By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When Melanie Stretchbery walks out on the floor of Wood Lane Industries, she is swarmed by workers wanting to give her hugs and high-fives. They talk about birthdays, knitting projects and their work day.
These are the people who convinced Stretchbery to start her career working with the developmentally disabled 33 years ago. She didn’t plan this career path.
“I was going to work in criminal justice,” she said, initially doing some work as a parole officer.
But something didn’t feel right.
“I didn’t feel hope working in corrections,” Stretchbery said.
So she tried a new career path working with people with developmental disabilities. There, she found the hope she was looking for.
“It’s everywhere,” Stretchbery said, as she rounds out her career as superintendent at Wood Lane. “There’s a feeling of hope and never giving up. The appreciation and gratitude for everything you have.”
Though the individuals and families she worked with for years face profound challenges, she continued to be amazed at their approach to life. “They fight and never give up. I don’t see many bitter people. You just respect that.”
Unlike other careers, where people come and go, work in developmental disability services often means working with people for their entire lives – from birth to death.
“I feel very fortunate. I feel honored that families let me be with them and let me experience their triumphs and tragedies, and everything in between.”
Stretchbery has watched many families go through the difficult decision of letting go of a person with developmental disabilities. That decision, to allow Wood Lane to help take care of a family member, takes an incredible amount of trust, she said.
And it’s up to Wood Lane to live up to that faith, she said.
The work also gave Stretchbery a chance to make real differences in individual lives. She recalled a resident at a Wood Lane group home, who had several challenging behaviors. In those days, before the practice was banned, staff would “take down” someone who was posing a risk to themselves or others. They would be restrained until they calmed.
Stretchbery talked to the resident and asked him how it felt to be restrained. He curled up on the floor and pleaded “stop.” She checked his history, which revealed he had been abused. So Stretchbery tried another approach – she invited him to become part of her family. She has been his legal guardian since 1986, and he spends time with her family when he wishes. But he has also blossomed into a social butterfly with others.
“He has frequent lunch dates and dinner dates and movie dates,” she said. “It’s been a long journey for him.”
That type of behavior is typical of Stretchbery, according to Rebecca Ferguson, vice president of the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
“She’s compassionate. This woman’s got a heart the size of a barn,” Ferguson said of Stretchbery. “She has touched so many people’s lives. People’s lives are better because of her.”
Her passion and energy to better the lives of people with challenges is evident, said Janel LaFond, executive director of Children’s Resource Center, where Stretchbery served on the board for 14 years.
“Melanie does nothing small,” LaFond said. “She doesn’t give up. Her goal is to make something happen.”
Stretchbery has seen many changes during her time with Wood Lane. People with developmental disabilities are no longer hidden away – they are part of the community. Many work in jobs throughout the county. Many live in apartments with some assistance by staff. Many volunteer throughout the community. Many compete in Special Olympics. And many who would have gone to Wood Lane School in the past are now reached with early intervention so they can attend regular classrooms.
They are no longer perceived as “forever children.”
“People have the right to make the same bad decisions as the rest of society,” she said.
“That all leads to fuller participation in life,” she said. “They are part of their community.”
And that gives the community an opportunity to see them differently than they might have before.
“It’s giving people a chance to get to know people as people, not by their diagnoses.”
As superintendent, Stretchbery helped prepare Wood Lane for changes in state requirements, Ferguson said. But even as she was looking at the administrative side, she kept her heart focused on the consumers.
“She never lost sight that we’re serving people,” Ferguson said. “She has always had the best interest of the clients we serve and their families at heart.”
As she retires, Stretchbery hopes to spend more time on her volunteer commitments with Wheeled Meals, Zonta, Women’s Club, Kiwanis and Honor Flight. She also has her eyes on some cooking and wine lessons, plus traveling with her husband, Brian, and spending time with their first grandchild.
