Sweetser News & Events

Weekly Observer highlights Sweetser's Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Posted on 04/11/2008 at 09:05 am

Sweetser's own Kenneth Martin with feline pal "Mako" graced the cover of the April 2 issue of The Weekly Observer.

Staff Writer Andrea Rose featured Kenneth in her article about how vocational rehabilitation programs, like Sweetser's, can be successful. Excerpts of the article are included below.

"Finding their place"
Weekly Observer
April 2, 2008
by Andrea Rose

Once labeled "problem child" or "slow" and unable to find or hold a job on their own, two young men from Sanford have found their niche in the local workforce - one as a kennel assistant at Great Brook Animal Care in Lebanon and the other as a dishwasher at Espo's Trattoria in Sanford.

Nineteen-year-old Kenneth Martin, a Sweetser resident, began working with a vocational rehabilitation specialist from Sweetser while he was still in high school. The 2007 Sanford High School graduate struggled in school and, according to his case worker, had some serious social and behavioral issues to overcome.

Dogged by panic attacks and an inability to focus, Martin said the one thing that seemed to clam him and capture his attention were animals.

Joe Winslow, 23, faced ridicule from his younger co-workers at a local fast-food restaurant, but continued to push toward a position with more responsibility as he struggled to overcome some social and emotional issues. Finally, however, he admitted to himself that the job wasn't right and set out to find something else. He applied for vocational rehabilitation services through the Maine Department of Labor and eventually signed on with Linda Lehmann, a job placement specialist with Easter Seals of Maine.

According to the 2006 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census, there are more than 131,000 working-age adults with a disability who live in Maine. More than half of those Mainers suffer from mental illness and cognitive disabilities that keep them from holding a job - their ticket to independence, economic opportunity and lifelong learning.

But, with the help of vocational rehabilitation programs like those implemented at Life Works in Sanford, Community Partners in Biddeford, Sweetser in Saco and Easter Seals in Portland, more than 52,000 individuals who would have otherwise not been employed - like Kenneth Martin and Joe Winslow - have joined or returned to the work force and contributed to the community.

The drive to have developmentally disabled individuals enter the workforce represents a generational shift in the idea of how people who suffer from cerebral palsy, autism, mental, social, emotional and other disorders should be treated in society, she said.

This is now possible on a long-term basis, she said, because of an agreement between the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Labor that went into effect Jan. 1.

The agreement allows individuals who receive services through the Department of Health and Human Services to apply for and receive vocational rehabilitation services from the Department of Labor. Under the agreement, Hall said, the Department of Labor typically pays for the first 90 days of service, and then the Department of Health and Human Services picks up the tab for those individuals who need continued job support or job coaching after the first 90 days.

Among furry friends

When Sweetser - a nationally recognized and accredited nonprofit agency that cares for adults and children with mental illness, behavioral disorders and substance abuse problems - offered to introduce Martin to co-owners Dr. Craig and Diane Holbrook at Great Brook Animal Care in Lebanon about job shadowing, the 19-year-old jumped at the opportunity.

His experience job shadowing soon led to a part-time job offer as kennel assistant, and, for the past eight months, Martin has been in charge of making sure the animals who spend time at the animal hospital have clean areas, food and exercise.

"I love working with animals," Martin said. "They deserve love and care. I give them what people have given me and possibly more."

Nowhere is that more evident than in his close relationship with Mako, a brown-point Siamese who was dropped off at Great Brook Animal Care last year.

"We thought that the people who dropped him off would come back, but we later found out they had no intention to," Diane Holbrook recalled.   Over time, Martin has forged a bond with the baritone-voiced office cat than can be described in one word: Trust.

"He knows I'm going to take care of him," Martin said as he walked into the office where Mako spends his days and was greeted by a chorus of guttural meows. Then, with the lean and muscular cat perched comfortably on his shoulders, Martin smiled. "He knows I'll never let him fall," he said.

According to Holbrook, patients and staff alike have been impacted by Martin's kind spirit and professionalism in taking care of the animals.

"Kenneth is a very good worker and a kind soul with a wonderful smile," Holbrook said. "All of us immediately noticed what a comforting presence he is. Not just to the animals, but also to our staff."

Martin works 10 hours a week and uses a list to help him remember the tasks he's assigned each day, which is one of the tools the vocational specialist from Sweetser worked to put into place.

"Some kids have a hard time remembering tasks, what comes next," said Katie Sotir of Sweetser, who serves as Martin's job coach and brings him to work on his assigned work days.

On the days Martin works, "He may be found talking quietly to patients while blood samples are being drawn or aiding staff by leash walking or following the feeding orders of the doctors," Holbrook said. "He literally takes the time to say goodbye to each and every one of us when he's finished his tasks and leaves for the day. He's done more for patients and the atmosphere of our veterinary practice than I can express."

With Mako purring loudly in his lap, Martin said, "I guess I'm just naturally good with animals. They're like people. If you treat them with respect, they'll treat you with respect."