Tailor Institute tailors employment help to fit clients' special needs

Tyler Hutcheson has worked for the last three years as a data sorter for Midwest Sterilization Corp. in Jackson. He is among the hundreds of people who have found employment thanks to the Cape Girardeau-based Tailor Institute.

The institute's goal is to help people with developmental disabilities with personal skills, independent living and networking.

It also helps them find employment.

The Tailor Institute, 528 Helena Ave., was founded in 2003 by late Cape Girardeau resident David Crowe and named in honor of his eldest son Taylor, who has autism.

Executive director Angie Graviett said the name is a slight tweak to make it more "tailored" to the individuals it serves.

"We try to look at the whole picture and really try to focus in on their strengths, likes and dislikes to help them find suitable employment," Graviett said.

Hutcheson has been a participant with the institute for nearly two decades. Over the years, he has made several friends and has become a diligent worker.

Midwest Sterilization sterilizes medical equipment for safety purposes. Hutcheson tracks the paper orders that come in and creates digital copies.

"To me, I like to think of them as receipts for the orders that come in when they're releasing their equipment to use to sterilize them," he said.

Hutcheson said his coworkers are among the nicest people he has ever met.

"I'm thankful for that. Blessed, I might even say," he said. "... They've all been so nice and respectful to me and helped me whenever I've needed and asked for it."

Tyler Hutcheson has worked for three years at Midwest Sterilization Corp. in Jackson. He is among hundreds of people with developmental disabilities who have found employment with help from the Tailor Institute.Christopher Borro

Learning skills

The institute does more than just help participants find employment.

Different programs include a life-skills group, an online gaming group, a monthly art class, clubhouse socials and a seasonal cooking unit.

"We've had some participants who were really interested in that and good at that, so they moved on to employment that has to do with cooking," Graviett said of the latter.

Finding enjoyable, productive careers for the people the Tailor Institute serves is a multistep process.

Employment specialists such as Toni Pearson host workshops to teach them skills such as interviewing procedures and resume building.

They move onto one-on-one social skills, then head to interested local businesses to see which ones might be a good fit.

"We really kind of get into the trenches with our participants and we want to see them get competitive employment," Pearson said.

This process helps Pearson learn more about the individuals and helps them find careers that they would be interested in and thrive at.

"It's different. It varies. It's just not a cookie-cutter process," Pearson said. "It's very individualized."

Once a participant has found a job, Tailor Institute staff members check in periodically to make sure they're doing well there.

Specialized interests

Many Tailor Institute participants have degrees or certain interests that they specialize in. Sometimes there are markets for their interests, Pearson said, but other times there aren't.

If Pearson cannot connect them to the exact type of job they want, she will often find stepping stone jobs that can lead toward their desired positions.

Over the last 20 years, the Tailor Institute has provided services to almost 300 people. Half of them are enrolled in post-secondary education institutions and about 70% of them are currently employed.

Workers have found employment as far away as St. Louis or the Bootheel, or as close by as Grace Coffee + Cafe, a restaurant employing people with developmental disabilities located just a block from the Tailor Institute.

For more information, visit www.thetailorinstitute.org.

Do you want more business news? Check out the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissiourian.com/newsletters to find out more.