So to address the elephant in the room, one of our PBS Wisconsin engineers is also on
this call, that's how we record Zoom calls just so we get better quality video than what
we can do within the Zoom app.
I am also going to start recording through the Zoom app though, or my own piece of mind.
Do you have any questions for me before we get started?
I don't think so.
Okay.
So maybe you can start by just telling me about your brother, tell me his name, how old he
is, and how long he's been working at TTI.
Sure.
So my brother's name is Matthew, and he is 46 years old.
He's been at TTI Industries for roughly 20, at least 20 years.
Maybe a little bit longer, but at least a good 20 years he's been working there.
It's been, you know, amazing for him to have that opportunity to be a part of TTI Industries.
He loves his job.
He loves, you know, the people he works with, all the friends that he has there.
Yeah, it's just been a great place for him.
And what is he actually doing when he's there?
What kind of work is it?
So right now it's considered, it's considered piece work, they call it.
So basically these agencies, they contract with local businesses to do different jobs.
So they can do stuff from taking batteries out of disposable cameras, or, I mean, there's all kinds of stuff.
There's lots of different jobs that they do.
One of the things that is unfortunate is that since everything has started with.
Trying to eliminate the 14 C certification.
The managed care organizations, putting more restrictions and, you know, not authorizing programs and things like that.
There's not as many opportunities within his organization anymore.
He used to be able to, like he used to work at a local cheese factory.
So two days of work, he, or two days a week, he would go to the cheese factory with three other people that were part of TTI Industries.
They would work there for a few hours a day.
So they were, they had community integrated employment, but then they were able to come back to TTI Industries,
and they just went, you know, the rest of the week and still have a job and still work and things like that.
So those types of services have been reduced or limited for TTI Industries and lots of agencies across the state, actually.
And are you comfortable telling me how much she makes at TTI?
It's varied off the job because it's considered piece work. So they're bait.
They're paid based off of how much work they get done.
So depending on the job, you know, the more work they get done, the more they get paid.
That's kind of, you know, how it works. A lot of, you know, a lot of these places, they actually have a minimum wage set rates.
But because the production that's, you know, like Matt works at is so slow.
They're based off, you know, they're paid based off of how much work they're completing, you know, within a day.
Versus just, you know, a strict hourly rate.
Mm hmm.
Sure.
Is he able to cover personal expenses or is this more just about getting work experience and, you know, getting out of the house.
Able to work with.
So the one issue is that, you know, when it comes to the whole battle between, you know, the community based employment and not having these agencies available for people with developmental disabilities anymore.
Is that Matt can't make a certain amount can't make above a certain amount of money.
If he makes above a certain amount of money, his SSI benefits automatically get reduced.
And he then is also subject to losing his Medicaid benefits.
Or certain, you know, part of his benefits and things like that. So, so for him, it's not about making money, you know, he would never get ahead.
And be able to make enough money to live off whether he was getting paid more or not, because, you know, he would lose his other benefits.
So it's not about making money to live off of.
It's, you know, more about giving him that sense of, you know, inclusion, you know, he goes to work every day, just like I do, just like our other brother does, you know, he's got coworkers that he works with his form friendships with people that are, you know, he had to say it this way,
but that are like him, you know, that they understand each other. They're in special Olympics together, you know, they, they form these relationships that they wouldn't form.
They were, you know, Matt was out in the community working at the local grocery store and he was only the only one in the grocery store with Down syndrome.
He would never form the same relationships with his coworkers there that he does with his coworkers in this agency and that's, you know, that's really, it's very important for, you know, their, their mental health and just their overall well being and how they feel about themselves.
So does Matt tried to find employment elsewhere.
When he was younger in his early 20s before he started working at TTI industries, yes, he did.
He worked at a couple different restaurants.
And again, you know, this is why these agencies are so important and the options should be there, because he was only working a few hours a week.
And he would, you know, and he was one place he was a dishwasher. He was, you know, stuck in the kitchen dishwashing by himself, not interacting with anybody else.
And he was only working, you know, a maximum of maybe 10 hours a week.
And then he was home sitting at home isolated while everybody else in the family was at work.
So that's why we, you know, he did.
Yeah, and did he ever have any challenges finding work.
It wasn't necessarily, I mean, the finding work, he was very limited to the type of work he could do, you know, it was working in a restaurant, you know, working in a grocery store, you know, just very base, you know, very.
I don't want to say, you know, but the skill level isn't, you know, he's, he's very slow. He moved at one pace, you know, he doesn't have the quick, like, oh my gosh, he doesn't have that reaction time for, you know, so.
It was very limited of the type of work that he could find in the community.
And then with the jobs that he could find, you know, again, they're not going to, you know, because he doesn't have that quick reaction timer, you know, he doesn't work at a fast pace.
They're not going to schedule him, you know, with all the hours that somebody else is able to keep up at a faster pace and a, you know, in a restaurant or where, you know, so.
So yeah, and that's the problem with, you know, this community employment is I'm not against community employment. I think it's great. I think it's great for people with disabilities to be out in the community and be seen and things like that.
But to limit the options to just community employment and get rid of these agencies that offer, you know, the pre vocational workshops and things like that.
It's just really detrimental to, you know, people just developmental disabilities because they don't all.
They're not all the same, you know, everybody has different levels and some people just aren't capable of community work, but they're capable of being at these agencies and doing the work there, you know, and feeling part of a community, you know, so.
Yeah, so can you tell me a little bit more about that so like criticisms of these 14 C certificates are saying that everyone should be able to make a livable wage and it's not fair to pay people less than that.
How do you balance that and also these, you know, the, the major benefits that you've seen in your brother's life, because it was.
So I talked to a bunch of different advocacy agencies across the state of Wisconsin.
And, you know, that is the biggest thing is that they say that, you know, it's, you know, that wages aren't fair and they're not making fair wages and, you know, well, that's great. And that's a great battle to fight, you know, I'm not saying that they shouldn't make fair wages.
But again, like I said, the issue is that.
When they start making too much money.
There are other benefits then get taken away from them.
And they need those benefits, you know, it's important for them to have those benefits and even making a living wage.
The ads of somebody with, you know, a developmental disability, or for I shouldn't say of somebody for everybody with a developmental disability because everybody has different levels and different, you know, skill levels and function at different levels.
So to expect that.
Everybody that has a developmental disability is going to find a community job, making a living wage and working 40 hours a week is just not realistic. It's just, you know, it's very unrealistic to think that that's, that's going to happen, you know, it would be great.
I mean, obviously we would all love to see that happen, but we have to be realistic about, you know, about this.
So even some of the agencies that talk to that are fighting to have 14 C taken away out of the state of Wisconsin, you know, I said, I feel like they're putting the cart before the force.
What really should be fought first is we should be fighting for their for no caps on their social security benefits, you know, for not having caps for their Medicaid benefits.
So they can get these community jobs and work and not worry about losing their benefits and having, you know, those cut or reduced because now they're making too much money and they're paying taxes on that money.
You know, they don't pay taxes on their social security checks, you know, that's so it just puts them into a whole different category in so many different areas. It's not as cut and dry as these advocates are making it seem.
I guess, and that's, that's a really frustrating part.
So you mentioned the no caps on Medicaid benefits. Are there other sorts of supports that you think would be necessary to ensure people like your brother can have meaningful employment.
Say that again.
Sorry.
Are there other sorts of support or resources that you would you would advocate for?
I mean, while, you know, the Medicaid caps and obviously, you know, the social security, the SSI, which is his disability social security that he gets, you know, there shouldn't be a cap on that for people with disabilities either if they're working, you know, a community job.
Because the goal, you know, is for them to make a living wage, a living wage means that they're able to support themselves right that, you know, to me that's what that means that, you know, if they want to live out on their own if they're capable of living.
In their own apartment or, you know, things like that that they can afford those things, you know, and the reality is that unless you have a family that can supplement, you know, your living costs.
That's not a reality, you know, Mac could never afford to live out on his own.
And that's due to the caps on social security, you know, it's due to, you know, yeah, not making a living wage, but again, you know, the.
The odds of him getting out and especially now at 46 years old, you know, this is what he's known for 20 years.
A lot of people with disabilities are very routine orientated you break that routine and it's very disruptive for them and it's very hard and the adjustment is very hard and.
So, you know, that's not good either and, you know, these programs end and get taken away.
Matt doesn't have a job.
He's now in a day program, which he's not ready for a day program, you know, day programs are great.
But they're just do arts and crafts and go on field trips and, you know, and again, they're great programs and I'm glad they're there because at some point.
Matt will utilize a day program when he ages out of, you know, when he retires, I guess you could say, you know, but.
But yeah, if these places get shut and then, you know, to have him to expect that at 46 years old, he's going to go out to the community and he's going to find a job that's going to pay him a living wage.
It's just unrealistic. So, you know, you're just, you're basically telling all these people with disabilities like, well, you just don't have a job now and, you know, you can go to day programs that's, that's sufficient enough, which I just think is really sad.
Yeah, what, what other concerns do you have as Matt gets older, you and your family get older.
Um, I mean, concerns, you know, there's always a concern of, you know, for Matt, he has Down syndrome. So it's very common with people with Down syndrome to develop early onset Alzheimer's or dementia.
You know, so, you know, even just funding from the states and, you know, the federal government in general for families to be able to care for those with disabilities because they age differently.
You know, it looks and it looks different for them, you know, Matt's 46 were already seen some very, very early early onset dementia, just stuff that I noticed because he lives with me.
So, nothing that anybody else would notice.
But, you know, so we're fortunate that, you know, he comes from a very well to do, you know, we can afford to take care of him. We can afford to make sure that he will stay with me and not, you know, go to a home or anything like that.
You know, a lot of people don't have that option, you know, whether it's because there aren't enough programs out there that, you know, are there to bring care into the home for their loved ones, so they can stay where they're comfortable, you know.
And I worry to, you know, another issue is the, which I think is why you started this whole article was the, the group homes.
In across the state of Wisconsin.
And, you know, that's another huge, I mean, that's another huge issue and Matt's not in a group home and things like that, but we, I know lots of people that are being involved in special Olympics and stuff like that.
And, you know, there was a group home just in our community in West Bend, actually, that had been in town for, I believe it was like 20 years.
And I don't know if it was privately owned. I don't know all the details of it, but I do know that that group home has now been, they sold the house and it's been shut down.
And so these people that have lived together their entire lives, they're a family, have are now being, they're ripped apart, they're shipped to whatever group home has availability so they could be in different parts of the state, you know, and.
And that's really sad to see that happen too. And, you know, so it's not, for me, it's not just about Matt, it's about everybody with disabilities and, you know, advocating for all of them because.
They deserve a happy, you know, healthy life, just like everybody else. And I just feel that right now, we're going backwards as a society when it comes to taking care of those with disabilities.
Yeah, do you feel like in, in the state legislature or even at the local level like people with disabilities are not are often left out of the conversation.
I do, to a certain extent, yes, I'm starting to do more research on that right now.
You know, I'm, I have phone calls out to different, you know, representatives across the state. There are some that have been fighting for the 14 see, you know, there are some that are completely ready to get rid of it.
You know, so it's, yeah, I think that there's not a full understanding of what their lives look like and what these programs offer for them.
I think everybody's just looking at it from, well, they're not paid fair wages and they're isolated, you know, and it's, I don't, you know, segregated, I think is the word that I've heard a lot.
That's not, I don't like that word because they're not segregated. You know, these are their friends. These are their, you know, like I said, the individuals that they, they understand each other.
You know, so, I mean, sometimes I, you know, I look at Matt and he's having a full on conversation with one of those friends and they're either stuttering or they, you know, they don't speak clearly or, you know, and I have a hard time understanding.
And I'm just, I'm just, you know, it just blows my mind how they just, you know, where somebody like that you put them in the community into a community job and, you know, they're not going to form those friendships because the reality is that either people aren't going to understand them.
They're not going to take the time. You know, it's just, there's so many factors and it's just really, it's really heartbreaking that this is happening.
Well, thank you very much. Was there anything else you wanted to add?
Um, no, I don't think so. I think that's, I mean, that's the, I think that's the gist of it. You know, I just, I want to add personally, I really appreciate you reaching out and covering this and doing this story. And, you know, I hope, like I said, you know, there have been some articles that come out and.
It just, you know, it really, they shut a bad light on these programs and there's not a lot of positive articles that are coming out to really, you know, highlight what they actually do for people. So.
I hope to see that in your article and, you know, thank you so much for doing this because it's really important to get, you know, eyes on this and get make people aware.
Yeah, absolutely. It's a very important topic. And like I said, I'm going to be at TTI tomorrow. I'll talk to a couple different from there. Sure. And Matt will be at work tomorrow.
He will be at work tomorrow. I just won't. I will not be there because, like I said, we have a place in Florida that got hit by a hurricane. So I'm.
Of course. Yeah.
Yes.
But Matt will be at work tomorrow. So, you know, if you just ask for him, you can.
His name is Matt Miller. That's your last name. Okay. Yeah. Great. I will. I look forward to meeting him. Good luck to your house. And thank you for making the day amid this crazy week.
Yeah, it's a little. It's pretty crazy right now. But yeah. So, okay. Thank you. Yep. Take care. Bye.
Bye.
Recording stopped.