Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor
     The closing of the workshop at Access Inc. is not as dire as articles in the Hampton Chronicle read.
     This change, although seemingly sudden to the general community, does not come as a surprise for individuals with disabilities, their families or providers.
     The Medicaid rule changes were placed on the horizon four years ago, with final rules released January 16, 2014. As a result, the Central Iowa Community Services Mental Health and Disability Services Region issued a request for proposals to provide supported employment services.
     Supported employment assists in placing an individual with disabilities in a job in a regular work setting with persons without disabilities. People placed through the supported employment program are paid minimum wage or higher, and receive support to maintain their job placement.
     The North Iowa Vocational Center (NIVC) was selected by the CICS region to provide supported employment in Franklin County.  The decision to close the workshop was made with the knowledge that those who are interested in transitioning to community employment have the opportunity to work with NIVC as they pursue their employment goals.
     Since the grant began 3 years ago, NIVC has been placing individuals with disabilities in integrated community employment. Employers and work sites benefitting from these placements include Franklin General Hospital, McDonalds, Sukups, Dows Rest Stop, Omnium, Rehabilitation Center, Hampton Dumont Schools, TIGO, JasLyn Cleaning, and the Hampton Chronicle.
     In addition to the supported employment program, and for those who are not interested in transitioning to community employment, the agencies of Access and Spring Harbor provide supported community living/home-based habilitation (SCL\Hab) services in this area. This service was mentioned in the article about the Access workshop, but it was incorrectly defined as day habilitation. SCL\Hab services are provided in a person’s home or in the community.
     These services include assistance with medication management, budgeting, grocery shopping, personal hygiene skills, etc. The benefit of this service over a closed environment like the workshop is that it provides people with disabilities the opportunity to learn skills in real life situations. These situations cannot be authentically replicated in a closed environment like a workshop.
     The day habilitation services mentioned in the article by Ethan Stoetzer are, as defined on the Iowa Department of Human Services website, “services that are usually provided in a day program setting outside the home. The programming focuses on areas such as social skills, communication skills, behavior management, etc.” Access currently provides day habilitation services.
     Another issue that was mentioned in the paper was the issue of compensation that people receive for their time in the workshop. Stoetzer’s article states that Access is allowed to “pay at a piece rate for the work the clients perform, which usually registers at less than the federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour.” In actuality, the wage always registers at much less than the minimum wage. The current average hourly rates for contract work in the Access workshop are as follows: nine people make from $.01-$.99 per hour; fourteen people make from $1.00-$1.99 per hour; seven people make from $2:00-$2.99 per hour; and one person makes between $3.00-$3.99 per hour.  
     In discussion with members of the community, the question of whether the people who are making pennies an hour will be able to get a job in the community has been raised. Part of the root of concern in the community is the belief that there is no way that disabled people can work in the community. There are many success stories about people who have found an employment niche even though their families and providers doubted that it was possible. Not everyone will become employed. However, the workshop, by definition, is designed as a pre-vocational program, which means that its purpose is to prepare people to transition to employment. It was never meant to serve as a permanent place of employment.  
     I hope this explanation has provided a clearer understanding of the closing of the workshop. The 40th anniversary celebration held at Access in October was a great opportunity to celebrate the support that Access staff have provided disabled individuals and their families. It was also a day full of exciting conversation about the future, as Jenny Backer and her staff anticipate the opening of a transitional living home January 1, 2017, and look towards other innovative strategies to address the needs of the community.
 
Meghan Freie
Hampton
Access Board Member
Central Iowa Community Services Mental Health and Disability Services Regional Planner/Project Manager