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united way funds operation weekender january 18 1986 p27 work program aids mentally retarded getting a summer job at a local clothing store changed jennys life jenny not her real name is mentally retarded she had never had a job and perhaps never ex pected to be fortunate enough to have one but under the newmar ket district association for the mentaly retarded work experi ence program she came to the clothing store as an unpaid on- thejob trainee under supervision jenny worked at general retail duties including serving customers her confidence soared as did her sense of independence and self re spect and with good reason jenny did so well that the store owner offered her a parttime paying position when she finishes school new lease on life programs like work experi ence are giving people like jenny a brand new lease on life its all partof the service of the newmar ket district association for the mentally retarded ndamr from its bogart street headquar ters it works to help special needs children and adults develop to their full potential says lorna woods executive director jenny is a shining ex ample of what can be achieved with a little guidance and en couragement in order for their needs to be met disabled people have to be integrated into the mainstream of society most mentally retarded persons can live at least partly in dependent lives within the com munity and its important that they do so ndamr was established in 1954 as one of the first schools for men tally retarded children now cal led the fairmede school the organization now has a staff of 50 fulltime and 20 parttime work ers who along with numerous volunteers provide services and programs for 178 developmental- ly handicapped individuals in the newmarketaurora area vocational assessment and training adult residential prog rams group homes foster care and parent relief are all avail able along with a wide range of recreational activities program supported the ontario ministry of com munity and social services pro vides the bulk of the almost 2 mil lion that is required to run these programs however the united way of york region contributes 34000 which combined with money from the ontario govern ments trillium fund goes to support the work experience program that made such a differ ence to jenny says ms woods without the united ways help i dont know where we would get the money to complete our budget wed be forced to discontinue work ex perience ms woods hardly need add that it would be a tragedy if such a successful program were aban doned she points out that jennyis just one of its many success stories there is for example frank not his real name through work experience he was able to build a solid record in real em ployment situations the experi ence he gained has paid off frank has just landed a fulltime job washing dishes at a local res taurant at the same time hes being trained in food preparation big step for frank as for jenny thats a big step forward in life perhaps a far bigger one than most of us will ever take closely allied to work experi ence is the arc industries prog ram now in its 22nd year forty- five men and women are current ly participating in its employ ment training and sheltered workshop programs they are taught iasic job skills such as punctuality attendance groom ing and the ability to work under supervision in addition they get valuable onthejob training in the produc tion workshop assemblng and packaging products such as greeting cards and toys there are also classes in woodworking shipping and maintenance one group of graduates has formed a shopping plaza cleanup crew which operates on a year- round basis residential services with the special skills they have learned many retarded adults are able to realize ndamrs goal of living and working on their own with only minimal supervision what supervision is necessary the associaton provides through its adult residential services program its 42 members live in various homes and apartments in the newmarketaurora area they cook clean shop and even have a say in the development of house rules ms woods points out that the amount of support each indi vidual receives is tailored to his or her specific needs the goal however is always the same to maximize opportunities for a full and independent life unfortunately this may mean leaving home at a very young age but whenever possible ndamr tries to find alternatives to institu tionalization one of which is the foster care program under which youngsters are placed in qualified private homes change helped jane not her real name is one of five children currently in fos ter care born severly handicap ped by cerebral palsy and mental retardation she seemed to have little chance in life the association arranged for her to be taken out of an institu tion and placed in a warm loving home environment where she could get the personal attention she needed as a result jane has blossomed lorna woods explains that it has been a exceptional achieve ment for a little girl who used to cry constantly from pain and loneliness because of daily physiother apy she can move her limbs more freely and without pain moreov er her fine motor skills have im proved remarkably now jane is smiling and laughing and even going to school it should be noted that foster care is not ndamrs first prefer ence it encourages the natural parentchild relationship whenev er possible and in some cases children have returned home af ter going through the foster care program parents need help parents of mentally handicap ped children do need help too if only in the short term thats the idea behind the respite care ser vice through arrangements such as the inhome and host- family programs parents can get a short but much needed break from child care