Students from the Southeastern Massachusetts Education Collaborative (SMEC) took orders and served customers at Grand-Ma’s Donuts in New Bedford, gaining practical experience in independent living and vocational skills.
“Our organization is a public school for students with a variety of special needs,” said Kim Wilmot, student services director at SMEC. “One of our programs, transitional services, is for 18- to 22-year-olds with developmental disabilities who are learning independent living skills and vocational skills.”
“Like the donut thing, I like the Boston creme,” said student Jaitzy Burgos.
“Jobs,” said student Cedric Duro when asked what he wanted to learn.
The students typically run an internal cafe at their school on Friday mornings. However, thanks to the team at Grand-Ma’s Donuts, including owner Hannah Lemieux, whose son has autism, they were able to test their skills in a real-world setting.
“They’re capable of everything that every other person is,” Lemieux said. “There’s a job for everybody, and more business should be doing this.”
The hope is that the experience and confidence gained will help these students secure jobs in the future.
“We believe that every student is a lifelong learner,” Wilmot said. “Every student should have access to meaningful experiences throughout their lives. For many of our students, that does mean competitive employment with or without support, and for others, it’s just being embedded into their community and having a place where they know others and are known and can be seen for their talents.”
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About SMEC
The Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative is a public education collaborative established in 1975. SMEC is an extension of 10 public school systems, which make up its membership. The present membership includes the Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, Rochester and Old Rochester Regional public school districts. SMEC accepts students for enrollment in its programs from school systems throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. The Collaborative’s programs and services are locally based and locally directed and are designed to supplement the special education resources of its member districts. SMEC offers a variety of services for students with special needs aged 3-21 as well as adults with developmental disabilities. To learn more about the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative, visit their website.