In
just a little more than a year, Lorenzo Villagomez went from struggling with
tasks at his job to a model employee now charged with training new hires.
Lorenzo,
21, works as a dietary aide at Regency Village
Retirement and Assisted Living Community in Prineville.
His
duties include taking food orders from residents, serving meals, washing
dishes, busing tables and more.
Youth
Transition Program (YTP) Specialists Ramona McCallister and Patty Bates
developed the job for Lorenzo. When Lorenzo first started at Regency Village,
he struggled with taking resident’s orders due to limited writing skills. YTP,
along with Cortney Gibson, I/DD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, stepped
in, along with the assistance of Kari Clark, owner of Central Oregon Employment
Solutions.
The
YTP Specialists and Cortney figured out a system where Lorenzo could input
residents’ orders into his phone. VR purchased a wireless printer where the
orders from Lorenzo’s phone would print out to the kitchen.
Kari
stepped in as a job coach to help Lorenzo learn the new system, as well as
break down his tasks and be successful. Lorenzo’s supervisor, Sara Ridenour,
said that Lorenzo now trains all new dietary aides hired at Regency.
“Yes, he is that good,” Sara said, smiling. “He is thorough. He does everything just right and that’s why he is great at training others. And the residents just love him and his smile.”
Lorenzo had the drive to succeed and loves his job. He just needed a few tools and some support to help him learn the job in his own way.
“We really worked on taking out extra steps in between tasks so his speed would increase,” Kari said. “We worked on learning the temperature gauge and checking the pH levels.”
Kari
worked every day with Lorenzo for months to help him stabilize on the job.
Lorenzo also put in the hard work to succeed.
“I
really like all the residents,” Lorenzo said, smiling shyly. “They are really
nice and respect me. I really wanted to keep working here.”
Lorenzo
works 20-28 hours per week now. With his earnings, he is able to buy clothes
and also help out his family.
“I
bought my mom a necklace for Christmas that she really wanted,” he said
proudly. “I was able to do that for her.”
Now
Lorenzo’s job coaching has faded as he has the tools for success. Kari and
Cortney are happy that they were able to give Lorenzo the supports he needed to
not just maintain his job but thrive and become a star employee.
“These
supports were essential at the beginning,” Sara said. “As an employer, I would
encourage others to consider hiring people with disabilities. You never know.
You may end up with someone Lorenzo who puts everything into his work and lifts
up the entire team.”
Lorenzo’s
employment team includes: Cortney Gibson, I/DD VR Counselor; Kari Clark, job
coach and owner of Central Oregon Employment Solutions; YTP Specialists Ramona
McCallister and Patty Bates developed the job; Diana Ellis, service coordinator
with Crook County; and Jill Hannemann with Abilitree/Work Incentives Network
provided benefits counseling.
View a slideshow
of Lorenzo at work.