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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1987)
j jjjgOanjjmwd from Pag* 1 community as possible,” Sheehan said The students are taught how to shop for groceries, how to cross the street, general hygiene and other living skills. Sheehan said. "The purpose of this program is not to turn out food service workers," he insisted. "We just want to teach good work skills so they can go into what ever they want—office work, janitorial, day care . •" The mason most graduates of earlier programs were losing jobs was because of a lack of problem-solving abilities and an inflexibility in their ways of approaching tasks, Sheehan said. "We can teach those things," ho said "There was one boy who was washing dishes downstairs and had such a gc»od pattern going that when a cook needed something out of order he would throw a fit because it disrupted his pattern, so we had to start interrupting him at various times of the day until he got used to it." However, the program doesn't guarantee vocational success for every student. The 45 percent who end up in segregated adult housing weigh heavily on Sheehan's mind, he said. "Then there's the gratifying part when you will see one of the students working at a job or see a graduate shopping for groceries or go to an event in the community and see one of them there." Sheehan said Alexander appears to be one of those "gratifying" successes. She is currently working two day-care jobs in addition to her class work at Willamette High School and her food sevice job at the KMU. "I get home and I'm so tired.” she Mid But she doesn't seem to mind too much. "Before, I'd come home from school and have nothing to do. I like working here with my friends and listening to the people.” "I like helping the kids learn stuff." she Mid of her day-care job. *i want to grow up and have people leave and I want to take care of their kids while they’re gone." Penelope Oshatz, the voca tional placement specialist who found Alexander her job, super vises the intake of students in the facility, pounds the pave ment running down leads for jobs, then monitors the students after they are hired “She's fantastic," Oshatz said of Alexander. "She works with handicapped babies age blrth-to-three in the morning at Parent and Child Education, and then goes downstairs to the rfcoto by Maria (xtrralll. Mentally handicapped students like Peggy Alexander learn food service, child care, ianitorial and living skills through involvment in the USD program. Pmcis ios L SPECIALISTS IN CUTTING HAIR ALWAYS • NO APPOINTMENTS • FREE SELF SERVICE BLOW DRY • CONVENIENT HOURS • GUARANTEED • AGE 7 AND UNDER ’6 • ADVANCED TRAINED HAIRSTYLISTS 2001 Franklin Blvil #4 484-3U3 Nf *1 lo l.yon s Rostauranl Monday F f iday 9 lo 9 Saturday 9 lo 7 Mother's Day Special! Gift Certificate $2.00 OFF ALL SERVICES Wilh this ad. Odor uood through l> 87 U of O child care in the after noon where she works with older kids five and up." Oshatz maintains close con tact with the student she placed at Seymour's Greenery almost three years ago, as well as the two working at toy's Pizza restaurant, and one working at Marco's Gelato and another who works for Easter Seals. "One of the most important things they can learn here is how to get along with supervi sion," Oshatz noted, adding that self-esteem and expressive skills also play a large part in determining a student's success in the "real world.” She thinks that the LCESD/TMR program is a hap py medium for students where their problems can be suc cessfully addressed. "I remember working with a toy who was terrified of riding the elevator," Oshatz said. "It took two weeks of training and then 'fading' (a decrease of supervision over time) to get him to overcome his fear." Oshatz notes tnat student workers who complete the pro gram have been trained in ap propriate behaviors and have been oxposed to generic work experience in the food service and maintenance skills, but could be trained to do other jobs as well. "They've already been expos ed to the priorities that employers have.” she said, "whether that’s being well groomed or keeping in touch with the employer as far as be ing absent or tardy is concerned." The primary link between Sheehan and Oshatz and the programs they institute is the program coordinator. 25-year old Rich DeFilippis. Me has the most direct contact with the students and their other supervisors. "I've always liked kids," DeFilippis said. "I felt like I could be a fairly good role model for them." Mis relationship with the students is more affectionate than the public sees because they "have to keep a certain behavior in public." "In the back." DeFilippis said, "we really get down--we dance, we sing, and laugh and talk." Role modeling does have its price, however. "They pick up a lot of our habits and quirks." DeFiiippis said. "It's kind of funny." One of the most difficult aspects of training he deals with is discipline. “If there’s a problem with one of the students. I’ll be aware of it and try to get to them before they do it, to remind them,” DeFiiippis said, "but usually I give them a warning and then model the correct behavior for them.” The key to behavior modifica tion is repetition and tighter supervision. DeFiiippis said, but once a student is behaving appropriately, he will supervise them less and loss. Occasion, a student will become distraught enough to throw a down-and-out fit. and DeFiiippis said it’s a tough thing to deal with, especially if it’s happening in front of other people. Say they re Denaving incor rectly and you say, ‘Hey, come here, wo need to talk,' and they say, ‘No.' So, I’ll ask again. ‘Could you please come here,' and if they still say no then you have to get confrontative. We'll take them to a back room or around the corner to talk. We try never to belittle them in public. Just because they're retarded doesn't mean that they don’t feel things. They have the same feelings as everybody else—anger, embarassment, humiliation—and we have to respect those feelings." Lonnie Ofsthun, 16, is another student who is in his first year with the program. He is the seventh of eight children and shows a talent for wood work He takes woodshop as part of his high school cur riculum. Ofsthun attends special education classes at Marcola High School, and, like all the graduates of the LCESD/TMR program, he will continue with it until he is 21-years-old. At that time he will receive a certificate of completion from the school and will transfer to another program. 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