SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — On Tuesday afternoon, the hum of machines filled the workroom at Seacoast Printing in South Berwick. The shop is busy, as usual, as workers create and sort items from clothing to plaques to trophies — but the workload is a little less overwhelming because of two extra helping hands.
Multiple times a week, Marshwood High School students Damien Dubay and Max Blackwin come to Seacoast Printing to work and get paid for their labor. Dubay has Down syndrome, and Blackwin has Opitz G/BBB syndrome, so they're always accompanied by their ed tech, Lou Orlando.
"We need to kind of figure out what they're good at [and] what they're not good at," Orlando explained, later adding, "I think the great thing is it's giving them skills."
Dubay and Blackwin are working at Seacoast Printing through the Work Opportunities Unlimited program, designed to help high school students with special needs get experience at a business that fits their talents, so they can more easily find employment after leaving the classroom.
For Orlando, this mission is a personal one. He used to work on Wall Street but became an ed tech at Marshwood five years ago. He did so partly because his daughter, who's now 29 years old, also has special needs. He remembers how important it was to her to be independent, and he wanted to help his students work toward that goal. It's why he reached out to Seacoast Printing to see if owners Jeff and Nicole Parmley would be interested in taking on this program.
"When we asked them, they only had one question about the program, and it was, 'When can we start?'" Orlando said. "It has been great for the kids."
Over time, that relationship has developed into a "family" feel, as Jeff Parmley put it. He said taking on this role was a "no-brainer," so he worked with Dubay and Blackwin since 2019. The pandemic disrupted operations for a while, but the teens have been working at Seacoast Printing consistently since September.
"It's a bright part of my day," Parmley said. "No matter how hard it is, how difficult things are — they come in eager to work."
Jill Rowell works with Work Opportunities Unlimited. She said one of the best parts about this program is the sense of responsibility it gives students.
"They have to perform just like everybody else on the job," Rowell said. "They have to come in. They have to punch in. They have to work."
Rowell said in some ways, future opportunities for these young men depend on changing the narrative.
"There's no 'disability' — it's where their ability is, and it's all different," Rowell said.
Rowell said there's no cost to businesses or schools participating in this program since Work Opportunities Unlimited receives grants and can write payroll for students. She's hoping more businesses and schools in Maine will get involved.
If you're interested in learning more, you can contact her directly at jrowell@workopportunities.net.