Men and women enrolled
with the Board of MR/DD may work in the
community or attend one of our adult activities centers, a
community agency
with whom we contract for services, a senior center or an adult
day care center. Adult Services are designed to help all individuals
choose new vocational and social challenges and to pursue them
in the least restrictive and most normal setttings.
Men and
women with MR/DD receive support in several skill areas including
mobility, self-help and daily living skills, communication,
community awareness, social and emotional growth, functional
academics, human sexuality, work skills training and job
placement assistance.
Community employment is the primary objective for the men
and women enrolled in Employment Services. Options include
competitive employment, where an employer hires an individual
for a job
and after an appropriate amount of orientation and training
from our staff, the individual continues in that job fairly
independently; enclaves, where small groups of workers who
have MR/DD work at factories, restaurants, hotels, stores and
dozens of other work sites under the supervision of our staff;
mobile work crews, who provide grounds maintenance or custodial
services at various locations throughout the county under the
supervision of our staff, and River Copy and Mail, an entrepreneurial
group that handles high-volume copying and mailing projects
for customers.
What kind of jobs do people with MR/DD hold? Lots of jobs
that you would expect and a few that might surprise you: stock
clerk, dishwasher, landscape laborer, mail handler, assembly
worker, factory worker, grocery bagger, baker's helper, freight
handler, data entry operator, surgical courier, painter's helper,
nurse's aide, ticket taker, law office aide, courier, bus person,
receptionist, candy dipper, porter, health care attendant,
packer, laundry worker, usher, hotel maid, salad bar attendant,
animal caretaker, light maintenance worker, file clerk, coffee
shop assistant.
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Men and women who need a more
sheltered environment may enroll in Activities Services at
one of our adult activities centers. There they are
employed by S.A.W., Inc., the nonprofit organization responsible
for securing subcontract work from area businesses and industries
and overseeing its completion at our sites. The work consists
of manually-oriented jobs such as collating, packaging, assembly
and salvaging for more than 200 area companies and organizations.
Or they may participate in various activities at the center,
including classes, outings, crafts and personal development.
When they reach retirement age, seniors may choose to work
part-time and take part in our seniors programs or to participate
only in seniors programs. As with our community employment
efforts, our seniors programs more and more take place in the
community at senior citizen centers where people with MR/DD
enjoy the companionship of others the same age, learn new leisure
skills and develop new interests. Many also volunteer at churches,
food banks and preschools. |
