People with disabilities often are overlooked for jobs. Advocates intend to change that.

In 1958, nine children with disabilities met in the basement of First Baptist Church for class. This wasn't by choice; many families in Bloomington had local schools turn their children away, claiming the schools lacked the resources to teach them. Instead, it was up to self-advocates and their families to run their own school.

These families solidified the school under the name Stone Belt the next year.

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Stone Belt is a Bloomington-based nonprofit providing support for people with disabilities across southern Indiana with satellite locations in Columbus and Bedford. While the organization began as a school, Stone Belt now provides a variety of services — residential, clinical, spiritual and professional development.

While the services offered have shifted over the years, Stone Belt has always been what its name suggests: a bedrock for those with disabilities in southern Indiana.

Stone Belt service providers and clients have had to overcome a lingering disconnect between people with disabilities and their wider community.

"I think sometimes the community says, 'Oh, well, those are Stone Belt people.' Well, they're not 'Stone Belt people.' They're Bloomington people, they're Bedford people, they're Columbus people," former Stone Belt director Leslie Green said.

Under director Bitta DeWees' leadership, Stone Belt will shift its focus from recreational day services to employment-centered skill building.

"The most important thingis (supporting a client's) vision of a good life. We're a really critical piece to helping somebody figure out what that looks like for them," DeWees said.

From school to touchstone, a brief history of Stone Belt in Bloomington

In 2018, the National Council on Disability released a five-part report on the segregation of students with disabilities, which examined national patterns of students with disabilities in general education classes and U.S. states' compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In Indiana, 71.4% of students with disabilities between the ages 6 and 21 spent a majority of the school day inside the regular class; only 1.39% of students were enrolled in a separate school or residential facility.

But that wasn't always the case. For many, exclusion from general education, activities and employment is not a distant memory.

In 1970, U.S. schools educated only one in five children with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which supports special education and related service programming for youth with disabilities, was passed five years later.

While this was a leap for inclusivity, reliance on special education schools didn't vanish overnight. In 1975, Stone Belt formed an official partnership with Monroe County schools to continue educating children at the disability service provider.

When Leslie Green was first hired by Stone Belt in 1979, it was primarily still a school setting.

Green, who served for 22 years as Stone Belt's second director before her retirement in April, noted how the nonprofit's role as a disability service provider shifted in the 1980s alongside a turning point in the wider disability rights movement.

"The whole field revolutionized because all of a sudden, rather than people sort of being warehoused or institutionalized, they were moving into the community, they were getting employment," Green said.

The last time Stone Belt operated a public school was 1985. That same year, Stone Belt began a supported employment program as its client base shifted from children to adults.

As public schools began to offer more inclusive education programming to meet federal guidelines, Stone Belt reworked its resources toward securing employment opportunities, residential programs and adult recreation activities.

"We really were on the innovative and early side of providing employment services. There weren't a whole lot of agencies doing that in the mid '80s," DeWees said.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act passed; this month is the legislation's 32nd anniversary.

Two years later, in 1992, Indiana lawmakers amended the state code accordingly, ensuring people with disabilities would not be denied equal opportunity for employment and requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations.

Though barriers to access have been torn down, many community members still use Stone Belt fora variety of programs. But regardless if a client is looking for work or a place to live, they're all seeking one thing: community connections.

"Bloomington is an amazing community to help support people with disabilities and is very accepting of people of all abilities," DeWees said. "Our role primarily has been more education than anything else."

Stone Belt shifts to employment-centric programming

In another step toward better visibility in the wider community, Stone Belt's adult day services will be converted into employment services.

Prior to becoming Stone Belt's director this year, DeWees worked at Stone Belt for 32 years. When she first started, she worked in direct support, where she provided individualized services to clients.

DeWees, who originally planned for Stone Belt to be a temporary job, soon found a lifelong career.

"I realized how quickly you could impact someone's life and use those skills to help them have a more meaningful or a fuller life," DeWees said.

But it wasn't until she moved to working as a consultant who connected clients with job opportunities that she found her personal passion.

"Everybody is capable and everybody has something to give. Helping somebody figure out what that is and how to do that is very, very exciting to me," DeWees said.

Now leading one of southern Indiana's largest disability service organizations, DeWees intends to enable that feeling of fulfillment for Stone Belt clients.

"Obviously, employment is about a paycheck, but it's about a lot more than that. Employment really helps shape our identity and how we see ourselves and how other people see us.

"Usually when you meet somebody, the first thing they ask is, 'What's your name?' The second thing is, 'What do you do?' When you can answer that question, that's really powerful. Historically, people with disabilities haven't had that opportunity," DeWees said.

Stone Belt's day services haven't been eliminated. Instead, those services now emphasize training in soft skills that can translate into the workplace.

"For example, we still have an art class, but that art class will not just focus on art but will focus on communication skills, social skills, and sales of art as a career," DeWees said. "We may still have a fitness class but that fitness class will focus on fitness as well as teamwork and communication skills and what careers might exist in terms of fitness."

Hard skills such as onsite job training are also newly emphasized.

For the past six years, Pre-Employment Transition Services have prepared students aged 14 to 22 for the workforce through career counseling and job exploration. Counseling is also given for workplace readiness and self-advocacy.

In Project SEARCH, an internship-based program maintained in partnership with Cook Inc., Ivy Tech and other disability service providers, clients learn specific job skills, social skills and other soft skills needed for employment. Project SEARCH has been on pause since the COVID-19 pandemic but DeWees said it is expected to return soon.

Right now, Stone Belt is working with around 50 employers in Bloomington, including Catalent, Indiana University's Tudor Room and Nick's English Hut. In the past year, Stone Belt has helped 41 people with disabilities find jobs in the community.

"In this current job market, it's been so difficult for employers to find good employees. I think that many, many employers, because we've been doing this so long in Bloomington, recognize that we are a resource for them and we are an open source for them. As they have needs, many have begun to reach out to see if we have anybody that can fill these needs," DeWees said.

For possible employee placement, employers can contact Director of Community Employment MaryEllen Noe at menoe@stonebelt.org.

As Stone Belt continues to pivot its services and resources for the next 60 years, DeWees said she believes people with disabilities will continue to blend in with their communities.

"I think people will get more and more involved in their neighborhoods, their jobs and their recreation. Stone Belt gets to move alongside them and help become more of a support connector rather than always a direct provider," DeWees said. "There will always be people who need more involved support, and we will continue to support them as well. We can still help them be a part of their community even when they need more support. So I think we will continue to individualize the services we offer and expand into community connections with people."

Contact Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com or @RachelSmithNews on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: People with disabilities still struggle to integrate fully in Indiana