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Looking for employment can be a daunting task for anybody in today’s economy, and for many with disabilities finding and keeping a job can sometimes seem impossible.

However, organizations like Lakeside Packaging Plus, which is located in Oshkosh, hope to change that with a variety of programs aimed at helping and empowering the disabled. Lakeside offers its patrons adult day services as well as training that helps prepare them to become a part of the workforce by helping develop social skills and solid work habits..

“We really put emphasis on our prevocational program, which aims toward  building skills and strengths that would take them out in the community to be hired at a normal position,” coordinator of adult services Heidi Vargas said. “We really focus on communication, safety, etiquette.”

For about 5 years, Lakeside also has been offering student internships at its Oshkosh location. This semester, UW Oshkosh human services leadership major Allison Janssen took advantage of Lakeside’s 120-hour field placement, gaining valuable experience and helping people in need.

“The associates at Lakeside were all really great to work with and all had unique qualities that I was drawn to,” Janssen said. “I learned so much from each of the individuals who I had the opportunity to work with, so they are all really special to me.”

Janssen had a variety of duties at Lakeside that centered around assisting disabled workers with their tasks and providing one-on-one support to those in the adult services room. She also shadowed case managers to observe things like handing out medication.

Janssen said she chose the internship because she hopes to work with special needs individuals once she graduates in May.

“My older brother has a cognitive disability, and I know how important it is for him to have meaningful employment,” she said. “Because of the experience I have with him and the joy he gets from having a place to work, Lakeside Packaging Plus was of particular interest to me.”

“Ally was very flexible and because she had some personal experiences already with people with disabilities, she was considerate and compassionate,” Vargas said. “She was very thoughtful about coming in here and taking direction.”

Janssen has completed her internship at Lakeside, and already has another lined up at Clarity Care, an adult care center also located in Oshkosh. “I am excited to see what I will learn there, and maybe that experience will help me narrow down my future career plans,” she said.

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