Working

Items in the Working Collection

Transcript: Connie Ferrell Interview
“To be part of that and to watch the leadership and those agencies catch fire…" Connie Ferrell recalls the excitement of introducing supported employment to Indiana in the early 1990s. "At the time they were doing it, it was like heresy. And they had…

Transcript: Patrick Sandy Interview
“We were scratching our heads saying, this is wrong. This isn't the right way to do it, but I'm not sure what the right way is,” describes Patrick Sandy of his experience with the Deinstitutionalization Project at the Developmental Training Center…

Transcript: The Supported Employment Movement
The supported employment movement, an initiative to expand the opportunities for people with disabilities to find work in their own communities through vocational rehabilitation and ongoing job coaching, began spreading across the United States…

The Supported Employment Movement
The supported employment movement, an initiative to expand the opportunities for people with disabilities to find work in their own communities through vocational rehabilitation and ongoing job coaching, began spreading across the United States…

Look What He's Doing Now - Patrick Sandy on Life Enhancement Through Supported Employment
“I remember her having a lot of apprehension,” recalls Patrick Sandy of a meeting with a mother on why her son could succeed in supported employment. When her son was born, physicians told her to put him in an institution and forget about him. Now,…

A New Approach to Employment -Karen Scherer on Supported Employment and Person-Centered Planning
Karen Scherer began her career as a work adjustment specialist at Morgan County Rehabilitation Center in Martinsville, Indiana. She was soon asked to serve as the coordinator for the supported employment grant received by the center in 1986.

In…

Melody Cooper - "I Want a Career"
"I couldn't see myself making a career standing bagging somebody's groceries," Melody Cooper explains. Starting her employment at Goodwill Industries and then at a Meijer store, Melody was hired by The Arc of Indiana. She attributes her career growth…

Bettye Dunham on Interviewing Muscatatuck Residents about Work
“I wish I had recorded all the stories that we heard during those interviews,” stated Bettye Dunham on interviewing Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center residents for jobs at the Jennings Training Center in the 1970s. She talked to…

Ethan Crough
A photograph of Columbus, Indiana resident Ethan Crough in front of the Commons, 300 Washington Street in Columbus on May 15, 2016. Ethan has been employed as a school administrator and an actor, among other professions. He has been active as a board…

Mark and Al Hublar - Reaching My Dream Job
"When Mark left high school there was no plan," recalls his father. Mark Hublar went to work at a sheltered workshop. Today he is a motivational speaker who is asked to address audiences around the U.S. In these video interview excerpts, Mark and his…

Cori Mitchell - "A Chance for a Fresh Start"
"Customers come up to me and they'll talk to me like they've known me for years." Cori Mitchell loves her job at a movie theater. As a high school senior in Colorado she was left with a head injury from an automobile accident. Soon after, in 1989,…

Connie Ferrell Interview
“To be part of that and to watch the leadership and those agencies catch fire…" Connie Ferrell recalls the excitement of introducing supported employment to Indiana in the early 1990s. "At the time they were doing it, it was like heresy. And they had…

Indiana's Employment First Legislation Signing
On May 10, 2017, Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 390 into law. The passage of Indiana SB 290 “Employment First” legislation made Indiana one of 34 other states promoting employment as the first goal for people with…

Fort Wayne State School Interior
This is an undated photograph associated with the institution known as Indiana Asylum for Feeble Minded Children (1879 - 1931) or the Fort Wayne State School for Feeble Minded Youth (renamed in 1931). The photograph depicts boys and young men in what…

Blind Works Progress Administration Worker
This photograph shows a blind Works Progress Administration (WPA) worker operating a Braille machine at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. The photo, from the collection of the National Archives and Records Administration, was taken between…

Patrick Sandy Interview
“We were scratching our heads saying, this is wrong. This isn't the right way to do it, but I'm not sure what the right way is,” describes Patrick Sandy of his experience with the Deinstitutionalization Project at the Developmental Training Center…

Roberta Stafford - The Shift to Supported Employment
“We would get referrals from the workshops usually, and we would meet with the individuals to determine their eligibility.” Roberta Stafford worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for almost 24 years. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation…

Mary Lou Melloy - "Find Her a Job"
“We were afraid as parents, and they started talking about doing away with the workshop.” Mary Lou and her husband didn't like the idea of their daughter Cindy getting a job in the community. In the late 1990s, they sent a letter to other parents…

Connie Ferrell - Did Supported Employment Stagnate?
“I haven't really seen progression in supported employment since the 1990s,” recalls Connie Ferrell. She was hired as a field coordinator for the new Indiana Employment Initiative in 1992. In her 2015 interview, Connie explains why she feels…

Wendy Druckemiller - Helping Overcome Barriers to Employment
“We work with people who are at various stages in the job seeking process.” As an employment consultant, Wendy Druckemiller, works with people to overcome barriers to employment. Wendy uses a vocational assessment to help people figure out what type…