Students from Perkins School for the Blind have the opportunity to expand their education by leaving campus and learning on the job by working for businesses and organizations in and around Watertown.
The school has developed partnerships with multiple employers, including Watertown Savings Bank and the Mount Auburn Cemetery, where students spend time each week.
Hugh, a student at Perkins, heads over to the main branch of Watertown Savings each week to help the bank manage all the coins that come into the bank.
“My job is I go behind the bank and behind to where they kept the coins, then open up the rolls, and then put it into a machine, so they count it and then sort it into a bag,” Hugh said. “It feels great to get the job done. And then also, knowing that people have the trust in you to handle these things.”
The bank gives Hugh access to areas where very few employees can go, said Kelly Cronin, vice president and Community Relations Officer at Watertown Savings.
“They’re given a badge to access our secure area behind our teller line,” Cronin said. “And any coins that has come into the bank, a lot of loose coins, a lot of rolled coins, that needs to be sorted, because we get, I mean, 1,000s of dollars worth of coins, so that needs to be sorted.”
Perkins students also work in the greenhouses at Mount Auburn Cemetery, helping with the stages of plant growth, said Ronnit Bendavid-Val, Mount Auburn Cemetery’s vice president of Horticulture & Landscape.
“Work with plants is year round. It never ends. And in a greenhouse, it involves different life stages of a plant, different types of work to be done,” Bendavid-Val said. “So some of the things that they have helped us with is, we do something called, well seeding or sowing. And stepping up is when you have a very small plant and it needs to be moved into a larger pot. This is part of the growth cycle of the plant material and plant propagation.”
The off-campus jobs are a critical part of Perkins’ students education. Fewer than 40 percent of working-age adults with disabilities are employed, and the work-experience is designed to prepare students not only for employment, but for independent and meaningful lives beyond high school.
Career education is a key part of Perkins Expanded Core Curriculum, said Karen McCormack, Manager of Vocational Programs at Perkins. Students also learn to navigate transportation, build social skills for interacting with coworkers, and practice self-advocacy.
“It’s not just about the work placement,” McCormack said. “It’s about helping students find their place in the world.”
Bendavid-Val said Mount Auburn Cemetery approaches working with Perkins students the same way they do for any employee.
“You’re trying to find the right person for the right job, but beyond that, our experiences have been really positive for individuals who are enthusiastic about increasing their skills, and about really participating in work life,” Bendavid-Val said.
Cronin said she tries to make sure the students are set up for success, and do not feel frustrated.
“So, I try to be really thoughtful in what we ask of them, but the fact that they can come to our bank for an hour a week and do a job, and I know it gives them a lot of confidence and a lot of pride in what they’re doing,” Cronin said. “And for us, it’s very helpful. It’s very special for us to partner in that way. So I would encourage any business to work with Perkins or any other group in that capacity.”
To learn more about Perkins’ career education programs and how the school prepares students
for life after school, visit https://www.perkins.org/transition-center/