What Working at the Welcome Center with ARC was Like
ARC hire other people besides those with a mental handicap, they also hire for other handicaps such as, missing arms, blindness and other things preventing a person from holding a job, and also hire people that have no problem.
ARC have several properties they are in charge of, the one I worked at was the Florida welcome center just past the Georgia and Florida line. The welcome center is mainly a restroom stop, that have books and coupons on hotels and places to visit in Florida.
One of my jobs was to change out the trash cans. Some people will comment, that they think it is a very simple job. While it is simple to pull out trash and put in a new bag, there are enough trash cans, and enough traffic to keep you busy a full 8 hours.
Cleaning the toilets was a task that also kept you busy for 8 hours. When someone walks into the bathroom, and walks out, then it is time to clean a toilet or urinal. Usually the traffic is heavy, and you have to clean the bathrooms while they are full.
The bathrooms have to be swept, mopped, wiped and restocked. As stated in the latter paragraph, this was a job done while in full service. I had to learn how to work around the people using the restrooms, and that included mopping the floors.
Doing yard work like cutting grass, and trimming trees was another task with ARC, along with misc jobs like cleaning side walks with a pressure washer, and handling other tasks that showed up without notice.
Not all job sites are equal, but the one I worked at was a very hot site. The wind barely would blow, and there was not a lot of shade. I actually brought a box fan, and a power converter to use in the company truck.
I was fired because of my mouth towards the supervisor, and I believe I would be working there today otherwise.
ARC of Nassau is a good place for someone to work, and the business is designed for people that have handicaps, this allows them to have a job, but they also hire people without those problems.
