The Macksey Journal
Abstract
I explore how trauma becomes interwoven into the daily operations and the institutional mission of Baker Industries, a workforce development nonprofit in southeastern Pennsylvania which employs hard-to-employ adults. In a society short on empathy and structural support for some of the most vulnerable populations, Baker Industries offers full-time employment as well as life-skills training and support for adults with physical and cognitive disabilities, mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, criminal records, and home insecurity. Assumed among every participant, trauma becomes a resource for recognition and economic security. I illustrate how trauma saturates the institutional and routine practices of staff and participants, a fact essential to the foundation and reputation of the organization itself.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Amadea M.
(2020)
"When Trauma No Longer Disqualifies: Examining the Institutional Universality of Traumatic Experience at a Workforce Development Nonprofit,"
The Macksey Journal: Vol. 1
, Article 206.
Available at:
https://www.mackseyjournal.org/publications/vol1/iss1/206
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