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| Ron Scruggs, looking rugged during a Labor Source camping trip. |
The Evolution of Supported Employment Services
By Ronnie Wayne Scruggs
Then several of the stewards of Labor Source said, “There has to be something more challenging!” After several gatherings at the weekly Friday Afternoon Club an idea was born. Paraphrasing JFK’s phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you” came, “What can our consumers do for their community?”
Staff members and consumers began to explore the community from satellites or hubs strategically located in Boulder near RTD routes that provided the opportunity for independent travel training. Consumers also had more choices to select from community activities they expressed an interest in navigating further.
One of the first mobile phones provided to staff was a Motorola field phone, code name Alpha. It weighed 8 lbs. The battle cry became, ”Failure is not an option; help is on the way!”
Social, recreational activities and retreats were provided to maintain the spirit and camaraderie of the support staff. These included but were not limited to camping trips, softball and volleyball teams, secret Santa parties, and tractor drawn hayrides.
A select group of staff, job developers, began to interface with a variety of businesses, mom and pop owned, and corporations within the Boulder, Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville area to market the benefits and incentives for establishing a partnership that would provide a structured paid employment opportunity to physically, developmentally, and emotionally challenged individuals.
Supported Employment work crews were placed in restaurant and taverns such as the LA Diner, Juanita’s, Colony Market and The Hungry Toad, (which holds the distinction of being the longest business partnership that exists today). However, janitorial opportunities were not the only environments where skilled laborers were placed. Partnerships were also secured at Eco-Cycle and with the Parks & Recreation Departments of Boulder and Broomfield Counties. Volunteer work crew placements were also established such as laundry aides at the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Adopt-a-Highway, and business flyer handouts from door-to-door.
As an individual obtained the skills needed to succeed and build productive relationships within the workforce, any interest expressed to secure an individual employment opportunity were explored. Follow-along supports were offered to the employer and the individual to ensure his or her relationship was meeting the standards established by both parties. To ensure that support staff had the professional tools and learning accessible to them, an Apprenticeship Training Program was created which addressed such strategies or approaches as “Try Another Way,” person-centered advocacy, revenue streams to secure service funding, and delivery of excellent customer service.
Professional resources such as Temple Grandin and Dan Hobbs were secured to offer tools of learning to support the success of those individuals who were seeking supported employment services.
As the community became more involved in the daily challenges of supporting individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities, police involvement became more apparent, i.e. arriving at a scene where a support staff was using an emergency control procedure to prevent a behaviorally challenged individual from doing harm to himself. Logic and training had evolved at this point and time to where each side had a deeper understanding of what the other side had to endure.
Within the last five years, departmental mergers between CORE, Labor Source, and Out & About have created new community venues where an individual has the opportunity to expand their artistic talents, explore the workforce, and maintain their recreational interests. What a wonderful life it can be!
As I begin my 25th Anniversary with Imagine!, I would like to acknowledge and thank various members of this elite family, including past and present Executive Directors and Boards who have provided the vision for success and enrichment, Case Management for the care giving you have provided, clerical and direct line staff who have always been accessible when the need arises, all the consumers who have shown me that growing together has truly enriched my life, and finally to the individual who conducted my initial interview and offered me an opportunity to have my life here at Imagine! come full circle.
Are you interested in sharing your story for “50 Years, 50 Stories?” If so, contact Caroline Siegfried at caroline@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6405. We’d love to hear from you!
