‘Access’ Sheltered Workshop to close by end of the year

As federal regulations push care disability services to be in compliance with Medicaid, small town communities face difficulties with new “integrated” practices
     For 35 years, Tom Johnson, 58, Hampton, has worked at the Access, Inc. “workshop,” picking up Monday, Wednesday and Friday shifts. On other days and times, Johnson can be found mowing lawns and shoveling snow,  completing small tasks at warehouses and finding small jobs at local Hampton business.
     “I need more money to live off of,” Johnson said.
     When he’s not working, Johnson can be found at local eateries and on the main street, talking to strangers, asking if there’s anything he can do to work.
     For Johnson, an intellectually disabled resident of the community, job opportunities are hard to come by. He relies on his three days at the workshop to both keep himself busy, and earn extra money.
     But on Dec. 31, 2016, the Access “Workshop” will close its doors and discontinue the prevocational program, leaving many, like Johnson, without a source of income.
     Read the full article in the October 19 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.