...an organization was formed that would change the face of disability services in northeast Kansas forever. Twin Valley Developmental Services, Inc., founded in 1976 with the cooperation of ARC (association of parents and interested people advocating for services and rights of the people we serve) of Washington and Marshall counties, was created as a place for local adult citizens to come during the day.
Initially funded through a Developmental Disability Council grant from Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services, Twin Valley set up two sheltered work sites — Greenleaf and Beattie, Kan.
Originally the centers serviced 12 clients who lived at home and were brought to the workshop sites. Today, the organization, which has expanded to include several sheltered and independent work and living sites in both towns and several other towns throughout the area, serves nearly 90 adult consumers and 16 children.
Through the years Twin Valley has strived to locate opportunities for its consumers to learn marketable job skills and eventually real, on-site work opportunities.
In 2004, Twin Valley opened a thrift shop that sells fine quality recycled clothing and other goods as well as baling and selling the clothing for delivery to third world countries.
To find other work opportunities, the Business/Marketing Department at Kansas State University was contacted in 1976. With their assistance, the staff began sending out letters to businesses within the community and all of northeastern Kansas in the hopes that there would be interest.
Since that time our people have remained busy completing various work projects ever since. At the time, all of Twin Valley’s jobs were performed at the workshop sites in Greenleaf and Beattie, and the staff at Twin Valley wanted to branch out to local businesses in hopes of placing some of their clients in an actual workplace environment.
The first business placement occurred 10 years after Twin Valley opened its doors. Master Teacher, a Manhattan-based business that markets to educators through publications, workshops, and gift products, needed assistance preparing publications for mailing.
Soon after, another local business, Titan Trailers of Waterville, offered to hire consumers to prepare trailers for prep jobs prior to painting. In the beginning, few expected it to last. Today Twin Valley consumers work all over northeast Kansas in businesses as varied as the consumers themselves. Employers include food stores, restaurants, trailer manufacturers and many more.
When people served by the organization worked only in the sheltered workshops their wages totaled only $35,000 annually. After the first couple of years of job placements, many consumers were placed with local employers and in 1997 Twin Valley consumers earned nearly $400,000.