Bethel Man's Success Story
In Fight for Independence

Master Shredder Will Nichols in his office at the Windsor Northwest Supervisory Union in Bethel.(Herald photo / Chris Costanzo)

By Chris Costanzo

By any account, Bethel's Will Nichols, 22, is a success story. Suffering from physical, learning and emotional disabilities, he arrived in Bethel in 2004 in a wheelchair, unable to cope with the chores of daily living. Under legal guardianship of the state, he went to live with foster care providers Bea and Roland Gill in Bethel-Gilead.

Special education students run the gamut from a mild learning or physical disability to an array of extreme disabilities of various kinds. According to Windsor Northwest Supervisory Union (WNWSU) special education coordinator Deb Matthews, Will Nichols was one of the extreme cases.

"There was not much expectation that Will could cope with life except in a highly restricted environment," she said in an interview last week. Nichols was uncommunicative, prone to fits of anger and violent frustration, and unable to walk.

Linn Bencks, of the state's Head Start program, said that she found Nichols mentally and emotionally "inside a box," with little interest in outside stimulation.

But the state wasn't ready to give up on Nichols. He attended Whitcomb High School for two years under a modified program tailored to his needs and abilities. The program emphasized art and music but still gave him exposure to other academic material.

As in the case of all special education students, an educational team kept close watch over Nichols' program, and worked to remedy occasional behavior problems that emerged from time to time—although, happily, with decreasing frequency. Nichols finished at Whitcomb last spring.

Bencks, who has had decades of experience managing people with special needs, functioned as Nichols's "job coach." According to special education coordinator Matthews, "Bencks always treated Nichols as a human being who has definite capabilities."

Outside the Box

Bencks made it her priority to move Nichols outside his "box" and to uncover his "abilities within his disabilities."

Originally, for instance, Nichols used to sit facing a wall when he worked, literally with his back to the world. Bencks had him face outward, and encouraged him to greet those who passed by, and to respond to those who spoke to him.

She soon learned that Nichols possessed exceptional hand-eye coordination; hence she guided him to tasks where he could use that skill. She asked Nichols if he wanted to walk, and he said yes.

Now, after much practice, he no longer relies on a wheel chair or even a walker. It also emerged that he has musical ability, and he has learned to play the harmonica and the keyboard. Nichols' home care provider, Roland Gill, notes that Nichols plays by memory and by ear, picking out tunes that he likes.

Under Bencks' guidance as job coach, Nichols volunteered for work at Gifford Hospital where he still goes regularly to stamp the hospital's linens. The experience, although not remunerated, helps him further build his social skills, and has also made him comfortable in exercising regular employment.

Nichols also worked at a paying job with the Boys Club of Randolph during a fundraising campaign, and he participated in the club's mass-mailing effort by photocopying documents and labeling envelopes.

Then the WNWSU hired Nichols to shred paper. It's no small job. A large portion of the WNWSU's work is in the special education field, so its activities are confidential and require the continuous destruction of files and paperwork.

Nice Set-Up

Nichols has his own desk and office space at the WNWSU marked "Office of William A. Nichols, Certified Destroyer of Confidential Documents." Whimsically, Nichols added the title "Baker Extraordinaire"—an allusion to the times he helps his foster mother, Bea Roland, prepare goodies to bring to the office for the staff.

Nichols also calls himself "Master Storyteller," a testimony to his new-found communication and socialization skills.

In Nichols' office there is an industrial shredder acquired through a grant from the state's vocational rehabilitation office. Like other employees, Nichols makes a record of his comings and goings on a regular time-sheet, and he has a check-list for all phases of his work, such as turning the shredder on and off, responding to the machine's colored signal lights, feeding the paper into the machine, oiling the mechanism, and emptying and filling the bags of shredded paper.

A Keeper of Fish

On his desk in his office Nichols maintains a well-kept fish bowl with plants and decorations, an activity suggested by Bencks. He takes very seriously his responsibility for caring for the bowl and for the fish living in it. Once when Nichols knew that he would be away for a couple of days, he took it upon himself to convene a WNWSU "staff meeting" to determine who would feed the fish and change the water during his absence.

Some organizations outside the WNWSU are now bringing their documents to Nichols for shredding, and he has set himself up in business under the rubric of "The Master Shredder." He has done up a simple resume, and has a business card. He may soon be approaching some local entities to solicit more work.

Special education coordinator Matthews says unequivocally, "Will Nichols is a dependable employee; furthermore, he feels independent, and has a sense of self-worth."

All in all, we must judge Will Nichols as happy. These days when visitors at the WNWSU greet him with a "Hi, Will, how are you." Nichols' answer, invariably with a smile, is always, "Simply marvelous." Bencks commented that the focus on Nichols' abilities rather than his disabilities has benefited everyone–his foster family, his co-workers and, most important, Nichols himself.

Everyone enjoys his company. Said foster parent Roland Gill, "Will is a real sweetheart."

Indeed, one can't help considering Will Nichols a marvelous success story. It is true that he will always need a care provider at home, as well as constant supervision at work. But he has now remedied his behavioral problems, and has demonstrated that he has the stability necessary to function in society to a degree that precludes the need for more restrictive living in a group home, an option that would certainly have been more expensive for the taxpayers and far less conducive to Will Nichols' happiness.