2017 is winding down and we are now at the time of year where we are focusing on the holidays and the end of the year.

With that in mind, there are a number of ways you can help the ODC this holiday season (and beyond), most of which won’t cost you anything!

Oh, sure, of course we would love to have you make a cash donation to our year end annual appeal, but that’s not the only way you can help us. Here are a few ideas for you:

Shop Amazon Smile

When you shop online via Amazon, make sure you log on at smile.amazon.com and select the Occupational Development Center as your charity of choice. A portion of all of your purchases will be donated to us!

Recycle your old cell phones

When you get that new phone, why not consider donating your old cell phone to the ODC. We get cash for recycling these old phones. We can also recycle all of your old printer ink cartridges. You can drop it off here at the ODC, or at Elan Hair & Spa at 1401 Oregon Pike.

Donate your old clothing

Clean out those closets and donate your old clothing and other household items, to the Community Aid bin located in front of our building at 640 Martha Avenue. We get paid for what is donated. Have too much to haul here yourself? Give us a call!

Donate your old vehicles

Have an old car you’re looking to get rid of? How about a boat, truck, RV, or motorcycle? We’ll pick it up for you, and you’ll get a tax write-off. Just call us at 855-500-RIDE, mention the ODC, and we’ll take care of the rest. Or look for us online at CarEasy.org.

Dine Out

Use the diner card printed below each time you eat out at either Park City Diner or Knight & Day Diner, and a portion of your check will be donated to us. You get a great meal, and we benefit!

Need a reminder? Download our printable version of this list and hang it on your fridge!

Of course there are other ways to help, as well, such as liking our Facebook page and sharing our information with your friends. You can also follow us on Instagram.

Here at the Occupational Development Center we’re in the business of helping individuals with developmental disabilities find their best possible path to employment. In many cases, that might be in the community.

But, sometimes business aren’t used to thinking about hiring someone with IDD, whether it is to fill a vacant position, or perhaps create a job specifically for such an individual in what is known as “customized employment.”

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we thought it would be helpful to list a number of the benefits businesses get from hiring individuals with developmental disabilities. Feel free to pass this along the people in charge of hiring at your place of business. Thank you!

*A printable version of this list is located at the bottom of this post.

13 Benefits of hiring Developmentally Disabled Employees

1. Employers love them

They win over employers’ (and customers’) hearts with their sincere smiles and willingness to do anything to help. Employers report that their disabled employees have a great propensity to remain open to new ideas and listen.

2. Increased profits

The majority of employers who have made the leap and hired a disabled employee have seem a positive impact on productivity which, in turn, increases productivity.

3. They have staying power

Unlike some of their peers, the developmentally disabled are grateful to have a job and do not seek new employment regularly. Lower turnover and higher retention save you money by not having to go through yet another hiring and training process.

4. They want to succeed

Employers agree that these employees are committed to their work and dedicated to the company and exhibit a very strong desire to succeed and regularly seek more responsibility.

5. They’re reliable

They were rated higher on taking fewer sick days, arriving on time for work daily, and returning on time from breaks than their co-workers. Lower rates of absenteeism increase overall productivity.

6. They’re productive

Employers have enthusiastically indicated that they continually meet or exceed the performance their peers, increasing company profitability. They demonstrate high levels of productivity in a wide range of jobs. And increase productivity is contagious!

7. They continue to improve

Their work performance improves steadily over time. Even those workers with more profound disabilities have shown great improvement, contributing to the bottom line.

8. They are happy to be there

No attitudes here! Employers say they are extremely satisfied with their developmentally disabled employees because they truly love their jobs, embrace the opportunity to help the company grow, and respect authority.

9. They inspire others

Employers have witnessed camaraderie and a positive effect on their entire staff. Co-workers seem much more open to teamwork when a developmentally disabled employee is on their team. They have also witnessed other employees enthusiastically helping disabled employees be successful.

10. Customers like them

Employees with developmental disabilities promote a positive corporate image that increases customer base and loyalty. One survey revealed that 93-percent of customers said they preferred to purchase from a company that employed individuals with disabilities.

11. They inspire a change for the better

It takes action to beget action. If more companies would hire developmentally disabled employees, others would be inspired to do the same when they witness first-hand what an incredible asset they can be.

12. There are financial benefits

No-cost consultation and technical assistance is available to help employers hire people with developmental disabilities and provide on the job training. There are also tax incentives available for those who hire individuals with disabilities.

13. It promotes workforce diversity

Hiring individuals with developmental disabilities promotes diversity in your workforce and is good for the employee, the business, and the community in general.

Interested? Intrigued? Contact us at for more information about how we can help you hire individuals with developmental disabilities.

Dowloadable/Printable version

*Some of these were taken/adapted from 11 Great Reasons to Hire Developmentally Disabled Employees and Top Reasons to Hire Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

It was just a little idea.

A few months ago, our Mobile Work Crew Supervisor Daryl was commenting that we needed to leave a card or something behind when one of our crews finishes a job, thanking the business or organization for giving our participants the opportunity to work and learn.

After a bit of thought and discussion, the idea morphed into getting some nice ODC mugs and possibly some coasters with a thank you message.

We had already been in contact with Megan Zettlemoyer, the owner of Typothecary Letterpress here in Lancaster, about some other ideas, and we ran the coaster idea by her. One thing led to another, and BOOM, Daryl’s little idea turned into something much bigger.

Over the past two weeks, we sent a number of our participants to Typothecary over the course of four days. Megan worked with them, explained how letterpress printing works, and then let us have a go at making our own coasters using her equipment and facilities.

So rather than just ordering some custom made coasters online, our participants had the chance to learn some new skills and put them to work so we could make our own coasters.

