By Karen Nitkin
As director of Employment and Day Services at The Arc of Howard County, Bonnie Cronin oversees placement
of more than 100 individuals in jobs throughout the county and finds volunteer opportunities for a dozen more.
The Arc of Howard County, founded in 1961, serves children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In recent years, says Cronin, the employment placements have grown more sophisticated. “Years ago, you would just plug people into jobs,” she says. Now, The Arc’s three job developers work closely with some 60 employers in Howard County, in an attempt, Cronin says, “to customize the job to what the person can do.”
For example, The Arc representatives paid a visit to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel hoping to find work for a 21-year-old with strong computer skills. As a result, Cameron D’Aquila was hired in January 2013 for a newly created post that has him typing information, replacing toner in printers, running mail to various campuses and making sure computers have virus protection. The job is ideal for D’Aquila, who tends to keep to himself, says Cronin. Susie Dale, on the other hand, is gregarious, so a job sweeping hair and organizing towels at Patrick’s Hair Design in Columbia is a good fit for her.
Most Howard County employers are receptive to the idea of hiring a person with disabilities, says Cronin, but some worry that training or managing the individual will take extra time. Not so, she points out. The Arc has three job coaches who accompany the hired person as often as necessary, ensuring the placement runs smoothly.
Finding the right jobs for The Arc individuals “is a lot of work up front,” Cronin acknowledges. But the benefits are enormous, for the employer as well as the individual. “The company gets a skilled person who is going to be a good employee. And they have this support, their job coach,” says Cronin. “As for the individual, they’re working in their community and they’re part of something.”
The Arc of the U.S. and other organizations estimate between 1.5% and 2.5% of the general population has intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The life expectancy of adults with developmental disabilities is within five years of the general population.
Medical College of Wisconsin: The Centers for Disease Control found a 17.1% rise in children with development disabilities between 1998 and 2008.
