COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Twenty-one-year-old Michael Buettner has Down syndrome, but more importantly, he has a job.
It’s a job he is good at and likes.
It’s a job that tests his creativity, patience and work ethic.
It’s a job that pays.
“I’m the king of beading,” he declares, flashing an ear-to-ear grin as dazzling as the amber-bead necklace he’s been working on for the better part of a morning.
In a world where mainstream employment often doesn’t pan out for adults with developmental disabilities, two local nonprofits—Creations Unlimited and Charitable Treasures Workshop—are giving them the opportunity to try their hand at craftsmanship while learning skills necessary to be a good employee.
Buettner is one of 50 clients in the vocational skills-training program at Carmel Community Living Corp., which has teamed with a Monument business owner to teach clients to make candles and jewelry.
The nonprofit Creations Unlimited, which started in April, is the brainchild of Elaine Teevens, owner of The Bead Corner and Heart and Hand Marketplace on Front Street in Monument. She previously worked with special-needs students at Palmer High School and saw a need to provide them employment.
“We figured out that people with disabilities enjoy beading and having a job,” Teevens said. “We knew we could create meaningful employment that would give them a sense of pride. And when people are doing something they like, you don’t have the behavioral issues.”
She searched for a similar operation she could use as a model and found a weaving studio in Glenwood Springs that employs developmentally disabled workers. In February, she approached Carmel with a proposal for her idea, and two months later, Creations Unlimited was in business.
The workers, who have developmental disabilities ranging from mild to severe, design and produce jewelry and candles at Teevens’ store in view of customers. They’re paid industry rates for piece production, which can be $20 or more during a four-hour shift, depending on their abilities, said Linda Brennenstuhl, region manager for Carmel, a for-profit company that provides residential living, day programs and transition programs for disabled high school students in seven Colorado cities.
The necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklets, watches and aromatic soy and palm candles the workers make are sold at Teevens’ shop, as well as farmers markets, flea markets and other outlets. Revenue from sales covers the cost of supplies, salaries and overhead, and the remainder—more than $3,000 since April—goes back to Carmel to benefit its programs.
Jobs are never easy for developmentally disabled adults to find and hold, but employment opportunities are especially limited now with the slow economy and layoffs, Brennenstuhl said.
“If you have one applicant who has a degree and one who has a disability, who are you going to hire?” she said.
Some disabled adults do volunteer work or take service industry jobs at fast food restaurants or grocery stores, but often aren’t successful, she said. Some have physical limitations, such as poor vision or tremors, that a normal work environment can’t or won’t accommodate.
But Creations Unlimited uses staff from Carmel and from Teevens’ store who have expertise in working with disabled adults, Brennenstuhl said.
“We find what works best for each person, but we also teach them valuable job skills,” Brennenstuhl said.
For example, workers get breaks and lunch time, and have rules such as no talking on cell phones at work. Many also get to make choices, such as bead colors, glazes and patterns, and candle scents and colors. Empowering developmentally disabled workers with decision-making “shows them their abilities, not their disabilities,” Brennenstuhl said.
One of Creation Unlimited’s disabled employees, Daina Yost, 46, said she likes making jewelry because she likes to wear jewelry. After a month, she’s become adept enough to design her pieces and not follow a pre-set pattern.
“They’re so pretty,” she said.
Developmentally disabled adults flourish in the workplace when they have proper direction and a job that suits their abilities, said Jamie Caperton, executive director of Charitable Treasures Workshop, a nonprofit in Woodland Park where workers refinish furniture.
“Most special-needs people are very sensory oriented, so tactile work fits their strengths. The act of sanding and feeling the texture of the wood is calming and gives an immediate sense of accomplishment,” said Caperton, who has a developmentally delayed son. “You want to set them up for success, not failure.”
The nonprofit started in 2006 and hires young adults to refinish donated furniture that is sold in Caperton’s store, Charitable Treasures. Workers, who are paid minimum wage, also have created jewelry and wooden art pieces.
Caperton donates 5 percent of store sales to the workshop to pay for salaries, supplies and other expenses. Donations amount to about $1,500 to $2,000 quarterly, she said.
After establishing a board of directors and the woodworking-training program, four apprentices started last October and completed the program in May. Another group has been working through the summer, and about five students will join the program in the fall.
Caperton said the furniture they refurbish sells faster than any other items in the store’s large showroom, which also offers home accessories, gifts and work by local artisans and craftsmen.
Among the projects have been a four-poster bed, dining room tables, benches, dressers, an 1871 upright piano and chairs.
“People like the ambiance of the pieces,” Caperton said.
Apprentices go through a job interview and, once hired, work two days a week for three hours a day. They learn to fill out timecards, open a bank account and deposit paychecks.
“Part of the process is addressing issues they may have in the work environment,” such as anger-management problems and a lack of focus, Caperton said.
“People ask us all the time if they really do all the work, and they really do,” she said. “They know how to stay on task, follow instructions and do all the hammering, nailing, sanding and staining.”
Educating the business community is another component of the program, said Mike Perini, president of the workshop’s board.
“There are many employers that don’t know the value of a special-needs adult and how they can help them in their business,” he said. “Our students don’t just learn about furniture and jewelry—they learn how to be a good team player and develop social skills while gaining self confidence and life skills.”
Along with trying something new and strengthening dexterity, the hands-on work is fun for developmentally disabled adults.
“It’s not just a job; making jewelry and candles is really satisfying, and quality work improves your quality of life,” Teevens said. “It’s the answer to, ‘Go get a life.'”
Receiving a paycheck seems to be one of the best parts of the job. Buettner said he spends his money on movies and other entertainment.
Shelby Thomas, 20, said he puts his earnings from making jewelry in the bank because he likes saving it. And Gwen Johns-O’Leary, who’s almost 30, likes buying soda and other treats with her candle-making money.
“I worked in a preschool mopping the floors but that was too hard for me,” she said. “I like making candles because it makes me feel good about myself when I pick the colors and scents.”
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On the Net:
Carmel Community Living Corp.:
The Bead Corner:
Charitable Treasures:
