The first SW Resources participants sitting at the card table where it all started were Larry Cottrell and John Wilson, who are tying tags for the Fenton Art Glass Co. of Williamstown. The pair assembled 150,000 tags.(Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG – The Junior League of Parkersburg has designated March as DD Awareness Month.

The League hopes to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

The effort covers the three main areas of education, employment and community living.

Throughout March, the League will use the themes to guide its content, President Jane Burdette said.

In 1964, there were no services or work available to adults with disabilities in the area and in response, the Junior League of Parkersburg and The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley came together and helped form the Sheltered Workshop of Wood County.

Sammy Burdette, second from right, leading a group of individuals in activities in the early years of SW Resources. (Photo Provided)

The organization started with two small buildings containing a single card table and two clients in a storefront building on Oak Street. SW Resources, as it is now known, has continued to grow and is now providing rehabilitation and employment opportunities for over 250 clients with significant disabilities.

Junior League March Project Chairman Juli Kerns has directly worked with all three groups and has seen the benefits of the collaborative efforts.

“We are so proud to see a project that was so needed in the community evolve into such a large operation now known as SW Resources, covering an entire city block with in-house services as well as community enclaves seen throughout the county,” Burdette said.

The agency moved to Mary Street in late 1960s and began construction on the new facility in the 1980s. Its name was changed to SW Resources in 1992 with the reference to Sheltered Workshop was removed from all documentation and agency descriptions due to the negative connotation it has for individuals with disabilities.

According to its Vision and Mission Statements, SW Resources provides vocational services, employment and other opportunities for individuals who have disabilities, enabling them to achieve their full potential. It is to be a financially sound, professionally managed organization offering services that empower individuals who have disabilities by increasing their choices and opportunities in the community.

A dedicated staff of 45 full-time employees is extensively trained in vocational rehabilitation and provide individualized services.

“We have not paid commensurate wages or piece rates since 2012. All employees are at or above minimum wage,” Smith said. “After recent court rulings against ‘sheltered workshops,’ SW Resources’ focus on community employment is more important than ever. Community employment is the ultimate goal.”