A Special Day at Empowered Prints

After several weeks of Zoom meetings, evaluations, questionnaires, conversations, and preparation with Pamela (aka “Thelma”) our newest intern officially joined us for his first in-person day of training.

And it was inspiring to watch.

While Pamela wasn't physically in the shop with us, she was absolutely part of the entire experience. We had her connected through Zoom on the iPad for the entire session, where she was able to observe, provide guidance, take notes, and help us work through the vocational program she had developed specifically for him.

And when we say “program,” we don't mean a simple checklist.

Before his first in-person day, Pamela set up an interview with Max and his family, provided a self-scoring questionnaire to give Max the opportunity to share more about himself and set up an observation with hands on training, all of which provided the data to put together an eight-page individualized vocational program for him and me to follow throughout his internship. It includes his goals, procedures, expectations, areas of focus, training strategies, and so much more. Accommodations and considerations with the work environment

That preparation and ongoing assessment of an intern’s program is an important part of what makes our program different, Because it doesn’t just stop at day one on the floor, our internship program provides ongoing support, assessment and adjustment as personal and professional goals are met and new ones emerge. 

One of the things we believe strongly in at Empowered Prints is that everyone learns differently. Our internship isn't about bringing someone into the shop, handing them a stack of shirts, and seeing what happens. We want to understand each intern's strengths, interests, communication style, abilities, support needs, and goals so we can provide meaningful training designed around the individual.

That is why the weeks leading up to yesterday mattered just as much as yesterday itself.

All those Zoom meetings, questionnaires, evaluations, conversations, observations and planning sessions helped Pamela develop a roadmap that we can now use, evaluate, adjust, and build upon as he progresses through the program.

Yesterday, we finally got to put that plan into action.

And our newest intern picked up on things incredibly quickly.

He listened. He watched. He tried new things. He followed directions and began learning some of the different responsibilities that are part of working at Empowered Prints.

And he had a great coworker helping show him the ropes.

Conor was there to model some of his own job duties, giving our newest intern the opportunity to watch another young person perform the tasks before trying them himself.

Seeing the two boys working side by side was probably one of my favorite parts of the evening.

They worked incredibly well together.

For me, there was something especially meaningful about watching Conor model these skills. He has spent years being the one who needed someone to model things for him. He needs repetition, patience, encouragement, and people willing to teach him in ways that worked for him.

Now, he is reaching a point where the skills he has worked so hard to learn can help someone else learn, too.

That is an incredible full-circle moment for this mom.

Of course, we also wanted our newest intern's first day to include a little fun.

At the end of the evening, he had the opportunity to do something for himself. I designed a shirt with one of his favorite characters, SpongeBob SquarePants, and created his very own shirt.

But he didn't stop there.

He also made his own Empowered Prints work shirt to wear the next time he comes to work.

There is something about that work shirt that means a little more to Pamela and me.

It's not just a shirt.

It says, “I belong here. I am part of this.” LOVE THIS

Why We Created Empowered Prints

Moments like this take Pamela and me back to why we created Empowered Prints in the first place.

We saw a gap.

There are incredible young people and adults with special needs who have abilities, talents, personalities, interests, and a genuine desire to contribute. But too often, opportunities become harder to find as they get older.

We wanted to create something that could help change that.

Empowered Prints was built on the belief that having a disability should not mean being denied the opportunity to discover what you are capable of.

Our goal isn't to simply keep someone busy for a few hours.

It isn't about creating tasks just so we can say someone participated.

We want to teach real skills in a real business environment with real expectations—while also recognizing that the path to learning those skills may look different for every person.

That means learning how to follow instructions and workplace procedures. It means organization, communication, time management, production, quality control, packaging, customer orders, equipment, teamwork, and responsibility.

It also means learning how to ask for help. How to recover from a mistake. How to try something unfamiliar. How to work alongside someone else. How to take pride in completing a job.

Those skills can become steppingstones toward something much bigger.

Employment. Independence. Confidence. Purpose.

Our bigger vision for Empowered Prints has always been to help create pathways to meaningful employment for adults with special needs.

Maybe that employment eventually happens with another company.

Maybe opportunities continue to grow within Empowered Prints.

Maybe an intern discovers a skill or an interest none of us even knew was there.

Every person's path will be different, and that's okay.

What matters is that they are given the opportunity to find out.

That's why the eight-page vocational plan matters.

That's why Pamela spends weeks doing evaluations, questionnaires, meetings, and preparations before an intern ever walks through our doors.

That's why I spend the time working one-on-one beside them.

That's why having Conor there to model a task matters.

And that's why something as simple as making your own work shirt can represent something much bigger.

Because we aren't just teaching someone how to make a shirt.

We're helping someone learn how to work.

We're helping them discover what they can do.

We're giving them a place to practice, learn, grow, make mistakes, succeed, and try again.

And hopefully, we're helping build a bridge between being a student and becoming an employee.

Our internship program continues to grow, and Pamela and I are incredibly proud of what is becoming. We know we aren't going to solve the employment challenges facing adults with special needs by ourselves.

But we can do our part.

We can create one opportunity.

We can teach one skill.

We can believe in one person.

And then we can do it again.

Yesterday, I watched our newest intern begin that journey while Pamela observed and guided us through an iPad and Conor worked beside him.

At the end of the evening, he walked away with a SpongeBob shirt he had made himself and an Empowered Prints work shirt ready for his next day on the job.

To someone else, they might just look like two shirts.

To us, one represents something he loves.

The other represents where he is going.

And that is exactly why Pamela and I created Empowered Prints.

We want adults with special needs to have opportunities to discover their abilities, develop meaningful job skills, experience the pride that comes from doing real work, and ultimately have greater opportunities for employment and independence.

We're hoping to make a difference.

Not necessarily through one huge moment, but through hundreds of smaller ones.

One skill. One goal. One opportunity. One shirt. One person at a time.

Because sometimes, before you can change someone's future, you simply must give them the opportunity to show you what they can do.

Written by:
Kerrie Mallory-Thompson
AKA: “Lou”
Co-Founder/Co-Owner