Above: Scott Wieser uses a wand to process data entry Friday as part of his employment at Systems Unlimited in Iowa City. Based in Iowa City, Systems Unlimited serves people in 17 counties throughout Eastern Iowa with 750 full- and part-time staff members.   Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst

When Systems Unlimited moved to its new building on the east side of Iowa City, providing individualized service came down to synchronizing the clocks.

Employment Systems, a division of Systems Unlimited that aids people with disabilities in jobs, training and day programming, made sure all the clocks were synchronized and got an atomic clock to ensure the correct time.

The need for accuracy is important because Employment Systems' staff members write down exactly how much time a person spends with an activity -- watching a movie, doing their job shredding paper or playing balloon volleyball for exercise -- in order to receive the appropriate amount from each of its 13 different funding streams, said Dion Williams, director of Employment Systems & Information Technology.

Each client has an individualized plan, but the programming also is quite flexible. One day, a person may spend 15 minutes using the paper shredders as part of their job. The next day they may do two hours of work. And that's OK.

"It's much more challenging for staff to meet needs that way," executive director William Gorman said. "(But) our job isn't to make it easier for our staff."

Employment Systems is one of the three divisions of the 36-year-old nonprofit Systems Unlimited. As of Jan. 13, all three divisions are under one roof in a 33,300-square-foot building on 2.5 acres at 2533 Scott Blvd.

Getting into their new facility was a six-year project, Gorman said. Previously, the Iowa City departments were in two different buildings with little office space for most of its employees and narrow hallways that made it difficult for the people who travel around the building in wheelchairs.

Based in Iowa City, Systems Unlimited serves people in 17 counties throughout Eastern Iowa with 750 full- and part-time staff members.

On the opposite side of the new building is Family Systems, programming that includes therapy for individuals and families, crisis intervention, foster care services and opportunities to reunite with birth parents and adoption home studies.

At the new facility, "we are able to have a much more professional setting," director of Family Systems Janet Outlund said.

With a separate entrance for each Systems Unlimited division, "it makes them feel more comfortable because it is more confidential," Williams said.

Many of the people Employment Systems serves have some degree of mental retardation, Williams said. Family Systems deals more with families than people with disabilities, Outlund said, but staff is available to deal with those families as well.

Employment Systems does more than connect people with work in or outside of the office. It also focuses on "day programming" or social activities.

"They need support in order to live their life," Williams said. "The opportunity to leave their homes and do things and interact is mental stimulation."

"These leisure skills are actually serving a long-term service."

The third division is supported living, where staff members work with clients in their homes providing hourly and site services for children and adults, respite services for people with disabilities or seniors and home and vehicle modification.

"We do really focus on providing outstanding service for people with some really intense needs," Williams said.

 

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