CIRAS serves children, youth and adults with intellectual and mental disabilities in Sergipe, Brazil, currently assisting 1,000 people directly and 6,000 indirectly. Its programs, many undertaken with partners, address a variety of community needs. One of its founders, occupational therapist Carolyn Estella Chase Freire de Carvalho, established the organization's multidisciplinary approach and is considered a pioneer in the state.