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Tom’s Story At two years, he started to improve but his progress was delayed and he was behind the other children. Based on test results, we were told he’d need to be in special classes in another town and would probably never read or write. We didn’t accept that and enrolled Tom in our neighborhood public school. He was in Resource Classes and mainstreamed as much as possible. Grade school was a success. Junior High was more challenging and we opted to home-school Tom. The teacher was great and Tom received a lot of one-on-one attention. He went on to high school where he was enrolled in a combination of Resource Classes, DATC (plumbing), and home school. He played sophomore football and graduated from Layton High in 2001. After graduation, Tom struggled. He’d lost that nurturing structured environment. He did start several plumbing jobs but all were unsuccessful and resulted in his termination. In and out of jobs, we knew this wouldn’t work and that Tom needed much more support, but we didn’t know what to do. Tom wanted to work, buy a car, and become a responsible adult. He’d get a job on his own, only to be let go within weeks. The pain, frustration and stress that followed the terminations - made a huge impact on Tom. His confidence and self worth plunged. We knew he needed help to bridge the gap between himself and an employer. We contacted the Utah State Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) and Tom qualified for a Job Coach. I requested a coach from Enable Industries (EII). Quite frankly I knew very little about Enable, but I remembered years ago meeting a staff member from EII who loved his job, Enable and helping people with disabilities. That stuck in my mind and it was a leap of faith, on my part, to request Enable. Tom’s first two jobs with a coach didn’t work but he felt encouraged. The on-the-job support made him feel good about his job skills. His self-worth improved, and as a parent, I felt relieved to be working with an agency that offered support, training and innovative ideas. The Job Coach provided us with positive solutions, feedback and hope, something that had been missing for a long time. For five months, Tom was unemployed, depressed and gaining weight (almost 30 pounds), slept a lot and lost interest in pursuing employment. I’ll never forget the phone call from EII asking if Tom would like to apply for an IRS custodial job. Could this be the long awaited answer to our prayers? He was hired and has been working under their direction for longer than a year now, even though he lost his funding. He feels accomplished and his confidence and self-worth have been restored. He’s one step closer to independence and is now taking the responsibility of making his own car and cell phone payments. He’s also become more social, meeting and befriending co-workers. Enable is a huge support for our entire family. We believe that work is the foundation for life and it gives us great joy to see Tom happy, productive and growing. It’s a relief to know that EII understands his disabilities and works with him through the challenges. He looks forward to going to work everyday. Having a consistent job is a priority for Tom and he feels proud and holds his head high. He’s learning valuable life skills as well. Oh, and he lost the 30 pounds! Tom’s an inspiration to our family. He’s defied the odds, is thriving and he did learn to read and write! His perseverance, hard work, determination and bravery have made him a role model and hero in our family. He’s also a caring and loving person. I recall a time when he received a pair of Michael Jordan basketball shoes. He was delighted with his new kicks but a week or so later we noticed he was back to wearing his old shoes. Asked where his new ones were, Tom explained that he had given them to a friend who was less fortunate. He has unconditional love for all and carries no grudges. We’re grateful to EII, a group of people that work hard to enrich lives. Now we share and feel his joy! There aren’t words to express my gratitude. Tom says that next to his paycheck, his favorite thing about Enable is playing golf with Sam and Doug (his supervisors). Tom is treated with respect and as a valued employee. Thank you Enable! You are awesome. |
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(800) 378-6595 |
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