Michael Caruso never expected to be working at Maryhaven: Center of Hope, an institution for the developmentally disabled in Port Jefferson Station, Long Island, nor did he expect to be promoted to Overnight Manager at only twenty years old. In fact, not too long ago Michael aspired to be a professional singer, fueled by a life-long love of music. Nevertheless, Michael feels he may have found his true calling, happy to go to work each day touching the lives of those who need it most.

Michael came to Maryhaven like any job: “Like anything else I saw a big sign that said now hiring.” He had quit his job as a waiter, and needed to find work as soon as possible. He began as a Direct Care Counselor in the Boy’s Dorms, and was recently promoted to the Overnight Manger of the Children’s Residential Division. He now works in both the Boy’s and Girl’s dorms (where the ages range from 8 to 24 years old), putting in 40-50 hours a week, not including the extra hours taking certain individuals on trips. He has taken kids out to the movies, to restaurants, to parks, and also to his home for Christmas and Thanksgiving: “Wherever I can take them to make them feel like they’re getting a normal life.” Within the center, Michael’s job is to make sure the children are being supervised, and ensuring the staff is awake and meeting their needs properly. He also draws up the staff’s schedules. One of the most important aspects of his job is to deal with “behaviors;” for example, if an individual is being self-injurious Michael will step in. Other behaviors include physical aggression, eloping (or “bolting”), feces smearing, and pica (when a child will eat and ingest anything.) Despite such stressful situations, Michael enjoys his job, saying, “Working there has given me a whole new perspective on people, and has taught me a lot about patience.”

Michael did not originally plan on becoming the Overnight Manager at Maryhaven, or any position in particular for that matter. In addition to his dream of becoming a singer, he studied at Suffolk Community College to become an interpreter for the Deaf. He is fluent in sign language with a strong knowledge of Deaf culture. Last year he volunteered to teach 5th graders sign language at a local elementary school. He continues to work towards a Deaf Studies major, and will finish his major requirements this semester. He plans to apply his degree to the MR (Mentally Retarded) Field, switching gears from his goal of being an interpreter to stay active within his new vocation. Though Michael did not always intend to enter the MR field, he soon realized that this unplanned job had changed his life. The first time he knew this was his calling was when one of his favorite individuals remembered the pinky promise he taught him, and took it upon himself to hold his hand up to Michael with their pinky out. It was then he knew that he was making a decided impact on these children’s’ lives. Michael told me the most rewarding aspect of his job was “seeing the kids I work with everyday, knowing that I’m helping making a difference, giving their lives meaning and…the care that other people can’t.”

Employees at Maryhaven require a lot of training before they can work with the clients. As such, Michael has acquired many valuable skills. He is AMAP qualified (able to administer medication and other medical duties such as taking blood pressure,) First Aid certified, and SCIP (Strategic Crisis Intervention Prevention) certified, which are techniques used when handling behaviors. He says he has learned more about the mind and how it works, doing his own reading on autism and developmental disabilities. Perhaps most importantly he has gained a great deal of patience, dealing with situations like physical abuse from the individuals to cleaning up bodily fluids. Michael displays an inspiring strength of character. While he says the job was a daunting prospect at first, he handled it better than people expected him to: “It’s emotionally and physically demanding, but I’ve risen to the challenge and gained recognition from my peers.” Working at Maryhaven has helped him to take a lot more into consideration before judging other people. Michael has learned all the necessary skills his job requires, but is also blessed with the kind of compassion that cannot be learned, but rather comes from the heart.

In Michael’s particular field, the question is often raised concerning the treatment the consumers receive. Many centers for the disabled, such as Maryhaven, are understaffed, resulting in negligence, or the employees are underpaid for the kind of work they do, which could involve such tricky procedures as changing colostomy bags. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, but Michael is pleased with Maryhaven’s ability to give its consumers the proper care. The staff is constantly learning new things about these individuals everyday. As Michael put it, “We do the best we can to meet all of their needs, but of course nobody’s perfect.” There is not enough staff, and it is difficult to entice new applicants since the wages are so low for the nature of the job, especially such an important one. Maryhaven’s employees are taking care of real lives, not simply keeping a business running. In Michael’s opinion, his facility takes very good care of their individuals, “it’s just that people themselves can leave much to be desired.” Some people fail to look at a mentally disabled individual as a human being. This poor attitude perpetuates the problem for institutions such as Maryhaven, since the public easily overlooks the plight of these individuals rather than support the attempts to provide more funding and better care.

At the ripe old age of 20, Michael is already a working man. However, he still finds time to indulge in hobbies such as writing poetry and song lyrics. In his downtime he does “what most other normal 20 year olds do – waiting to be 21.” He likes to shop, spending his hard-earned money on clothes and CDs among other things. Michael is a big music buff, boasting a very diverse collection from Mariah Carey (his favorite singer) to The Postal Service. He is also a fan of horror movies. Although he doesn’t go out as much as he used to, he has been known to sing karaoke, treating listeners to his fine-tuned voice, the product of years of singing lessons, hard work, and enthusiasm.

Michael is determined to pursue a career in the developmentally disabled field, “whether it be leaning towards abnormal psych or a social worker.” Maryhaven is a good stepping-stone, and if he can eventually earn a title that would better help the individuals in the long run, he would be more than happy to stay at Maryhaven. He recently received the Shining Star of the Month award, recognizing him for outstanding job performance. With his family’s blessing, he plans to adopt one of the individuals he works with at Maryhaven. He’s excited to have someone so special to him become a permanent part of his life and family. If Michael could pass on one piece of his newfound wisdom, he would point out that, “You never truly know yourself until you see yourself through someone else, whether it be a lover, a child, or in my case, one of the kids that I see everyday.”