Friday, May 24, 1996
By Toni Dimayuga
Daily Bruin Contributor
It is about 10 a.m., and the crew is preparing to go to
work.
Armed with brooms and dustpans or black plastic garbage bags and
"pogey sticks," the group is ready for another day of beautifying
the campus. But they are not your average UCLA workers  they
are the members of the Social Vocational Services litter crew.
A non-profit firm, Social Vocational Services designs and
develops jobs for people with developmental and acquired
disabilities. Since the beginning of this month, UCLA Facilities
Management has been engaging the services to aid the usual
groundskeeping staff.
This is not the first arrangement between the service and
Facilities Management. For the past three years, the organization,
through a program called Employ America, had members pick up litter
near the residence halls. The Employ America crew has expanded
their site to the rest of the campus, targeting food facilities and
crowded areas such as Lu Valle Commons, Dickson Quad, Bruin Walk,
and Westwood Plaza.
Hiring the litter crew benefits everyone, said Jack Powazek,
director of Facilities Management. Since regular groundskeeping
crews already have enough tasks  such as knowing when to
prune greenery and spotting irrigation problems  the job of
litter picking was relegated to the Employ America crew.
But more importantly, Powazek said, the arrangement gives
disabled people the opportunity to participate in campus life.
"We’re providing a community opportunity for people with
developmental disabilities to have a job and to do something useful
for themselves and for UCLA," Powazek said.
The crew works Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Before lunch, the groups divide the campus into upper and lower
halves, picking up litter between the buildings. After lunch, the
crew hits the food facilities where the most trash is generated,
such as the path near Taco Bell.
There are currently 16 employees, divided into four groups, or
"Phases," with a supervisor overlooking each team. Each person is
grouped according to his or her mental faculties, explained Dionne
Middleton, program administrative assistant for Social Vocational
Services.
For instance, clients  as Middleton refers to the
program’s participants  of Phase 2 do not even speak; they
need more assistance and constant supervision. A more advanced
group is independent and can even take the bus by themselves.
Middleton explained that the clients are treated like regular
workers at all times.
"We like to bring them in the community. They get paid just like
we do, get vacation days like we do," Middleton said.
Service organizers who work with the disabled participants
emphasized that they are just like other people. Nora Rascon,
supervisor of Group Hab. (habilitation), explained that despite
their appearance, the mentally disabled should not be
underestimated.
She cited the example of Lance, a young man with orange hair.
Confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak coherently, Lance’s
only means of communication is a sheet containing letters, numbers,
and some simple words.
"They’re not stupid. Lance is very smart, but he’s just trapped
in that body. But if you talk to him, tell him anything and he’ll
spell it out for you," Rascon said. She added that the crew enjoys
working on campus because they feel helpful.
"They feel special, that they’re actually doing something to
make the school look better," Rascon said.
A bond is often developed between the "clients" and their
supervisors. Jamie Allen, one of Rascon’s more advanced
participants, explained her relationship with Rascon.
"We never had a disturbance. We get along pretty well. She talks
to everybody, asks us how we’re doing, and if we have any majorly
difficult problems, she’s willing to talk to us ," said Allen, who
has been in the program for seven years.
Allen said she had previously worked in other buildings such as
Toys R Us. She said that she likes working on this campus, that
"it’s a nice school … it’s pretty fun here."
For Joe McCulloum, a young man sporting a baseball hat and
sunglasses as he picked up litter, working at UCLA brings back
memories of his school days.
"I like school," McCullom said. "I wish I was back in school. I
like it here."
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Sidney Lefcourt, a participant of the Social Vocational Services
program, sweeps up litter at various areas on UCLA’s campus. The
program provides employment for disabled people.
A non-profit firm, Social Vocational Services designs and
develops jobs for people with developmental and acquired
disabilities.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Kent Carter uses his "pogey stick" to help beautify UCLA’s
campus.
Service organizers who work with the disabled participants
emphasized that they are just like other people.