He's Got Connections!

By Jane Brosseau

It's not what you know but who you know. Todd, a middle-aged man with developmental disabilities living in the Montana Developmental Center (MDC) in Boulder, Montana, was the first person residing at the institution to be employed in the community. Todd succeeded because of his connections.

Todd had expressed a desire to be a janitor, had previous experience, and had plans to live in Boulder in the near future. A janitor, you say? Well, being a janitor has been Todd's dream for a long time. For him, it's the opportunity to work alone, work at his own pace, and see immediate results from his hard work.

How did Todd find a job? He had connections. Todd was hired as a janitor for the Town Hall in Boulder. His social worker just happens to be married to the town's administrator. The social worker noticed that the building could use a good janitor. There wasn't a great need for a janitor, but there was a need for Todd to work within the community. John, the town administrator recognized this and said "yes" he could hire Todd, even though a janitor position wasn't in the budget. John had been doing the cleaning and even though a janitor position was not in existence, he realized that having someone else do the job at a lower wage would be more beneficial and would free him to do the work that he was hired to do. The town council met and agreed that Todd could do the job and they could pay him from the existing budget. Todd now works two days a week, a few hours each day, and is paid more than minimum wage. He sweeps a large meeting room and hallway, cleans the restroom, dusts, vacuums a small office and entryway, cleans tables and windows. When the new fiscal year begins the council is looking at expanding Todd's duties and his hours.

Todd has the skills to do a good job but needed some help fitting into the culture at the town hall. Once again Todd's connections helped. John, the town manager and Todd's boss, knew Todd through a local club long before Todd began his job. John helped Todd fit in at work by providing the natural supports Todd needed to make his job a success. Todd gets to spend time with some nice town folk. He takes a break with the city workers as well as his boss and secretary. They treat Todd with the respect he deserves. As a result Todd is treated like "one of the guys" and he is included in everyday chitchat and jokes. When folks come into the office, Todd is introduced as the new custodian, which makes him just gleam.

Todd also has a connection with Montana Vocational Rehabilitation. They have provided a job coach, Kathy, through Helena Industries. Kathy works with Todd, teaching him to pay attention to the details, helping him organize his work, and doing quality checks as he goes. Vocational Rehabilitation has purchased Todd work uniforms with his name on them.

I've been able to help provide Todd with the supports he needs as a result of my training through the Rural Institute's Montana Consumer Controlled Careers Project. David Hammis, a Rural Institute Organizational Consultant, has been a great support and teacher. My training has helped me to do a thorough job analysis, act as an intermediary between John and Todd and Kathy, make the arrangements for a ride with Kathy, and make sure Todd's work time overlapped the employees' break times. These were just a few of the things that helped smooth Todd's transition into community employment.

Jane Brosseau is a Work Skills Specialist at the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder, Montana.