Penn-Mar Human Services paves the way for employment for all in Carroll

With her friendly personality and easy smile, Kristen Tracey is well-suited to her job as a greeter at JeannieBird Baking Company in Westminster. Though Tracey may need some help with tasks such as clocking in or tying her apron, she excels at providing the kind of friendly greeting owner Bernie Vogel considers a standard of service at the Main Street restaurant.

“We’re not in the bakery business, we’re in the making people happy business, and [Tracey is] exceptional at doing precisely that,” Vogel said.

Tracey is one of two people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who Vogel employs at the restaurant, from 8 to 11 a.m., two days per week, in partnership with the nonprofit Penn-Mar Human Services.

Tracey earns minimum wage, plus a share of tips. Vogel said her friendly personality makes her a good fit for the job, and her attention to detail makes her better than many neurotypical workers at clearing plates and wiping tables.

“It’s been wonderful for all of us to see that there’s a place for people with special skills and special needs, and my crew members all work as a team,” Vogel said. “We work more as a family than we do as a team.”

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities can face hurdles in navigating the world, especially when it comes to the near-universal struggle of finding employment. Penn-Mar Human Services is a nonprofit that works to help pave the way by providing career counseling and job placement, among other help, for those who need it. The organization works with employers to identify roles and customize job duties when necessary, said Jenny Brower, Penn-Mar’s Maryland supported employment manager.

The nonprofit consists of multiple departments aimed at providing many different services to people with disabilities, and its employment department assists more than 100 people with careers in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

“The biggest thing I want people to know about customized employment is that the dedication that our workers have to their jobs is just phenomenal,” Brower said. “They are dedicated, they show up for work on time, they’re excited, they’re reliable, and they have that assistance from us if they need it at any time. So I think that’s very appealing to employers in our workforce, and I get excited every time somebody gets a job because I know they will be very dedicated to the work that they do.”

Westminster resident Jordan Ketterman, 35, is one such individual. A veteran of several screen reclaiming roles for various printing companies, Ketterman now works about 30 hours per week as a reclaimer at Maryland Print House in Westminster, where he makes just over minimum wage.

Screen reclamation is as glamor-less as it is vital to printing operations, according to production manager Andrew Bergamaschi. The job involves removing hardened ink and other material that gets caked on a screen during the printing process, so the screen can be used for future printing jobs. Ketterman wears a mask while applying a chemical treatment to remove the gunk, then power washes each screen and applies dish soap. Ketterman’s hands and clothes slowly blacken with ink each workday, as spinning print machines and conveyor belts whirr in the background. The screen reclaimer’s responsibilities also include sweeping and taking out the trash.

“His role is absolutely vital,” said Bergamaschi, who co-owns the business. “If I had to use a screen that had some leftover bad stuff in it, it might affect my next job. Imagine having to run a restaurant for a night and you don’t have a dishwasher — impossible. You couldn’t do it. He is my dishwasher. He’s been a blessing for us in terms of not having to worry about that position, and he’s good at the position, at that.”

Ketterman cleans about 30 to 40 screens during the course of an eight-hour workday, which Bergamaschi said is the upper limit of what is humanly possible.

“I love doing it,” Ketterman said. “I like getting dirty. I like washing the screens.”

Bergamaschi met Ketterman years ago when Bergamaschi filled in as a screen printer for a few days at a different printing company where Ketterman was employed as screen reclaimer. When Maryland Print House grew big enough to support a dedicated screen reclaimer, Bergamaschi tried several people in the position, but no one was a perfect fit. He was fortunate to reconnect with Ketterman and offer him the job.

“It really did come full circle,” Bergamaschi said.

Ketterman quickly became a valuable team member and a good-spirited contributor to workplace culture. Bergamaschi said the screen reclaimer will make him laugh at least once daily, and loves to banter with coworkers when he isn’t listening to music.

“I like like working with Jordan a lot,” Bergamaschi said. “He’s part of the crew.”

Penn-Mar endeavors to place individuals in jobs that will last, Brower said, and provides the services of a dedicated career coach who checks in with businesses to make sure everything is going according to plan with employees placed with the help of Penn-Mar.

A long-lasting job is beneficial to employees and employers alike, Brower added.

“It keeps people from quitting and it keeps employers from from terminating,” Brower said. “It’s a win-win.”

A career coach helps to adjust duties and expectations of an individual in a job, coordinates schedules as needed, reviews payment information, and advocates for people in situations where the world can be hard for them to understand. Bergamaschi said Erin Brady, who serves as a career coach for Ketterman and Tracey, is a valuable resource.

Brady also serves as a career coach for Bryan May of Taneytown, 54, but he needs very little oversight.

A utility work employee for AVI Foodsystems at the McDaniel College cafeteria in Westminster, May was diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia at age 12 after he says he received questionable medical treatments that irrevocably impacted the trajectory of his life. After numerous stints with other employers, May found his role in the McDaniel cafeteria dish room in 2015 and has been gainfully employed ever since.

“I like this job more than all the others put together,” May said.

May works from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and AVI director of operations Kristen Miller said he is an among the hardest working members of the team.

“He’s a great worker, we could use five more Bryans,” Miller said. “He works harder than most of our employees here.”

Making sure dishes are clean and properly put away comprises the bulk of May’s job duties. AVI resident director Kevin Laster said he appreciates May’s punctuality, dependability and positive attitude.

“I wouldn’t know what to do in the dish room without him,” Laster said. “And disability — take it away. He has no disability. He can do anything, and he’s kind of a pretty big part of the whole organization.”

May is also vocal about his love for his job, Laster said.

“I do the best I can to my best standards,” May said. “I’d rather work here than work somewhere else. Hopefully, I’d like to work for the rest of my life or until I can work no longer.”

Being employed provides May with money and benefits that he said are important to him and his lifestyle. He said his job is a great fit for his personality, and he also enjoys the perk of cafeteria buffet access during breaks.

Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder, and May said he will never be able to participate in traditional recreational activities or sports. He uses a walker to assist his mobility and seems to be constantly leaning forward. Nevertheless, May has found his place in the steamy dish room and busy kitchen of McDaniel’s cafeteria, where he faithfully performs his job.

“Don’t let them tell you what you can and cannot do,” May said, “because you can do it if you put your mind to it. You can accomplish anything, like I did, and don’t let anybody tell you different that you can’t do it, that you’re good for nothing. If you believe you can do it, then you can do it. That’s what I believe.”