Adults with Disabilities Want to Work!

The view that adults with disabilities would rather watch television than work is a myth.

In the U.S., nearly three out of four adults with disabilities are unemployed.

Throughout the year, Adult Employment Services (AES), a division of Holly Ridge Center, Bremerton, WA, takes pride in emphasizing abilities, rather than disabilities. Jerry Collins, 30, is one of the stars at AES.

"Jerry has a good work ethic," said Melinda Earl, AES program coordinator. "He is a leader and natural-born trainer. He has very good manners."

Ernie Hosford, AES vocational trainer agreed.

"Jerry is everything that is right with the world-he is kind and considerate. He has good mentoring skills and emphasizes safety. He checks his crew of peers, making sure they are wearing safety glasses and orange vests."

As groundskeeper at Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Keyport, Wash., Collins works under the federal Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act. JWOD claims responsibility for creating employment opportunities for more than 36,000 Americans with severe disabilities.

"I like to work, because I get paid," Collins said.

Collins buys cassettes, videos and computer games and movies. He has a standing date at the Friday night social sponsored by ARC, an advocate for adults with disabilities. Above all, Jerry values his work.

"Jerry is capable and devoted," Earl said. "He takes his job seriously. One day he missed his bus from East Bremerton. He started bicycling to Keyport. A tire went flat, so he pushed his bike. When Ernie realized what had happened, he picked Jerry up."

At Keyport's 300-acre site, Collins cuts back blackberry bushes with pruning shears, which he calls "whompers." He picks up debris and operates a Bearcat-a line trimmer on wheels.

"The hardest part is making everything shipshape," Collins said.

However, Collins spends only part of his working week at Keyport. He also works at Kitsap E-Z Earth. Kitsap E-Z Earth is a partnership between Holly Ridge Center and Peninsula Services. The goal is to create training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.

Jerry helps feed three million red worms in a 32-foot bin, at West Sound Technical Skills Center, Bremerton. Red worms produce compost. Twiss Analytical Laboratories tested the compost as a Class II organic fertilizer, whose ingredients include produce waste and coffee grounds.

Hosford drives Jerry and crew to Fred Meyers on State Highway 303 to pick up approximately 100 pounds of produce waste. Afterwards, they go to Ralph' s Red Apple Market on Kitsap Way to pick up coffee grounds. At Kitsap E-Z Earth, they chop the produce, weigh it and spread it with the coffee grounds in the bin to feed the worms.

"I like feeding the worms and working at Keyport," Collins said.

"Probably more than anything that impresses me is Jerry's positive attitude and ability to instill a positive attitude in other people," Hosford said.

Hosford became acquainted with AES in 1990. He worked at the Manchester Field Depot, a naval fuel facility, where an AES crew spot-painted fuel pipes.

"I was really impressed with AES at Manchester," Hosford said. "The crew had lots of enthusiasm. At picnics and potlucks, I got to know them as people."

AES continually searches for job opportunities for adults with disabilities. AES assesses, places, trains and secures adults with disabilities into successful job matches. If you have positions in your business or organization that might employ adults with disabilities on the Kitsap Peninsula, WA, please contact: