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Photo by Reed Hutchinson UCLA
Photographic Services
Litter crew members (from left) Douglas Doerr, Gina Williams
and Ivan Estrada. |
Crew pursues litter with smiles on their faces
by Anne Burke
ucla today staff
“There’s another one!”
Gina Williams scurried toward a cigarette butt on the ground behind
the UCLA Medical Center. With steely determination, she grabbed
the stubbed-out end with the pincers of a metallic litter stick,
held it up briefly for inspection, then dropped it in a plastic
trash bag that she clutched in her left hand. A smile spread over
her face.
“I like to make this place so nice, so neat and soooooo pretty,”
said Williams, 42.
Williams is among the nearly three dozen developmentally disabled
people who pick up litter on campus each day. Wearing bright blue
T-shirts with “UCLA Facilities Management” on the back,
these workers have become a familiar part of the UCLA milieu. Each
morning, they fan out across the university’s 419 acres, scooping
up gum wrappers, soda cups and scraps of paper tossed carelessly
on the ground.
“I think they’re great,” said Alesia Wilson,
coordinator of ophthalmology surgery. “They’re here
every day, and they always have a smile on their faces.”
Members of the litter squad have mild-to-moderate retardation.
They come to UCLA through contracts with two private agencies —
Social Vocational Services in Torrance and Milestones Behavioral
Treatment Program in Los Angeles. Workers earn up to $6.75 an hour,
which they receive in the form of a personal paycheck.
Ivan Estrada, 31, is saving up for a trip to El Salvador, where
he was born. He’s also an avid consumer of CDs, especially
by his favorite heavy rocker, Ozzy Osbourne. “I’m actually
wearing an Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt under this,” Estrada confided.
Supervisors accompany workers on their rounds and also teach them
skills that will help them get along on their own one day —
how to deposit a check in the bank or shop for groceries.
“Our goal is to help them achieve as much independence as
possible,” said Diane Baker, employment training coordinator
for the Milestones Program.
Like any workplace, there are rules. Workers are supposed to be
on their best behavior at all times and are not allowed to stray
from the group. They’re also supposed to keep the chatter
to a minimum. But that’s OK by Ronnie Thomas, 31.
“I’m here to work. I’m not here to socialize,”
said Thomas, aiming his litter stick at a candy wrapper in the dirt.
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