The Guild for Human Services, which educates, encourages and empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities, recently was joined by members of the Concord Police Department to honor seven Guild School athletes who participated in the Special Olympics Area Games in Track and Field competition this summer.

May 8th-12th marked National Teacher Appreciation Week! Throughout the week, we celebrated our incredible education team with events and featured staff profiles on our social media pages. Check out highlights below, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @guildhumanservices for full staff features:

Maria Esna, M.Ed, Classroom Teacher

After months of planning, The Guild’s vocational services department was excited to open The Guild School Store at the end of February. The store, which carries snack items, school supplies, crafts, toys, and more, is located in the administrative wing of the school campus.

February marks Low Vision Awareness Month, a time to recognize the challenges millions of people in the United States face with low or impaired vision. By definition, low vision refers to having a permanent vision impairment that prevents proper eyesight and makes everyday activities difficult. Most people in the United States with vision loss have a form of low vision rather than complete blindness.

Trauma-informed care is a framework for human service providers created to recognize trauma's prevalence and widespread impact. Given that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) disproportionately experience traumatic events, taking a trauma-informed approach is crucial for human service providers.

When Richard Asztalos graduated from Boston University with a liberal arts degree in 1975, he had his sights set on applying to law school. In need of a job in the interim, he responded to an ad and landed a gig as a special education teacher. It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the human services field. It’s been nearly five decades since then, and he hasn’t looked back.

Earlier this month, Guild CEO Amy C. Sousa wrote an op-ed in Commonwealth Magazine, What’s causing the boarding crisis in hospitals? The article looks at the crisis of psychiatric boarding and its direct connection to the dire need for residential services for people with complex developmental and behavioral health needs.

For Guild School student Thomas*, drawing had always been a passion. His colorful artwork ranged from abstract designs to renditions of people and current events.  Last fall, he took his skills to new heights by taking Drawing 1, an introductory art course at Middlesex Community College in Lowell.

The Guild for Human Services has been recognized with an Award of Excellence in the 28th Annual Communicator Awards for its short documentary, The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild During COVID-19. Produced by Viamark Video, the film features interviews with Guild staff, students, residents, parents, and community partners and provides a first-hand look at how the pandemic curtailed the community life of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The first week of May marked National Teacher Appreciation Week. This year, we honored our incredible school and residential staff with special events each day, including yard games, a Kona ice truck, candy bar, and cupcake party.

Throughout the week, we featured interviews with staff members on our social media pages. Check out interview highlights below, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @guildhumanservices for full staff profiles: