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SpectrumMar07.qxd 4/26/2007 4:48 PM Page 20 S LEARNING THE CULTURE OF THE JOB 20 Valerie Harris, Special to The Spectrum One of Redwood City’s best-kept secrets is an organization called Kainos. Kainos, from the Greek word meaning “new beginnings,” is a center that assists clients with developmental disabilities. The plight of individuals with developmental disabilities dates back to the beginning of recorded history. Developmental disabilities can be found as far back as around 1500 B.C. in the therapeutic papyri of Thebes (now Luxor) in Egypt. These documents clearly refer to disabilities of the mind and body due to brain damage. In ancient Greece and Rome, society dealt with disabilities through infanticide. In Sparta, if a neonate were suspected of being defective, the infant was thrown from a cliff to its death. During the Roman Empire, individuals with disabilities were frequently sold for entertainment or amusement. The age of Christianity advocated more humane treatment for the developmentally disabled and infirmed. In 1690, John Locke published “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” stating his belief that an individual was born without innate ideas, a blank slate. His ideas profoundly influenced the approach to the care of individuals with mental disabilities. Locke distinguished differences between mental retardation and mental illness. In France in the 1800s, Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard of the Institutes for Deaf-Mutes worked with a boy named Victor. Itard created a novel educational program for Victor to develop his senses, intellect and emotions. A new awareness was born, ushering in a new era in the way society treated people with developmental disabilities. However, society still had a long way to go. President John F. Kennedy, in a special message to Congress on Feb. 5, 1963, said, “I recommend a farreaching program designed to end our national neglect of the mentally retarded. The full benefits of our society belong to those who suffer from such disabilities, and the mentally retarded should be encouraged to participate in the productive life of their communities. This will require strengthened educational and rehabilitation programs and, ultimately, meaningful employment.” their families or alone. It proved less expensive and more compassionate than putting them in state hospitals. This legislation chartered the funding for Kainos. Funds are distributed through the Golden Gate Regional Center, the local agent of the California Department of Developmental Services, which is responsible for funding adult community services for people with developmental disabilities. Kainos also partners with local organizations, Rotary Clubs and the Chamber of Commerce to actively raise money. Kainos Executive Director Andy Frisch explained that at Kainos, “We help people with work and help people find a place to live, provide housing for people who couldn’t afford to live here and also support whatever they need. Our housing ranges from 24- hour (around-the-clock) group homes for people who need supervision all the time, with cooking and taking care of their rooms. We assist from that level all the way to total independent living.” Frisch continues, “We can also help people find their own home, and then we go and visit them three to four times a week. We check the menus they have planned, to ensure they are getting proper nutrition. We are there wherever they need support. We tailor their plans to their individual needs. If someone needs support five days a week, we will be there five days a week.” Kainos was founded in 1974, and then the work and vocational rehabilitation branch was founded in 1977. Kainos has built six homes since then and has one in-house work facility in Redwood City. Frisch says, “Fifty people a day come to learn work skills, depending on their skill ability and work ability. They come for training and skills. They are doing productive work in the meantime.” One contract, from Network Video Technologies in Menlo Park, uses Kainos clients to clean and relabel parts bins for electronic parts. Another contract consists of repackaging dental floss with shrink-wrap. Another consists of packing corkscrews and information on wine into boxes for shipment. Companies that contract with Kainos find that it is extremely cost-effective for jobs such as mailings. This service lends itself well to processing shipments for sellers (or resellers) on Internet sales sites such as eBay, Yahoo or craigslist. During a recent visit, three of the production supervisors — Chris Bergeson, Leaharay Smothers and Sandy Turner — were just finishing up their shift for the day. Turner obtains job contracts for Kainos. She says, “My job is getting contracts, to look at possible business and to contact businesses. People are very supportive in the community. For example, over there is a job from a company called Busy Bunny. They supply small wooden sculptures that bunnies need in order to keep their teeth sharp. We pack them in boxes. Busy Bunny has been in business 21 years. We do all their tagging and then deliver it to their warehouse.” Turner continues: “Right now in-house there are eight contracts for about 55 clients. They show up on regular business hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The rest of the staff is here from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We give our clients safety training and job skills.” Participants may stay as long they like, to ensure they have the necessary skill levels and the confidence needed to find work in the community if they so desire. Frisch says, “Our programs are all individualized. Some clients come here and simply ask us to find them a job. It’s also a developmental facility for all their needs. It’s all for adults. We provide vocational training. The clients work a normal day. They bring their own lunch. The whole focus of this building is a job shop. Here, we provide work for 55 clients. We have another 55 clients who work at Albertsons, Kohlweiss Auto Parts and the Boardwalk From that point on, the onus was on federal and state governments to provide care and training for people with developmental disabilities. Most of this care, however, was administered through confinement in deplorable state hospitals. California’s legislation took a huge leap forward, when Republican Assemblyman Frank Lanterman persuaded Gov. Ronald Reagan to sign the Lanterman Act in 1969. Lanterman, the son of a wealthy Los Angeles County physician, was horrified that over 30,000 people with developmental disabilities were interned in state hospitals. His legislation guaranteed that the developmentally disabled would have a right to social services to assist them to live the most independent and productive lives possible and that the disabled would be allowed to live with ANDY FRISCH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KAINOS, AND BERT VERGARA, VOCATIONAL SERVICES MANAGER, ARE JOINED BY JULIA LINDSTRON AND HER MOTHER JACKI. JULIA HAD JUST COMPLETED HER FIRST DAY AT VOCATIONAL SERVICES. WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
