Via of the Lehigh Valley aids disabled community

A group of workers chat as they stuff bright pink makeup sponges into cardboard packaging. One of them packs a group of six sponges into a box, labels it and sends it off to a nearby pallet. 

They are part of just one of the many workstations inside Via of the Valley’s building. Located at 336 W. Spruce St., this organization is home to a small group employment program. 

Clara Morrow started a small group of concerned parents of adults with disabilities in 1952, and her original organization merged with United Cerebral Palsy of the Lehigh Valley in 1997 to form what is now known as Via. 

“They chose (the name) because ‘via’ means by way or pathway,” said Lisa Walkiewicz, Via president and chief executive officer. “The intent was, (to mean) it’s the way for people with disabilities in the Lehigh Valley.”

In addition to the job opportunities Via provides their clients, the organization’s offerings include employment services, life skills training, summer camps and other initiatives aimed to improve independence and provide support for clients. 

Many clients also choose to participate in Via’s Community Connections program, through which they volunteer for community organizations including Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity and animal shelters. 

Walkiewicz has been leading the organization for five years, but has worked there for nearly 20. She transitioned from a communications role to an operational management one, and in 2019, she became Via’s executive director. 

She said she was inspired to take her initial job there because her cousin has a physical disability, and witnessing the support from his family motivating him helped him overcome obstacles.   

“He is an extraordinary man,” Walkiewicz said. “Growing up alongside him — watching his parents provide him with every opportunity and every reason to succeed — made me understand that as long as people are provided the opportunity, they can be successful.”

Handmade goods for sale are displayed in the Via of the Lehigh Valley Lobby. All the goods were made by individuals who participated in a Via workshop. (Tommy Wang/B&W Staff)

She oversees a staff of over 170 employees who work mostly within the community. 

Some serve as employment coaches and specialists who train clients on job skills and support them to find success there. Others take on the role of community coaches who help clients live as independently as possible by facilitating community interactions and transportation. 

Walkiewicz said it’s important her staff provides enthusiastic support comes to work excited each day, is strategic and has a growth mindset. 

“The people that work here are focused on that,” Walkiewicz said. “Inherently, people come to work here because this aligned with them personally, but they also need to be really driven because as an organization we are driven.”

Part of that growth, she said, comes from adding services when needed. 

Via’s newest program — behavioral support services — is often an additional service for clients who are already part of other programs. It helps clients address challenging behaviors, learn communication and adaptive skills, and increase impulse control.

Walkiewicz said increased demand is one way a service like this might be added to the organization’s offerings. The state of Pennsylvania also occasionally asks for services of Office of Developmental Programs to be added to Via’s offerings.

Participants’ comments hang from the wall in Via of the Lehigh Valley. People can leave feedback to show their appreciation for the professional support they received. (Tommy Wang/B&W Staff)

Chelsea Reiter is the director of behavioral support, the organization’s adult training facility and Community Connections. 

She spends much of her time fostering pre-existing community ties and working with volunteer coordinators at other sites to get Via clients involved. She also works across departments and helps people with many different needs. 

Reiter recently celebrated 10 years at Via. She said seeing the people she serves grow and achieve their goals has kept her there for all those years. While she has a lot of roles to balance, she said her work deeply connects to the community. 

She said a lot of the programs intertwine, so an individual receiving adult training or community connections may also have behavior support.

“It’s really good to balance between all of them and it actually helps me stay involved a lot more,” Reiter said. “I can oversee everybody, but also I can help direct it in a different direction if they may need different programming.”

One of the clients who uses Community Connections, the service she directs, is Jason K. He volunteers for Meals on Wheels and Head Start, a school-based program. 

Every Wednesday he spends the afternoon at the Bethlehem Township Community Center. He said he keeps by busy organizing weights, cleaning the gym floor and chatting with guests. 

Via helped him find this job, and staff help him live more independently. They support him in the community and at his community center job, and help him complete household tasks. 

He said he’s able to go grocery shopping for his family and go out for lunch when his dad’s home. 

Via also assists him with various volunteer positions. 

Jason said he keeps busy most days of the week and enjoys the independence working outside his home provides him. He also appreciates a chance to escape some of the stressors he faces at home. 

“I need to be out in the community,” Jason said. “And also I have one crazy dog. I need to get a little break.”