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 News & Events
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People with disabilities have looked to Melwood for independence through employment since its founding. Melwood provides two avenues to employment, as an employer through the AbilityOne Program, and by supporting individuals in other employment settings. Melwood recently centralized its supported employment services under one program, Employee Support Services. Individuals will work either in a community-based business or in a Melwood enterprise and receive unbiased supports toward their employment goals. This change allows for greater flexibility and support for changes in one's life, and helps us continuously improve our services and better face economic challenges. Our goal is to provide the supports each person needs where they choose to work, by learning how each individual makes choices, providing opportunities to explore jobs and offering quality services to keep individuals employed. Employee Support Services will serve the same number of people in the most integrated employment settings and be more efficient than the previous structure. Economic realities have accelerated this reorganization. For many years, vehicle donations supplemented programs such as supported employment, but we needed to streamline our programs. While 176 program participants are employed in the community or within a Melwood business, 44 are now unemployed. To assist those individuals gain new skills and eventual employment, a transitional program has been developed to provide job exploration and enhance work experiences. That program will enable people to have greater control over their employment options with more job satisfaction, mobility and community integration. We have discovered that many individuals want to increase their work hours and explore new types of work. We also recognize the value individuals place on established relationships and the challenges that change brings. Many have also been successful, demonstrating that employment is a path to independence and increasing one's self-esteem. We are optimistic that as a team, we can help everyone in Employment Support Services develop and realize their employment goals. By Jonathon Rondeau, MA, CPRP |
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Melwood Enterprises |
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5606 Dower House Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 Phone: (301) 599-8000 |
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©2007 Melwood |
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