Woods Services

Careers Donate Now!

social icons youtube instagram twitter facebook Blog | Contact Us | Directions
  • .
  • About Woods
    • Our History
    • The Woods System of Care
    • Meet the Woods Services Leadership
    • Meet the Woods Services Board of Trustees
    • The Woods Clinical Approach
    • News & Events
  • Services
    • Short Term Residential Treatment
    • Health, Wellness, & Therapy
    • Vocational & Adult Day
      • Holland Enrichment Center
      • The Woods Enterprises
      • Yellow Daffodil
      • Common Grounds Café
      • Woods Wear
  • Education
    • An Overview of Education
  • Research Institute
  • Work With Woods
    • Employee Testimonials
    • Benefits of Working at Woods
    • Staff Development
    • Teach with Woods
  • Support Woods
    • Make a Gift to Woods
    • Join the Heart of Woods
    • Give through your Donor Advised Fund
    • Give through EITC
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Honor a Friend or Loved One
  • Admissions
    • Tour Woods
    • Email Admissions
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Admissions Team
emotional & behavioral challenges
EMOTIONAL & BEHAVIORIAL CHALLENGES
autism
AUTISM
developmental disabilities
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY
medical complexities
MEDICAL COMPLEXITIES
brain injury
BRAIN INJURY
prader-willi and genetic disorders
PRADER-WILLI & GENETIC DISORDERS

Making the Workplace Work for All

January 13, 2023

Woods Services resident Patrick feels blessed to be where he’s at in his career. Woods has recognized and fostered his skills.

 

“I work with people who can’t talk, so I want to learn sign language,” Patrick said. “I want to learn where they’re coming from.”

 

Woods’ residents in the workforce are diverse in their skills and needs. So, Woods has a range of employment opportunities.

 

Vocational training begins at the Woods Schools. When a student turns 14, the schools provide life skills and hands-on job training. In school, students can learn skills in housekeeping, retail, technology, beauty, and landscaping that can prepare them for competitive, entry-level work. This education can also occur in the community with the assistance of a job coach. Marshalls, Giant, and Sesame Place are just a few examples of where students can get their vocational starts locally. Ultimately, their education is guided by their interests and abilities.

 

Once a student reaches 21, they can find themselves in three different settings:

  1. Holland Enrichment Center offers non-working adults day programming.
  2. The Woods Enterprises, or TWE, offers newly graduated students a supervised work center and supervised group work in community settings.
  3. Woods’ Social Enterprises, The Yellow Daffodil, Woods Wear, and Common Grounds Cafe, offer the most independent work setting at Woods where new grads can work up to full-time.

 

“We want clients to be in the least restrictive environment and meet the level of their abilities,” said Danica Lynn, Director of the Social Enterprises.

 

Let’s take a closer look at TWE.

 

The work is varied, though one common thread binds the work done: adaptability. Adaptability is a critical element that makes TWE and those who work there succeed. These positions are not paid hourly nor by salary; they are paid by pieces produced. This allows workers to step aside as often as they need. This format has drawn its critics.

 

“People have tried to shut TWE down,” TWE employee Jason S. said.

 

Well-intentioned pushes for workplace integration and wage reforms are often the reasons critics cite for wanting to shut down workplaces such as TWE. Woods believes TWE exists to foster an inclusive, understanding environment equipped to support workers whose needs are varied – something that other business models cannot provide.

 

“I like all the work I do here,” TWE employee Sarah said.

 

While working at TWE, the employees can also take their talents to different “enclaves,” jobs outside of TWE where they work in small groups. For Sarah, you can also find her caring for the animals at Woods.

 

“One day at a time, my dear sir,” Jason A. said. “I love my work.”

 

Jason A. is also employed at TWE and works within different enclaves. For him, as well as many others, community work takes him to Habitat for Humanity ReStores. Here, you can find him sweeping.

 

Patrick similarly worked throughout the community, including Home Depot, restaurants, Target, and Optimum Sport Health Club.

