Photo By Joel Troyer
Lauren Blosser (seated at left), Joyce Delmont (standing, from left), Jessica Harper, Joel Henry, Mary Wolgamott, Jennifer Harbert and Brenda Saffell pack care packages for U.S. troops in Iraq on July 30 at Midwest Innovations in Wooster.
WOOSTER -- Earning a paycheck. Choosing where to work. Contributing to the community.
For many people, these are considered basic rights and are taken for granted. But for those with developmental disabilities or mental retardation, choices and paychecks aren't readily available.
For at least three decades, only one option was available in the area -- Nick Amster Workshop, a nonprofit, public employment organization and a subsidiary of the Wayne County Board of MRDD.
But a January 2006 change to state law allowed for the creation of private "dayhab" centers, said John Tooley, superintendent of Nick Amster.
That's led to the creation of at least three new centers in Wayne County, one of them, Midwest Innovations, is celebrating its first year of existence this month.
The company, which started with just one client, now has two locations in Wooster and about 16 employees. It offers a range of services, with an emphasis on providing paying jobs to those with developmental disabilities or mental retardation.
"We believe in trying to help make our individuals members of the community. They've had so many struggles already in life," said Kathi Good. She is program director for Midwest Health Services, of which Midwest Innovations is a subsidiary.
Employees perform tasks such as shredding papers for other companies, shrink-wrapping or packaging items or laundering items. They also make and sell items such as bar soap, bath salts and dog treats. At the second Wooster location, employees assemble pallets for shipping.
"They know what it means to get a paycheck," Good said.
From a health and wellness standpoint, that helps the individuals to a considerable degree.
Physically, they learn how to perform a variety of tasks. For some of them, this means acquiring the motor skills required to feed papers into a shredder, said Joyce Delmont, dayhab supervisor for Midwest Innovations.
Mentally, they gain an incredible level of pride, she said. Because they are working and earning a paycheck, rather than just sitting around being handed government assistance, "they feel really good about themselves," Delmont said.
"They know they have a worth and are part of the community. You can see it in their faces," Delmont said.
Community involvement also is emphasized through volunteerism -- helping clean parks or spending time at nonprofit organizations, for example.
Midwest also provides "life enrichment" opportunities, such as basic first aid and safety classes, health and nutrition programs and exercise opportunities to increase mobility.
The most important part is giving individuals the chance to feel "like they're in charge of their life," Delmont said.
"Sometimes you think you need to stay with them, you need to watch them. We give them the freedom to express themselves," she said.
Although staff "keep an eye" on the individuals to ensure they don't get hurt, they don't stand over them the whole day, she said.
"Everybody needs to be able to make choices," she said.
Individuals can choose their activities during the day. They also can choose among different dayhab providers, which means they can find which organizations match their personalities and their individual skills.
For Good, those choices are key, she said.
"The most exciting thing to me is for the first time, they have a choice," Good said.
Reporter Rachel Jackson can be reached at 330-287-1632 or rjackson@the-daily-record.com.
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