Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Carl's Corner: Normalization and WTC Work Services

Dear WTC Staff and Interested Others:

As most of you know, we recently experienced a very troubling incident wherein an irate relative of a Deer Creek Sewing client worker (not the client’s conservator, incidentally) barged in to program areas and staff offices, demanding to know why the client could not routinely leave the work area before the scheduled quitting time.

I believe that our program staff have made it clear to both clients and staff, over the years, that individual program days can be modified, if required to achieve documented and specific medical or programmatic purposes. However, because of our commitment to the principles of normalization in WTC work programs, we cannot and should not allow fluctuations in work schedule based simply on personal preference. Such allowances would be a misuse of the concept of individual choice, and a disservice to the client in the long run.

Client choice must always be given high priority in making service assignments. In fact, individual choice is the paramount consideration at points in the service system where a consumer makes a decision about his or her participation. No one is expected, necessarily, to choose a work-based service from among an array of various options. And, similarly, once he or she selects a vocational training avenue, the consumer should be encouraged to choose from a variety of experiences, consistent with level of vocational development and service availability. However, once having made a choice to participate in a normalized adult-appropriate vocational setting, the client should expect us to provide an experience that approximates, to the greatest degree possible, the employment relationships to be found in regular business and industry, and which will certainly await that person upon his or her eventual arrival in a fully integrated community setting. Adherence to a uniform daily work schedule is a common feature of manufacturing facilities in the local community that employ members of the general public, and it must obviously be a part of the normalized work environment that WTC provides for its trainees as well.

Work Training Center’s four production shops perform real work for real-world businesses who depend on us to produce high quality products in the specified volume, on time, every time. This is not make-believe work activity done for facsimile businesses in a feel-good environment. Moreover, because of frozen reimbursement rates at inadequate levels, the survival of our agency as a whole depends on meeting and exceeding our production output goals. This is serious enterprise for serious purposes, and most of our client workers appreciate the profound respect shown to them by our staff when we communicate normal adult expectations with regard to attendance, punctuality, and attention to task. Many of our service recipients have been treated like overgrown children elsewhere; at home, in care facilities, and in previous programs. Therefore, they greatly appreciate being challenged to perform as capable adults when they enter the doors of a WTC production facility. This is one of the reasons why these employment programs remain so popular.

Unfortunately, there are a great many adults with developmental disabilities in our local region who have become comfortable being treated as “special” people; entitled to extra consideration, lowered levels of challenge, financial support with no obligations attached, and highly accommodated surroundings. For these folks, both WTC and numerous competing agencies have many available options, and these service venues would be logical places to look for appropriate programs.

However, as the only provider of CARF-accredited and Department of Labor certified work centers in our county, WTC will always consider it our duty to make real-world and normalized employment venues available to those individuals with disabilities who wish to be taken seriously as important and contributing adults.

Thank you for the opportunity to present Work Training Center’s official position on this important issue.

Carl R. Ochsner
Executive Director, WTC Inc.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to Work Training Center's community blog!

The purpose of this blog is to showcase Work Training Center's programs and services, update the public on special events, and provide a place people can come to for general information and other announcements. We want this blog to be a window into what WTC is all about.

It is our hope and sincere wish that this blog will be helpful and informative, and be a conduit that allows WTC to provide a greater depth of understanding, by both lay people and rehab professionals alike, of the scope of our programs and services and the opportunities we bring to our clients. Through multimedia presentations such as videos and slideshows, coupled with commentary, we wish to provide insight into and education about our well-rounded programs and services to adults with developmental disabilities in Butte County and beyond.

Please feel free to look around. We invite you to explore WTC's websites listed to the right. If you need further information, or would like a tour of our facilities, please give us a call at (530) 343-7994.

Please leave your comments and feedback by clicking on the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. We'd love to hear from you.

Once again, welcome! And thanks for stopping by.