipality of Ceiba to serve the population of the East, Center and South, in addition to the Municipality, Vieques and Culebra islands. History, seventy-three (73) years later, reaffirms that the volunteers, Board of Directors, work team, sponsors and Puerto Rico maintain the same commitment, love and vision that gave rise to the organization.

Licenses and Accreditations

Health Department

License No. 1 to operate as a Rehabilitation Center without beds, issued by the Department of Health of the Government of Puerto Rico.

CARF Accreditation

Independent organization that focuses on advancing the quality of services to achieve the best possible results. The accredited interdisciplinary programs are: outpatient medical rehabilitation for adults, and for children and adolescents. First rehabilitation center in Puerto Rico with this distinction.

Transparency Certification

Guidestar Gold Transparency helps demonstrate the transparency of our organization to potential funders and donors.

 Affiliations

SER is part of international organizations such as: Easter Seals, ORITEL, United Way, VSA (Very Special Arts).

We have three centers to have more reach on the Island.

Results Report 2022-2023

Download the Report Here…