When Ned Lamont shut down Connecticut on March 20 to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the governor threw Bonnie Belcamino-Jones and Jennel Ricard a curve.
“We were all stunned. What on earth do we do now? But day-by-day we realized, we can do it! We just have to do it in a different way,” says Jones. “We never imagined so many things could be provided virtually.”
Director of Employment Services for The Arc Eastern Connecticut south region, Jones leads vocational programming for about 100 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at The Arc’s Groton facility. Ricard, based in Norwich, ensures health and safety and program integrity as deputy quality assurance officer of Day Services. The well-being of close to 200 people is in her hands daily. Both women have worked at The Arc Eastern Connecticut for about 10 years.
“I heard a lot of parents say they didn’t think, for their child, virtual services could work. And it was the complete opposite,” Jones says. “Once we started doing things that caught the person’s attention: music, graphics, anything that caught the eye, really, it made people stop and pay attention. I think parents were surprised. I think group home leaders were surprised.”
Before long, The Arc’s virtual programs were offering two to five activities daily, five days a week, with a new theme each week. Private cooking lessons, karaoke, educational videos, read-aloud stories, sing-alongs, gardening kits, Word and other computer skills as well as Sign lessons — led to an approximate 90% attendance increase almost overnight. “We do Zoom, Zoo Room and Google Duo,” says Jones.
“For people with social anxiety, people with autism who can’t tolerate a lot of noise and large crowds, “Jones says, “virtual can work better. We’ve noticed a lot of engagement with people who would not engage in a large crowd.”
Team members are having fun too. “The team really wants to be here,” Ricard says. “They’ve really missed being with the people we serve in person.”