SpectrumMar07.qxd 4/26/2007 4:49 PM Page 21 INVOKES ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTS S LORI NELSON AND SHANNON MAFSIP SHARE A FRIENDLY MOMENT WHILE WORKING. Auto Center. Those clients are paid employees. We help them find those jobs, and then we support them in those jobs. So it’s a range of services we offer. If you come and say, ‘I’m ready for a job in the community,’ we will help you find that job. You might come here for a short period of time to get yourself ready for a job in the community, or your disability might be such that you need a significant amount of time getting ready for a job.” What do businesses get when they hire Kainos clients? They get tax incentives, but, more importantly, they get a dedicated and reliable entry-level work force. Frisch elaborates: “When you go to the supermarket, the courtesy clerks are usually teenagers who see this as a first job, and they are not too interested in a long-term career path. The teens come and they go; most don’t take pride in it. Our clients are thrilled to get these jobs and they see it as a long-term career. Plus, there’s pride from the business’ perspective in knowing that they are part of an inclusive community.” One of the big success stories from the Kainos facility is Thurman Nichols, who just celebrated his 15th anniversary with Albertsons as a courtesy clerk at the Woodside Plaza store. Nichols lives in his own house with friends. He wanted to live and work independently. Through Kainos, Nichols achieved his goals. The minimum age requirement is 18, but most clients are 21 or older. Referrals come from the Golden Gate Regional Center, or families seek out the organization. Kainos covers the area from East Palo Alto to Belmont to San Mateo, mostly in southern San Mateo County. Most clients are taught how to shop, budget and schedule medical appointments. Kainos has two licensed group homes, one in Woodside and one in Redwood City; three independent living homes in Redwood City and an independent living home in Belmont. Kainos has no upper age limit for clients. Frisch left his home on Long Island, N.Y., to attend Stanford University, majoring in psychology and feminist studies. He joined Kainos straight out of school. His first job was to help run a group home. Frisch knew he wanted to work in a nonprofit field, plus he had experience with state hospitals in New York and he also volunteered for Special Olympics. Kainos was perfect. Frisch and his wife, Ginny, have two children: Josh, 12, and Ben, 14. Frisch has been with Kainos for 20 years. He started as an assistant manager, then manager, and was finally promoted to executive director by founder Dorothy Philbreck. Vocational Services Manger Bert Vergara has been with Kainos one year. Born in Oakland, Vergara grew up in Oakland and Concord. At 16, he worked with people with disabilities at summer camps and truly enjoyed the experience. He spent the next several years working in an intermediate care facility for the deaf and hearing impaired, at a San Francisco agency supplying housing and in-living services, in vocational rehabilitation and job development, and then in management. Vergara and Frisch knew each other, and Frisch offered Vergara a position with Kainos. Vergara now runs all vocational training programs. Part of the job is to get contracts. Individuals come to him looking for a part-time job program, and Vergara does an assessment of their needs and work services and decides whether the client is better suited for work at group sites or at individual jobs in the community. He identifies the clients’ skill sets and places them accordingly. Group sites include local YMCAs and companies like Deeelish, where customers build their own meals — a gourmet TV dinner. A number of Kainos clients work on-site with a supervisor. Vergara sets up the contract with the company and supplies someone to supervise to ensure the quality meets the company’s expectations. The supervisor also provides on-thejob training. Vergara says, “Sometimes a client doesn’t work out at a particular job, and it gives us a chance to reassess and learn about our process, learn from our mistakes and improve the system. Sometimes all we have to do is supply more training to ensure the client is ready the next time. They all do need some help and support. Learning the culture of the job, or to problem solve, invokes all the other elements that are involved with our program.” Frisch chimes in: “It’s our job to stay creative here and stay one step ahead of the challenges that may arise.” One thing is for certain, working for Kainos yields a tremendous amount of job satisfaction. A visit to the facility can be likened to a visit to a holy place. Not only are the clients improving the quality of their lives, Frisch likens it to peeling away layers of an onion. He says, “Secondarily, families are so grateful we exist. We are a unique community in Redwood City, diverse and inclusive. Our clients are also volunteering. They clean the wetlands; they help with the Fourth of July parade. Community leaders are proud to embrace all elements of the communities. It’s all part of the fabric of the community. The city is better off for being inclusive.” Frisch concludes: “We are a community resource. We are out there for businesses; we are out there for residentials. We are a community asset.” On March 30 at 6 p.m., Kainos is having its annual gala recognition dinner and staff-of-the-year honors at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña in Palo Alto. To purchase tickets, contact Kristen Uthman at (650) 363-2423. Tickets are $45. Everyone is welcome. On Sept. 29, Kainos will have its Achievement Challenge Pageant, a client recognition dinner, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City. Call Kristen Uthman at (650) 363- 2423 for more information. For more information, to volunteer or to donate, please contact: Kainos Home and Training Center 3631 Jefferson Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062 Phone (650) 363-2423 Fax (650) 363-2082 kainos@kainosusa.org Kainos Vocational Services 2555 Middlefield Road Redwood City, CA 94063 Phone (650) 361-1355 Fax (650) 361-1616 kvs@kainosusa.org 21 WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
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