8
Thursday, October 19, 1972
University Daily Kansan
Workshop Trains Handicapped
Cottonwood Workers Proud
KU teapots, mugs and ornaments are part of the ceramics made at Cottonwood and are the best-selling items among those produced.
Big Blue Country license plates (above) are silk screened by Cottonwood clients in the workshop. Dave Ramney, shop foreman (far right), supervises the point cutting of road stakes for the Douglas County highway department.
Kansan Photos by Malcolm Turner
By TRISHA TEETER
Kansan Staff Writer
Cottonwood, Inc., is a workbook full of busy, smiling employees. They demonstrate the skills they are learning, many of them working for the first time in their lives. They learn physically and physically handicapped adults.
Services that Cottonwood offers to the community are food
Basically a sheltered workshop, Cottonwood promotes education, training, care, treatment and general well-being, accordingly handicapped persons, according to Gary Corda, director.
catering, wood and furniture
repairing, automotive refurbishing
decorating and refining of trunk
and subframe work. Confidence
The handicapped, called clients, make ceramics, candies, knives, chocolates, bookends, jewelry, Jayhawk license plates, Christmas cards and other items. These are sold at Cottonwood and through local stores.
Cottonwood's clients are paid a small wage for their work. All money brought in by the services or products is put directly back into Cottonwood's workshops and to defray costs. Conandra said.
SHELTERED WORKSHOPS for the retarded are becoming more popular as the public learns about these disabilities and maintain a productive program for the handicapped than to institutionalize such persons, Condra said. Cottonwood is one of the workshops in the Midwest.
"The clients benefit from the personal instruction and growth; the sales team benefits cost services offered. The tax-payers benefit by reduced cost services."
Condra said. "Everyone benefits from the program."
Cottonwood is funded through the Douglas County Association for Bounty Counties (DC) county taxes, a state vocational rehabilitation program and federal grants for specific clients is based on ability to pay.
Cottonwood is part of Lawrence's continuous program for the retarded. Starting from Kindergarten, and handicapped children can be enrolled in University of Kansas Center for retarded pre-school children in Hayworth Hall. From age five to twelve, students are educated in the public schools' special education program, according to Conflra. They are ready for Cottonwood after receiving the public school program.
THE TRAINING PROGRAM at Cottonwood is the basis for the workshop.
"The goal of the training program is placement in the community, or our own job." The program's lower-functioning individuals take part in the work activity program. Cotton will work every day.
There are 30 clients at Cottonwood now, but Condra estimated there would be 50 by next June.
"Priority goes first to Douglas County residents and then to other counties that have no access of our clients are local people."
The ages of clients range from 17 to 68. About two-thirds of them are less than 40 years old, Condra said.
TWO KU STUDENTS work at Cottonwood as planners for a new recreation program. Steve Kanybowicz, Lawrence senator, taught the program to the senior, said that the goal of the program was to bring the clients in contact with the recreational side of the community. Kanityk helped the interested in volunteering for the program can call him at 842-1283.
Cottonwood had acquired 38 acres of land and west of Lawrence on January 1, 2006 to apply for matching federal funds to build the initial 8,000 square foot office and shop building. The department of Health, Education and Welfare, that spring, the Cottonwood, ultimately $100,000 was approved.