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 Thursday, May 5 - May 1 1, 201 I
;;;" Coqstal Center Seeks Jobs in Effingham
ItEl,Ullil WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES BENEFIT EMPLOYERS
Continued from Page
picked up a case of beer and
left. The clerk called out to him
but he iust kept going. Officers
were unable to locate him. The
report states, "This case has
been exceptionally cleared due
to the impossibility of finding the
offender or merchandise." (The
case of the missing case will remoin
an unsolved mystery forever.)
. A woman was supposed to be in
court at 3pm,for a warrant hearing
regarding harassing phone calls
she had been making to another
woman. When she didn't show up,
the warrant was signed to have her
arrested. At 3:30 she showed up
for the hearing. She was arrested.
(Well shoot.. . that was easy!)
. Finishing in third place for DUI
the Week is the woman driving the
red Chevy Blazer. She was pulled
over iust before 4am and tried to
hide the smell of booze by lighting
A16 By ClarhByron
The Coastal Center for De-
velopmental Services (CCDS) is
a vital organization that employs,
trains and places adults with devel-
opmental disabilities (DD) in the
workplace. What is most remark-
able is that CCDS is that it is abso-
lutely transforming the traditional
paradigm of how adults with DD
'work and earn.
For decades, individuals with
DD have been regarded as having
substantially limited capabilities. If
they are to work at all, they must
do so in sheltered workshops or in
menial jobs in the community.
"We have a guy at IKEA that
just got a promotion," said Mandy
Brown, Community Emplognent
of Coordinator for CCDS in Effing-
ham County "He's doing every-
thing out there anybody else is do-
ing."
CCDS educates employers on
the benefits of hiring the right
person for the right job. A CCDS
employment specialist (job coach)
then goes into the work setting
and learns the job first. The coach
trains the individual in the job and
remains with that.individual on a
daily basis for approximately 90
days and longer ifneeded. Thejob
coach will check in at regular in-
tervals but at least once per month
to make sure things are going well
for both employee and employer.
CCDS provides this ongoing job
support for the entire working life
of the individual.
One common result of hlring
individuals from CCDS is a prac-
tice called 'layering tasks.' Cindy
Burns, CCDS' Community Em-
ployrnent Supervisor, gave an ex-
ample: "[The IKEA employee just
mentioned] was originally hired to
do a recycling project," said Burns.
"Now he's the person responsible
for cleaning all the floors; he rides
the machine. If you think about the
safety risks, we went in and trained
him and he is able to do it and save
IKEA money." '
"It has been absolutely amaz-
ing to see," said Burns. "The public
often sees people with DD only in
jobs such as baggers or lobby at-
tendants. We've also found that
they can run huge machinery and
be involved in sterile processing in
hospitals." CCDS said they have
people performing tasks such as
stocking sterile surgical instru-
ments and assembling crash carts.
Burns said that the key aspect
of a job that is appropriate for a
person with DD is repetition. "As CCDS client William Green
long as it's repetitive, it can even worhing at DIRTT
be cbmplicated repetition," she (DIRTT). The company builds
said. "These are the jobs that we movable modrtlar walls and does
are most successful at and they are so in an environmentally friendly
often the jobs no one else wants to way. DIRTT employs a CCDS indi-
do." vidual.
TeresaHurt is a Lead (supervi-
sor) at Doing It Right This Time Continued on page 82

Goastal Gentet
contlhued fiom page Bl
The employee builds sub
assemblies for leveling mov-
able walls. "It's done in massive
amounts, and he keeps up with
all of it," said Hurt. The employee
went frorn a part-time to a full-time
position. "He is no different from
any other of our employees,l' Hurt
said. "He is trained, multi-tasks,
moves from one thing to the next,
and'is very involved in everything
we do."
Hurt went on to say that, all it
takes is time and patience to train
and show how to do the job. "The
biggest obstacle to emplol'rnent for
persons with DD is that they are la-
beled. They are not really different
from anyone else," she said. "Ev-
eryone needs training and patience
when learning a job."
CCDS has scores of participat-
ing employers. These are just a Fear: furnover and absenteeism
few: Publix, Bahama Joes, DIRTT,
IKEA, St. Josephs/Candler, Memo-
rial Health, Georgia Skin Cancer
Center, Sodexho Gulfstream, Za-
xby's, Rincon Tiansmission, Cha-
tham Area Transit, and Chatham
County Public Library
The Center is always seeking
new job opportunities. Of par-
ticular importance at this time is
expanding its Effingham County
services. CCDS.serves a growing
number of individuals in Effing-
ham and new ernployment oppor-
tunities are needed.
CCDS emphasizes that employ-
ing one of their individuals is not
an act of charity. This is a service
to businesses. These dedicated,
proud, efficient workers are able
to handle important tasks and free
up other specialized employees
to continue the primary work for
which they were hired.
There is also a possible tax ben-
efit to employers. The Georgia De-
partment of Labor offers the Work
Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC),
'which can provide a one-time tax
break of up to $2,400 for provid-
ing employment to individuals in
certain targeted groups, including
people with disabilities.
. The family of Marriott Hotels
founder J. Willard Marriott estab-
lished the Marriotf Foundation for
People with Disabilities in 1989.
The foundation released a paper
on the Seven Fears vs. Realities
'rdgardlng p'ebpte" with,'friabllities.
The title of the two-page brief was
Fear of the Unknown: Inr4sible
Barriers to Employment for People
with Disabilities. Taken from the
press release, here are the fears and
realities:
Fear: People with disabilities need
expensive accommodations.
Reality: Often, no accommodation
is needed. When necessary. most
accommodations cost very little or
nothing at all.
Fear: I'll have to do more work.
Reality: Not true, especially when
the abilities and skills of the indi-
vidual is matched with the needs
of the job. More effective match-
ing up front will make disabilities
largely irrelevant.
Fear: l'll have to supervise more.
Reatity: Most employees with dis-
abilities do their jobs as well as,
or better than, other employees in
similar jobs, and often seem more
motivated and dependable.
will be high.
Reality: Studies show that employ-
eeswith disabilities rate average to
above average on attendance.
Fear: People with disabilities may
not be able to do the job.
Reality: Because people with dis-
abilities often have to work harder
to get the job, they want and, there-
fore, appreciate what having a job
means, they tlpically perform up
to and beyond expectations. The
key is effectively matching skills to
job needs, focusing on ability.
Fear: People with disabilities need
preferential treatment.
Reality: People with disabilities
neither require nor want, to be
treated any differently than em-
ployees without disabilities. What
people with disabilities do need is
an equal opportunity.
Fear: Will people with disabilities
fit in?
Reality: As part of a diverse work-
force, employees with disabilities
often bring unique lile experienc-
es, which can,be a shot in the arm
for the entire workplace. Their per-
spectives on, and approach to their
jobs can be contagious, creating a
positive ripple effect.
CCDS can lay claim to many
hundreds of success stories with a
history reaching back to the 1950s.
CCDS is located ar1249 Eisenhow-
er Drive in Savannah. The phone
number is 912-644-7500 and the
website is www. ccds-sav. org.