Life, Inc. offers way for intellectually disabled to build confidence
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on December 14, 2016 12:51 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Riley, left, an individual with an intellectual disability, takes a damp Greenwood Middle School T-shirt off of a spinner at Life's SpecialTees of Life, Inc. Charles Brooks, a day program director, monitors Riley's work performance. Riley, along with others with intellectual disabilities at Life, Inc., gets paid to print T-shirts and learns to how to overcome social barriers.
Riley peels a freshly-printed T-shirt off the conveyer belt and studies his work.
He holds it up for Charles Brooks to see.
Riley smiles. Brooks smiles. Then the two high-five.
A year ago, Riley wouldn't have been able to react that way.
Riley lives in a group home for the intellectually disabled called Life, Inc.
Employees there say Riley used to cross his arms and refuse to interact with others.
He struggled with low self-esteem when he arrived at a Life, Inc. six years ago. But since then, through treatment and through the pride gained by holding down a job and producing goods people can use, Riley has begun to open up.
Life, Inc. is a private health care company at 2609 Royall Ave., in Goldsboro. The company launched a T-shirt printing program last summer called Life's SpecialTees, changing not just Riley but the other "individuals" ---- Life, Inc. refers to its clients as individuals or consumers ---- for the better.
Life, Inc. wouldn't allow the last names or ages of its clients to be published for their own protection. But the health care provider offered a glimpse into the lives of some of its consumers to show their progress, like Riley.
Read more about Life, Inc. and Riley's story in tomorrow's issue of the News-Argus.