Judy Lysne
Given Humanitarian Award for Visionary Work
Judy Lysne remembers her frustration growing up in North Dakota
where her friend Richie did not attend the two-room school house
with her because he had Down syndrome. Common thinking at the time
was that people with disabilities could not learn. She knew this
was shortsighted and just plain incorrect.
In l973, Lysne took
her belief in the abilities of those who are disabled to the non-profit
organization Lifeworks Services and she has been blazing trails
ever since in Minnesota and internationally. Building on Lifeworks’ passion
for innovation, she has initiated supported employment, giving
a community presence to people with disabilities.
Her visionary leadership of Lifeworks Services, a non-profit supporting
people with developmental disabilities in jobs, volunteering, art/music,
and education, was recognized as she was given the first annual Brian
C. Barenscheer Award for humanitarian service by the American Bank
Foundation on October 7.
“Judy Lysne exemplifies all that Brian believed,” said
John Seidel, president/CEO and trustee of the American Bank Foundation. “Judy’s
enthusiasm, dedication and conviction have been instrumental in the
enormous contribution Lifeworks has made in its 40-year history,
enriching the lives of people with disabilities and the lives of
those they touch.”
“Judy brought
the bank and its employees to a new perception of disabled adults
by encouraging us to hire them to work in our bank. They are phenomenal,
inspirational employees and they have changed us and our culture.”
“Unemployment of disabled people is four times the national
rate,” said Seidel. “This should be a big concern not
only of business but of the entire community.”
Judy Lysne joined Lifeworks
in l973. After serving as co-president with Jim McCaul, she assumed
the president’s job in 2000. In
her 32 years with Lifeworks, she has focused on the abilities of
people with disabilities. She knew the answer was not sheltered workshops
but real jobs in the community.
She started as a teacher
in Lifeworks’ preschool program.
Then she moved into administrative positions where she could build
the capacity of the non-profit to fulfill its mission.
Founded in l965, Lifeworks started as the Development Learning Center
(DLC) serving families of children with special needs. Rejecting
the traditional way of caring for people with mental retardation,
they wanted to educate their children and give them a place in the
community.
Lifeworks established
Minnesota’s first home visiting program
for infants just before Lysne joined the organization. Families who
were struggling with the birth of a child with special needs gained
support and information quickly at home.
In 1988, the public schools in Minnesota became responsible for
direct service to children and Lifeworks, then known as Dakota, Inc.,
began to directly serve only adults.
Never a sheltered workshop, Lifeworks learned how to place people
with developmental disabilities in jobs in community businesses and
then train and support them on the job. In 1985 when the first five
people were employed, they earned $840. By 2004, through Life-works,
593 earned $3.74 million working in more than 200 Minnesota businesses.
In l996, Lifeworks began providing school-to-work transition services
to students in special education. Students explore career options
and get real work experience in a variety of industries while still
in school so they are ready for a job, or already hired, at graduation.
Lysne was a leader in lobbying for a change in the way counties
supported families of children and adults with disabilities. In 2001,
the legislature made it possible for families of children and adults
to control their own budgets for services. Those families began to
hire family members, neighbors, or friends to support them.
Lifeworks’ Customized
Support Services team guides the support manager (the individual,
family or guardian) through the process of hiring, training and
supervising staff, and manages the formal employment relationship.
This brings more continuity in the care and improves quality.
Lysne is entrepreneurial. When the economy softens and jobs are
more difficult to find, Lifeworks increases opportunities for those
it serves with re-training, life enrichment programs, art and music
programs, and volunteerism. A painting created by one Lifeworks artist
was recently selected to be in a juried art show. The walls at the
Lifeworks centers are covered with art created by those they serve.
For years, Judy Lysne and her husband, who also works with disabled
people, have hosted officials from Denmark who have come to observe
and learn from the success of the supported employment program. Denmark
has always provided excellent support for people with disabilities
and their families but until seeing Lifeworks was never convinced
that supported employment could work.
“I can understand the skepticism both here and abroad,” said
Lifeworks Board Chair Steve Wexler. “When I was at Norstan,
one of my staff suggested bringing Lifeworks in. I was a big skeptic
but after seeing the capabilities of people with disabilities and
watching how well they integrate into an organization, I became totally
supportive. The Lifeworks clients become an inspiration to the employees
and actually made us more efficient as well as improved our company’s
morale. It is my goal to convince more businesses to be involved
in supported employment.”
Contact: Mary Hassing,
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, 651-365-3725, maryhassing@lifeworks.org or Ginger Sisco, Sisco Public Relations, Inc., 763-544-0629, ginger.sisco@tela.com
