NICE, Calif. – Mar-Val’s Sentry Market has received an Excellence in Employment Award from the California Disability Services Association for recognizing the value of hiring persons with developmental disabilities.

The grocery store hired two people with intellectual/developmental disabilities to work as courtesy clerks.

While the two individuals receive support from People Services, hiring two courtesy clerks is a sizable investment of time, energy and individual accommodation for a small store.

But the store went further, giving their employees a chance to move beyond their daily tasks and grow professionally.

This has not only benefitted an individual with an intellectual/developmental disability, but has motivated the entire store to act as a team to help each other.

“I love my job!” proclaimed one courtesy clerk, when Mar-Val Sentry gave him an opportunity to realize a dream that he had for nine years: to be a cashier.

Staff take time out of their busy schedules to help him learn to use the register and ring up multiple items from different departments, to record the store’s donation to the local senior center.

He feels important, valued and part of the team. He still performs his courtesy clerk duties, but using the cash register appears to be the highlight of his day. It would take less time for other staff to do it themselves, but they’re willing to invest their time to help someone else achieve their goals.

Helping a co-worker with a developmental disability achieve his professional goal has generated enthusiasm and teamwork, which is noticed by customers as they walk in the door. Great customer service creates more satisfied customers and repeat business. And the new cashier is the smiling face of Mar-Val Sentry in Nice.

Mar-Val Food Stores purchased the Sentry Market in Nice approximately two years ago, making it part of a community-minded grocery chain with nine other stores in the northern California area. Their motto is “Small enough to appreciate you, big enough to serve you.”

Founded in 1981, People Services Inc., is a private, not-for-profit corporation that meets the individual needs of people with disabilities residing in Lake County.

People Services networks within the community as an advocate for people with disabilities, focusing on community access and consumer rights, fostering independence and economic self-sufficiency.

The Excellence in Employment Award program is sponsored and run by the California Disability Services Association, or CDSA, which has been the voice of developmental disability service providers in California for more than 40 years.

CDSA is a trade association representing 80-plus community‐based, direct care providers whose common purpose is to help Californians with developmental disabilities lead productive and fulfilling lives of their choosing. These organizations serve 51,500 clients and employ some 19,000 people.

Service providers respect the dignity, diversity of needs, feelings and independent thought of their clients, working with parents and families, the Regional Centers, and other advocacy networks.

Developmental disabilities include, but are not limited to: autism, epilepsy, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome and other severe, chronic disabilities.