And we had a lot of fun in the process!

We printed up about 1,000 coasters over the four days, printing one color on the coasters each day, so after day 4 they were complete.

We are so grateful for Megan and Typothecary Letterpress for working with us and being so open to our ideas.

We are grateful for new opportunities that provide our participants with new skills they can use as they walk the path toward independence.

And we continue to look for businesses and organizations who are willing to partner with us in similar working relationships. What can we do for you?

Who knows, you might even be the recipient of a mug and one of our brand new custom made coasters!

Give us a call at 717-397-4269 and let’s chat about how we can work together while creating opportunity through community, and then we can say,

“Thank you! You just showed individuals with disabilities that they are part of our community.”

This week we are celebrating Manufacturing Week here in Lancaster County, with Friday, October 6 designated as Manufacturing Day nationwide.

Earlier this week a few of us attended a presentation at the S. Dale High Leadership Center in Lancaster that was part of Lancaster’s Manufacturing Week celebration. We heard about how important manufacturing is to the Lancaster County economy. In fact, while we often talk about the importance of agriculture and tourism to the local economy, did you know that 40% of all jobs in Lancaster are in the manufacturing sector?

We also heard about an employment gap. Local manufacturers are actually having trouble finding enough workers to fill the jobs they have available. They need to fill these jobs in order to continue growing and remain competitive. And this is at a time when there are also a good number of people out of work and looking for jobs.

The problem? Many don’t want these jobs. As Dr. Benjamin Stiles, a Career Development Counselor with the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center noted, our culture has pushed so many people toward college (even those not suited for college) that we have a lot of people with degrees who don’t want to work in the skilled positions in manufacturing.

There’s a gap that needs to be filled.

Coincidentally, October happens to be National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Most companies, when looking to hire, often overlook those with disabilities.

Did you know that the unemployment rate for adults of working age with developmental disabilities is right around 75%?

That’s right, about 3 out of every 4 individuals with some form of intellectual or developmental disability aren’t working, whether they want to or not. And many of them want to.

Now here’s the cool part where it all comes together: at the Occupational Development Center and other organizations like ours. We are in the business of providing vocational skills training to individuals with IDD. And what’s even cooler is that the individuals with whom we work every day are uniquely suited for jobs within the manufacturing sector. Not only do they excel at many of the skills necessary for these jobs, but they love this sort of work.

Interestingly enough, most of the Manufacturing Day efforts are focused on kids in middle school and high school, making them aware of opportunities in manufacturing careers. This is great, but why not spend more time and effort targeting a segment of our population that is ready and willing to work: adults with IDD.

Manufacturers in Lancaster County (and around the country) have a great need: skilled workers.

The ODC, and organizations like ours, have the solution, or at least part of it: workers who want to work and are eager to learn.

So here we are, manufacturers. We’re ready to fill the gap and help you continue to grow and remain competitive.

Give us a call, drop us a line, and if you’re still not convinced, stop on by for a tour. We’ll show you how we can help, and how we’re already helping a number of businesses around the county.

Last week (September 10-16, 2017) was Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week, as declared by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe.

Direct Support Professionals are exactly what it sounds like; they are the individuals at the ODC and other places that work most directly with those with disabilities. In the case of the ODC, they are the ones who work directly with our participants with developmental disabilities day in and day out. They work hard and play an important role in the success of those we serve. 

With that in mind, our Executive Director, Gregg Richards, wrote this as an appreciation:

Read this with your best Super Friends  “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice…” voice:

Direct Support Professionals are heroes.  They are real life heroes.  This is a fact.

They aren’t like comic book super heroes with super powers, but… for this blog post…

Let’s just pretend they are.

Armed with incredible amounts of patience and empathy, they quietly go about their business of making the world a better place.

Constantly asked to do more, with less, they persevere.

They listen.  They care.  They do what others cannot.

Able to alter the preconceived notions of others…

Able to shatter stereotypes…

Able to see opportunity where others do not…

Able to take the time…no matter how much time it may take…to empower people to be independent.

Vigilant…

Kind…

Caring…

Direct Support Professionals help people become the best version of themselves.

The Week of September 10-16 has been named, Direct Support Professional Recognition Week.

Please take the time to thank one of these heroes that help individuals with developmental disabilities to lead everyday lives.

We would particularly like to thank our Direct Support Professionals, who you can read about on our staff page: Rosa, Kathy, Jason, Becky, Maria, Daryl, Kera, Jessica, Tina, and Jennifer. Thank you, for all you do!

The Occupational Development Center is not a political organization.

We serve individuals with developmental disabilities.

It doesn’t matter what color they are.

It doesn’t matter what religion they are.

It doesn’t matter what language they speak or if they can speak at all.

It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor.

It doesn’t matter if they can learn quickly or if they require extra time and support to be successful.

It doesn’t matter if they are old or young.

It doesn’t matter if they are blind or deaf.

It doesn’t matter if they use a wheelchair, or a walker, or crutches, or a cane.

Their sexuality doesn’t matter.

Their gender doesn’t matter.

Their disability…doesn’t matter.

What does matter is this:

Their ability to show kindness to everyone.

Their ability to do their part.

Their ability to empathize.

Their perseverance.

Their ability to work together.

Their ability to learn new skills and be productive members of the community.

Their ability to console each other in times of sadness.

Their ability to celebrate their accomplishments and the accomplishments of others.

Their ability to try, even when they are scared that they might fail.

Their ability to communicate their ideas and feelings.

Their ability to break down walls and stereotypes.

Their ability to love and be loved.

The ODC will continue to provide an environment where the things that matter can occur.