Helping the developmentally disabled discover their best selves is not new to Judith Carey. As a teenager, Carey volunteered at Camp Happiness in Lakewood, where she built the work and social skills sets of impaired children and young adults.
Though the Rocky River native is no longer a teenager, she is still part of a larger effort to aid an all-too-often underrepresented population. As executive director of nonprofit Solutions at Work (SAW), Carey is providing vulnerable adults with potentially life-altering employment opportunities at area businesses.
Before closing its six adult activity centers in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, SAW — a Cleveland-based 501(c)3 — assisted more than 800 clients via vocational habilitation and group employment services. Alongside a bevy of multinational organizations, SAW has contracts with a number of small businesses — JP Quality Printing, Progressive Machine Die and others — in need of skilled workers.
New employees receive training either on a job site or at the activity centers SAW took over last year from the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) following changes in federal rules. An on-staff methods engineer works with employers to determine how SAW's charges can most effectively perform their assigned tasks.
"You might have a person who has cerebral palsy, so our engineer comes up with a solution to help them complete a job, like punching a lever where a machine makes the connection," Carey said. "We get called by providers who say, 'Let's look at Johnny and help him be a faster or more accurate worker.' Our engineers are thinking out of the box."
The nonprofit also has placements at Just-A-Buck stores in South Euclid and Parma, where individuals undergo valuable retail training in a warm and supportive environment. SAW owns and operates the stores, with referrals coming from school systems and CCBDD support administrators. For some workers, tasks that include sweeping, running the register and merchandise sorting comprise their first true job experience. Ideally, training at the dollar store chain will ready clients for full-time retail positions elsewhere.
Kim Chisholm, manager at Just-A-Buck's Parma location since its opening in 2009, said her developmentally disabled employees begin work after their eligibility to receive special education services in high school ends at age 22. Trainees may have physical impairments or live with autism, Asperger's or Down syndrome.
Although the store is not geared toward specific disabilities, Chisholm and her staff play to an individual's strengths while defining possible areas of improvement.
"It could be soft skills, hygiene or things like not being able to count money," Chisholm said. "Or some people want structured work where they're doing the same things every day."
New workers are trained for 30 days, staying on for seven to nine months until they're rotated out. Employees may move onto jobs at Walmart or other retailers, or require further training to safeguard their employment prospects.
"Our mission is to enhance someone's life, whether it's through work, school or adult day services," Chisholm said. "To give them real-life work experience is the most rewarding job I've ever had."
Patience and compassion are vital when onboarding folks who haven't had the responsibility of even part-time work. Luckily, SAW's professional trainers are available to upskill a historically underserved group that Carey thinks has so much to offer.
"They're not only good for a business, they're good for morale," Carey said. "People are united around some of our individuals. Work becomes a nurturing place. They become family, and they become friends."
SAW is ramping up efforts to reopen activity centers, re-integrating a population whose lives have been especially shaken by Gov. Mike DeWine's stay-at-home orders. The organization is granted through Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, so a lack of face-to-face services means no funding for needful clientele.
The opening is starting slow, buttressed by social distancing guidelines that include operating in smaller groups with dedicated entrances and bathrooms. SAW is targeting July 20 for the relaunch of two centers, with July 27 the nonprofit's aim for bringing its Just-A-Buck locations back online. In the interim, SAW is offering members Zoom classes with Jazzercise, singing and additional activities.
Carey is concerned about finances even in a post-pandemic world, considering an economic downturn could be an ongoing obstacle to job placements. As someone who grew up around a cousin with Down syndrome, it's not difficult for Carey to have empathy for people who may not understand why their well-loved job is currently inaccessible.
"When everything closed down, there were rules put forward about schools and nursing homes, but our clients were the least heard," Carey said. "We have to be their voice and stand up for them. The goal is to find out what they want to do. In their families, they may still be thought of as children. But at work you're an adult. You have responsibilities, and you earn a paycheck."
July 18, 2020 at 03:00PM
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Solutions at Work connects developmentally disabled clients with businesses in need of skilled workers - Crain's Cleveland Business
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