 

Back in 2018, Patrick joined Woods Wear as the fledgling social enterprise’s first employee and is still proudly there.

 

Immediately, he took to learning the ins and outs of the custom apparel shop: pretreating, pressing, design research, and more. For him, he best absorbs information by studying others. Now, he helps introduce younger students to Woods Wear and is an important stitch in the social enterprise.

 

“I’ve loved its success,” Patrick said.

 

Character-wise, Patrick feels he’s developed both his independence and his responsibility. He’s also built important relationships with colleagues.

 

“God gave everyone a gift. Some people have different shapes and different abilities,” Patrick says.

 

This spirit is weaved throughout Woods’ resident workforce.

To diversify hiring, let employees with intellectual disabilities demonstrate their skills

January 18, 2018

*This article originally appeared on the Generocity website here.

Employment is a goal typically realized by developing desirable skills and then getting hired to use them. But what about when the employee’s abilities or needs don’t fit an employer’s usual expectations?

 

In 2016, there was a 38-percent employment rate in Pennsylvania among those with disabilities. Two local organizations, Neurodiversity in the Workplace and Woods Services, are working to increase the hiring of those left out of the workforce by matching employees’ skills and needs to suitable opportunities.

 

Neurodiversity in the Workplace is an initiative of The Arc of Philadelphia, part of the SpArc Philadelphia family of organizations. “Neurodiversity” characterizes diverse neurological conditions as natural, genetic variations that do not preclude individuals from functioning at high professional levels. Advocates wish to establish neurodiversity as critical to workforce diversity — and as an advantage rather than a disability.

 

The initiative builds on this movement to help those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) overcome unique employment hurdles. Young adults with ASD have the lowest rates of employment among peers with other developmental differences.

 

Neurodiversity in the Workplace brings together individuals with ASD and companies that are open to a neurodiverse workforce, allowing prospective employees to showcase their skills to hiring managers; it began in 2013 with a partnership with SAP toward the goal of employing individuals with ASD.

 

Director Joseph Riddle said he believes this is a better hiring process for those with ASD because it removes certain social standards, such as eye contact or communication style, which are usually part of the hiring process and put individuals with ASD at a disadvantage.

 

“If we can help change the culture of the company to be more inclusive, individuals with ASD can easily be integrated as loyal and happy employees,” Riddle said.

 

In the last three years, Neurodiversity in the Workplace has placed 29 clients into full-time positions at seven different companies, including in software and accounting, with 100 percent retention. The organization has also trained over 2,000 professionals to work with a neurodiverse population — an important part of its mission to get more companies to discuss, attend conferences about and engage in hiring neurodiverse individuals.

 

While Neurodiversity in the Workplace is closing the employment gap for a highly skilled population, Woods Services helps develop vocational skills among individuals who would not otherwise have the opportunity.

 

As a population health management organization, Langhorne-based Woods provides health, education, housing, case management services and more to children and adults with exceptional medical and behavioral challenges. It also employs service recipients at its enterprises, most notably the Yellow Daffodil Flower and Gift Shop.

 

Over the last 50 years, the flower shop has evolved from a greenhouse rotation on the Woods campus to a social enterprise with an on-campus workshop and off-campus storefront. Individuals are hired based on their abilities and interests and do jobs in floral arrangement, inventory and customer service.

 

“Skills gained at Yellow Daffodil are highly transferable and can lead to community-based jobs,” said Katie Carnevale, communications manager at Woods. “We can quantify and describe what each individual is capable of based on his or her success at the shop.”

 

Woods also offers employment opportunities at Common Grounds, Woods’ on-campus café, and BeechTree, a body product shop that started as a work unit within Woods’ Beechwood NeuroRehab and was recently established as a standalone social enterprise. At BeechTree, adults with acquired brain injuries create the products, design artwork and represent the company at local events.

 

Those who have succeeded at these enterprises have advanced to working at local businesses, including a hotel, clothing store and restaurant. Carnevale said she believes these experiences also help shape residents’ hopes for their futures.

