May 31, 2017 at 3:37 p.m.
Take Your Legislator to Work Day: Swearingen makes stop at Minocqua McDonald's
Take Your Legislator to Work Day: Swearingen makes stop at Minocqua McDonald's
By By Iris Linder-
Siegler was excited and nervous to meet Rep. Swearingen, a Republican from Rhinelander.
After pictures were taken for his Facebook profile picture, Siegler told the legislator he was "honored" to me him, to which Swearingen responded, "Sometimes all you gotta do is ask, right?"
The visit was arranged by the Wisconsin Board of People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) as part of the "Take Your Legislator to Work Day" campaign. Swearingen participated in this campaign once before, in 2013, when he visited Lisa Gilson at her business in Minocqua.
Rep. Swearingen asked about Siegler's job and Siegler's teacher, Eric Mikoleit replied, "Mostly he's a dining room attendant, you know, cleaning and stocking. He works one day a week on Fridays, he's been doing it two years and he just absolutely loves it."
Siegler is an individual with an intellectual disability, making it a little more difficult for him to find employment. However, through the school to work program at Lakeland Union High School, where Siegler is a senior, and with the assistance of the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, he was hired by McDonald's. Mikoleit described the management as "absolutely patient and willing."
As Mikoleit said, Peter loves his job. He proudly described his duties to Rep. Swearingen.
"I take out the garbages. See that receptacle over there? I check that to see if I can take out the garbage or not," Siegler explained. "And then I wipe tables and then I wipe the seats, like what you're sitting on and I wipe the receptacles, too. And then I stock the drink station and make sure it's all clean."
But, as they say, seeing is better than hearing, so Swearingen accompanied Siegler as he did his job. After checking to make sure the garbage bin was full, Siegler wheeled one bin into the back room, Rep. Swearingen in tow. When they returned, Peter led him to the drinks station, where he inspected it to determine if a refill was necessary. And thus the tour was complete.
When Rep. Swearingen visited Lisa Gilson in 2013, her mother, Carol, had asked him if he knew of pending legislation pertaining to individuals with disabilities. An article published by The Lakeland Times about this visit stated that he replied "he talks to Wisconsin State Sen. Tom Tiffany frequently and that Tiffany may be more up to speed on anything in the works legislatively."
The Lakeland Times asked Rep. Swearingen if he had spoken with Senator Tiffany after his visit with the Gilsons.
"A lot of things have gone on since the last time I was treated to one of these events," he said. "So, the goal is to make sure that businesses have an awareness, or at least a heightened awareness, that there are people with disabilities out there that can absolutely fit into the workplace and I think that's a great thing. McDonald's here is a great example, with what's going on with Peter.
"In addition to that, I think the end result of all these public programs is we want to make sure that the end result would be that these folks get a regular paying job," Swearingen continued. "They're working regular hours, they're enjoying themselves, they're an asset ... So the end result is, they should be out in the workforce, just like anybody else."
The fact is that many individuals with intellectual disabilities are employed, especially in Wisconsin. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.1 percent of individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 with disabilities are in the labor force.
Wisconsin was ranked within the top 10 states for number of workers with disabilities, a fact which Rep. Swearingen mentioned that Gov. Scott Walker is justifiably very proud of.
Siegler is just one of about 150,000 people with disabilities who are employed throughout the state. However, there must be few who are more enthusiastic or pleased with their job.
At the end of the visit, Siegler blessed Rep. Swearingen, quoting Numbers 6:24-26.
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Iris Linder may be reached via email at [email protected].
WEATHER SPONSORED BY
E-Editions
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
Comments:
You must login to comment.