Barclay Richardson works at The Eldridge Hotel folding sheets in addition to other cleaning duties. Richardson landed his position through JobLink’s job coaching program.

There’s nothing remarkable or glamorous about what Lawrence resident Barclay Richardson does for a living.

Four days a week, Richardson punches the time-clock at the Eldridge Hotel, and spends his day cleaning up around the hotel and working in the laundry department.

He’s simply another blue-collar guy who works hard.

But the contribution Richardson has made to the Eldridge for the past two years might not have been possible without the assistance of supportive employment services and what is commonly referred to as job coaching.

Richardson is one of hundreds of workers in the area benefiting from the services of community agencies such as Cottonwood Inc. and Independence Inc., which provide job coaching services to those with physical or mental disabilities.

The assistance ranges from intensive on-the-job training to advocacy between employers and employees.

Richardson is one of many local success stories for supportive employment services.

Before working at the Eldridge, Richardson bounced around in numerous jobs, never quite finding a home for his skills and abilities.

“I’ve had some problems at other jobs,” Richardson said. “Sometimes it (working) makes me nervous.”

It wasn’t that Richardson couldn’t work. He just needed some initial help in learning his job and the occasional assistance from his job coach on the work site.

Reece Wiley, an employment consultant for JobLink, the supportive employment division of Cottonwood Inc., helped Richardson nearly full-time when he began working at the Eldridge.

Wiley provided instruction to Richardson on how to complete his work tasks, designed a work checklist for Richardson, and helped coordinate Richardson’s transportation and work schedule.

But now, those are all tasks Richardson does by himself. It’s all part of the design of supportive employment; after a period of more intensive assistance, services are phased out as the worker becomes more independent.

Benefits

JobLink and Independence Inc. develop relationships with area businesses for future employment options, all with the goal of helping those with disabilities contribute to the workforce.

“It helps get them out of the system,” said Rebecca Merz, director of Independence Inc.’s Full Citizenship and Employment Services.

The key to the services, which are funded with state, federal and private money, is providing a mutual benefit for both employers and workers with disabilities.

A worker with a disability is able to receive a steady paycheck, and the job environment has other benefits for workers with a disability.

“It makes them feel part of the community,” said Wiley, adding that steady employment often raises clients’ self-esteem.

For the Eldridge, advantages include a positive work environment and the ability to assist members of the community in being more independent, said Nancy Longhurst, Eldridge general manager.

“We’re thrilled to contribute to their success,” Longhurst said.

The Eldridge has been involved with supportive employment for several years, and having Richardson as an employee has been a boost to the staff morale. “They’re thrilled he’s here,” she said.

It’s important that businesses are not making any sacrifices in work quality, said Wendy Parent, the assistant director for the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities.

“It’s a business approach. It’s not charity,” she said. “The idea is that everybody can contribute.”

Success in job coaching is based on effective job-matching of clients with positions and employers, Parent said. To do that well, job coaches need to spend time getting to know clients so that they understand someone’s abilities.

Job matches don’t always work, but with continued efforts, the hope is for clients to find a place that fits, and for employers to find the right person for the job.

For Richardson, that place is the Eldridge, and for the Eldridge, that person is Richardson.

After his shift, Richardson typically waits outside the Eldridge for his bus and leans against the building with one leg propped up. Longhurst said she frequently jokes with Richardson about whether he’s trying to keep the hotel from falling down.

In her eyes, this part of the daily routine is a perfect metaphor for what Richardson has meant to the Eldridge.