 

For instance, one young man who thrived as a Common Grounds employee has since graduated and plans to open his own restaurant, Carnevale said. Woods is working to expand its social enterprises and offer more employment, but establishing its competitive advantage to keep the businesses sustainable has been a challenge.

 

Employers have the ability to make a big impact through modifications to their hiring practices — and some are — but consumers should also remember their own purchasing power and call for products of a diverse workforce.

 

“As large corporations increasingly embrace diversity in their workforces as mutually beneficial, they give their voice to this movement,” Carnevale said. “Then, smaller, local businesses will take notice, too.”

Yellow Daffodil Featured on Fox 29!

June 21, 2017

Fox 29 reporter Joyce Evans, along with her cameraman Shane, spent a few hours at Yellow Daffodil on June 20th. The Yellow Daffodil staff had a great time interacting with the pair and talking about their roles at the shop and life at Woods. Click here to view the segment!

Woods Makes Mark in Latest Edition of Social Innovations Journal

March 24, 2017

Yesterday, Woods Services was in the spotlight at the Social Innovations Journal (SIJ) launch of issue 32: Social Impact and Innovative Models to Support Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Their Families Throughout the Lifespan. Keynote speakers included Woods’ own Dr. Scott Spreat who presented a brief history of the field as well as studies concerning the employment of people with disabilities both in workshops and in the community that showed a significant drop in employment of people with I/DD when workshops are closed.

 

 

Woods CEO, Tine Hansen-Turton, who is the co-founder of the Social Innovations Journal, moderated a panel discussion with topics covering aging in place for people with I/DD; technology improvements that facilitate quality of life enhancements for people with I/DD who have physical, cognitive, emotional and communication challenges; different kinds of supportive living arrangements for people with I/DD; and the harmful impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on Medicaid and Medicare that many of our staff and the individuals we serve rely on.

 

Numerous staff from Woods and our affiliates submitted articles for this issue of the SIJ that speak to the innovative programs and supports we offer. Please take the time to read their articles and thank them for the great work that they do! You can read their articles at http://www.socialinnovationsjournal.org/editions/current-edition.

About Woods

  • Our History
  • The Woods System of Care
  • Meet the Woods Services Leadership
  • Meet the Woods Services Board of Trustees
  • The Woods Clinical Approach
  • Woods’ World
  • Blog

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Health, Wellness & Therapeutics

In an effort to improve communication, daily living skills and educational outcomes for both … Read More >

Vocational & Adult Day Services

We are committed to eliminating barriers and creating possibilities for achievement.   We … Read More >

Learning

Our school programs help students meet educational, emotional, behavioral and medical needs, while … Read More >

Having Fun

We exist to drive greater achievement for the individuals we serve.  Whether living  on our campus, … Read More >

Continuum of Care

We offer our individuals a full continuum of supports through our affiliates and various programs … Read More >

Copyright © 2023 Woods | Routes 413 & 213 | P.O. Box 36 | Langhorne, PA 19047-0036 | Ph: 215.750.4000 | E: communications@woods.org

  • .
  • About Woods
    • Our History
    • The Woods System of Care
    • Meet the Woods Services Leadership
    • Meet the Woods Services Board of Trustees
    • The Woods Clinical Approach
    • News & Events
  • Services
    • Short Term Residential Treatment
    • Health, Wellness, & Therapy
    • Vocational & Adult Day
      • Holland Enrichment Center
      • The Woods Enterprises
      • Yellow Daffodil
      • Common Grounds Café
      • Woods Wear
  • Education
    • An Overview of Education
  • Research Institute
  • Work With Woods
    • Employee Testimonials
    • Benefits of Working at Woods
    • Staff Development
    • Teach with Woods
  • Support Woods
    • Make a Gift to Woods
    • Join the Heart of Woods
    • Give through your Donor Advised Fund
    • Give through EITC
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Honor a Friend or Loved One
  • Admissions
    • Tour Woods
    • Email Admissions
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Admissions Team