PACE Enterprises: Services and Employment for People with Disabilities

Introduction

Pace Enterprises assists people with disabilities to find meaningful employment. When a person with a disability comes to PACE they receive an evaluation and counseling in order to determine their career goals and talents. PACE then provides them with training to overcome any shortcomings the person with a disability may have, and to polish their unique talents. The person is then either introduced to an employer in the local area, or employed through one of PACE Enterprises business efforts.

Main Digest

The State of West Virginia leads America in the number of citizens who experience a form of disability - approximately one in four. People with disabilities in the state also experience the highest rate of unemployment, unfortunately. In Morgantown, PACE is doing something about unemployment in relation to people with disabilities.

PACE Enterprises is a community-led, nonprofit organization. It provides pre-vocational and vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities throughout the north-central West Virginia area. The organization helps people with disabilities to find jobs through:

• Training
• Evaluation
• Supported employment
• Competitive employment
• Job coaches to ensure success is accomplished
• A personalized training plan to teach skills necessary for workplace success
• Aptitude testing to determine what careers might best suit the person's talents and interests

Once the person has polished their talents through PACE, they might move into a position in the local workforce - either with a local employer, or through PACE itself.

People with disabilities started receiving services through PACE in 1972. The organization's original name was, 'PACE TEC.,' at the time; dedicated parents founded the program. They recognized the unique supports their children would need to succeed when they reached young adulthood. Since that time, PACE has made a difference in the lives of many people with disabilities.

PACE Enterprises is licensed through the State of West Virginia and is a Behavioral Mental Health Center and Community Rehabilitation Program. PACE serves adults with a documented disability who have an interest in joining the workforce. The disabilities experienced by the people PACE serves range in both variety and type and may include:

• Medical
• Sensory
• Physical
• Emotional
• Mental retardation
• Development disability
• People who have a disability from birth
• People who have acquired a disability through an accident
• People who have a disability from a medical problem or life-changing event

PACE Food Service

The food service operation at PACE is comprised of the Beehive Cafe, The Food Service Academy, and the Beehive Boxed Lunch Company. The Beehive Cafe features gourmet sandwiches, coffee that is always fresh, as well as Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that are baked right on the premises on a daily basis. The Beehive Cafe is open from 7am to 2pm Monday through Friday. The Beehive Boxed Lunch Company delivers boxed lunches to events and meetings in the greater Morgantown area. The Food Service Academy's goal is to prepare students to work in the food service industry. The Academy teaches basic food service skills through a, 'hands-on,' approach while building student confidence and readying them for employment in the real world.

PACE Shredding Services

Shredding at PACE provides customers with a wide array of services that are designed to make protection of information easier. The services enable customers to protect the information that is critical to them, their customers, as well as their employees. PACE shredding also assists customers to meet strict compliance requirements in regards to protection of confidential information.

PACE shredding is state of the art. It is plant-based, confidential, and a secure information destruction business. The organization listens to customers, working with them to design an information destruction program to meet their specific needs. PACE meets with their shredding customers so they know what needs to be done. The organization provides customers with a quote, sets a schedule, and arrives on time to pick up and shred the information. PACE shredding services offers a number of features to include:

• Regularly scheduled pick-up days
• Trucks with real-time GPS tracking
• On-going training for all employees
• Full 7-year background checks of all employees
• Shred widths of 5/16" versus the industry standard of 5/8"
• Ability to watch real-time destruction of customer's documents
• Professional staff who are trained, bonded, insured and drug tested
• Facilities that are alarm monitored with 24/7 video surveillance and 90-day backup

PACE's Service Capability

PACE Enterprises has gained a reputation for exceeding customer expectations. The organization also has a reputation for forging long-term relationships. There are a growing number of businesses and government agencies looking to PACE for services in a number of areas. In the area of Light Production and Assembly, PACE offers the following services:

• Product Assembly and Packaging
• Labeling, Collating & Bulk Mailing
• Commercial Sewing
• Food Service
• Other

In the area of Commercial Contract Services, PACE offers these services:

• Grounds Maintenance
• Mail-room Services
• Custodial Services
• Contract Closeout
• Shredding

PACE Enterprises (paceenterprises.org) is a leader in the provision of employment services for people with disabilities in West Virginia. Local businesses value PACE's specialized staffing services because PACE is a great resource for both training and recruitment of employees who are highly-motivated. The employees from PACE are renowned for their longevity on the job, strong teamwork, and low absenteeism. PACE Enterprises, Inc.

Author Credentials:

Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses earning a Masters, Bachelors and two Associate degrees, as well as pursing Disability Studies. As a Nursing Assistant Thomas has assisted people from a variety of racial, religious, gender, class, and age groups by providing care for people with all forms of disabilities from Multiple Sclerosis to Parkinson's; para and quadriplegia to Spina Bifida. Explore Thomas' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.

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Cite This Page (APA): Weiss, T. C. (2011, October 11). PACE Enterprises: Services and Employment for People with Disabilities. Disabled World. Retrieved May 19, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/employment/usa/pace.php

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