Families, Lawmakers In Bucks County Advocate For Employment Choices For Disabled Individuals

Last week, amidst the flurry of activity at a Lower Southampton Township packing facility, Matt Thibodeau, a Middletown Township resident, expressed his contentment with his job.

Surrounded by his parents, he highlighted the benefits of his employment.

“Good money, good paycheck!” Thibodeau said.

Thibodeau is among over 300 individuals with disabilities, many of whom have intellectual disabilities, working for Associated Production Services (APS) across Bucks County and Philadelphia. The company’s facilities provide specialized employment opportunities not commonly available for them elsewhere.

Gail Thibodeau, Matt’s mother, voiced concerns shared by many families over state and federal efforts that seem to undermine operations like APS.

“There is a wide spectrum of disabled people like my son who need specialized levels of support,” she explained, emphasizing the importance of the job beyond the regular paycheck.

For Matt and his colleagues, their employment offers a structured environment conducive to making friends, learning, and gaining a sense of pride, Gail Thibodeau said.

She worries that state regulations will increase and put APS out of business and put her son out of work. Additionally, she has fears the federal government will move to force APS to increase the hourly pay rate and cause APS to become financially unsustainable.

Highlighting the importance of employment choices for intellectually disabled workers, Republican State Sen. Frank Farry, alongside Bucks County representatives Kristin Marcell, K.C. Tomlinson, and Shelby Labs, advocated for organizations like APS at a press conference last week.

Farry stressed the necessity of providing options for those with disabilities, referencing a recent report from the Joint State Government Commission.

The report, created due to a resolution by Farry, looked at employment choices for disabled individuals in the state.

APS and companies like it are deemed a “last resort” by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Farry said.

The lawmaker said the testimony of parents of those with disabilities show that “choice should be paramount,” adding that bureaucrats in Harrisburg shouldn’t be interfering.

Farry critiqued what he believes is the penalization of operations that are deemed to be lacking a community component by the state’s Office of Developmental Programs.

“This is the community for the men and women standing behind me,” he said.

APS was founded 47 years ago by former special education teacher Jay Belding and operates on a principle of those that work there learning and earning.

APS receives about half its revenue from the state to support a workforce that packs products for well-known brands. The organization pays its employees a combined $3 million per year.

In comments, Belding emphasizing the American value of choice and described APS’s model as an environment where workers learn cooperation and community building.

Tiffany, a worker at APS, said she enjoys seeing her friends at the workplace.

Parents of APS employees, like Bristol’s Sharon and Bob DeNucci, appreciate the safe and adaptive environment APS provides for their son, Bobby, who has been working there for nine years.

“Every time I drop him off in the morning, I enjoyed watching him and his co-workers as they arrive to work,” said Sharon DeNucci. “They’re greeted by APS supervisor Mike, who always has a smile on his face, says ‘good morning,’ and knows them by name. He makes them feel so welcome coming to work. They’re happy and they’re excited to start their work day.”

Brandon Cwalina, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, said the state is committed to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Speaking about the department’s focus, he said, like similar agencies across the nation, they are moving away from “what are known as ‘prevocations facilities’” that have settings where people can earn a “subminimum” wage.

“DHS has instead prioritized competitive integrated employment (CIE) for individuals with a disability who choose to maintain employment, meaning individuals with ID/A are able to participate in jobs that earn minimum wage or better, work in a setting where the majority of workers don’t have a disability, are paid directly by the employer, not a service provider, and present employees with opportunities for advancement. This approach aligns with federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules,” Cwalina said.

The spokesperson addedthere is no plans to entirely phase out prevocational facilities.

He noted: “DHS has engaged in a broad-based effort with stakeholders to support these facilities and their participants through efforts to better support people to find and keep jobs in the community, offer their services outside of facility-based settings, and pay fair wages to their employees.”

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