Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
She fills the salad bar and helps wash the dishes at the North Detroit Street Pizza Hut.
But her three years of employment there have not only changed Diana Kling's life, they've also changed her.
"It's incredible how far along she's come," said Pizza Hut store manager Amir Ashtari. The effect the job has had on Kling's personal life is the greatest accomplishment one could ask for.
Steven Slater has been working at the Pizza Hut for only three months, washing dishes, but he shows up for work beaming with pride. Ashtari said Slater's "been doing a good job for us. He takes direction well."
Both Kling and Slater take a lot of pride in their jobs, said Lisa Watkins, employment services manager for Cardinal Center Inc.
CCI, a supported employment service provider, helps disabled people find jobs. Through the service, Cardinal Center has helped many people - such as Slater and Kling - find employment.
Ashtari said Pizza Hut's partnership with CCI is great and the relationship is very close.
"We have a great working relationship because Amir lets you know what he needs" in his employees to make his business run smoothly, said Marge Arington, employment consultant for CCI.
Ashtari said Arington's been a great help. When Kling was first hired at Pizza Hut, Astari said he used to have to call Arington because there were some communication problems with Kling, but now he doesn't have to do that so much because of Arington's hands-on coaching. Other agencies have employees at Pizza Hut, but their employees are "nothing near what Cardinal Center has here. I'm very happy and pleased with her response and help when we needed her."
Arington said Slater and Kling both like to work. Slater wants people to know he works for Pizza Hut. "He beams," she said. "He loves his job."
Both have been easy transitions, Ashtari said of Slater and Kling.
Watkins said Kling is just so proud of the job she does with the salad bar.
Lunchtime is usually when Pizza Hut gets really busy, but Kling handles it in stride, Ashtari said.
"I think it's a big responsibility for her to keep that up," he said. When Pizza Hut isn't very busy, Ashtari said, Kling will move on from the salad bar to another job that needs done, like washing dishes. The ability to know to move on to some other job is very important. Pizza Hut is not like an assembly line; working there requires multi-tasking and a lot of thinking and Kling has handled that tremendously.
Ashtari said both Slater and Kling are treated like any other employee and are held responsible for their jobs. They also get along "great" with the other employees.
"She's (Kling) a part of the family, really," Ashtari said.
Arington said Slater fits right in at Pizza Hut. "This crew here is just great to work with because they are all so caring," she said. That can be attributed in part to Ashtari because he's "a good team leader."
More than 50 employers in Kosciusko County and surrounding counties work with Cardinal Center to hire people with disabilities. Giving a person with a disability a chance to work means more than a paycheck. It decreases a person's need for public assistance, increases their sense of self-worth and educates the community that people with disabilities can be productive and contributing members of the community.
Once a job has been developed for a person with a disability, a trained Cardinal Center employee provides ongoing support to both the employer and the employee until all parties are satisfied. This is done at no cost to the employer. Support includes training co-workers about a person's disability or helping an employer make reasonable accommodations that will allow a person to work.
Supported employment is funded mostly through Vocational Rehabilitation, a federal program. There is no charge to the employee or employer.
Since beginning the service in 1987, CCI has helped hundreds find employment.
Of supported employment, Ashtari said he definitely would recommend it to other employers. The key to making it work, he said, is that the individual needs to fit in the organization. No one wants to put a person in an organization if they are going to fail.
Watkins said the key is knowing what the employer's needs are and the ability of the job seeker.
"If you know what's required of the employer and employee," said Arington, "it's easy to match."
