Posing in the front yard of her program.
Jamie Sigoski intended to go to school to learn sign language, but never did. By chance, while working at Berkshire County Arc, one of the individuals she oversees cannot hear.
“So they sent me to an intensive training program to learn to sign,” she said. Today she signs fluently. Sometimes she helps people communicate with the individual through live video. “It’s a great marketable skill to have and I thank BCArc for getting me trained.”
Jamie went to school for early childhood education. She never expected to get into this end of human services—specifically working with people with disabilities. The Pittsfield native has worked with several programs and agencies over the years, and believes she’s landed on something permanent.
BCArc goes above and beyond for the people it serves, Jaime said. “We go into the community a lot to eat, to work, to attend events; we organize dances, picnics, and celebrations.”
She felt the work was special enough to persuade her brother, a military veteran, to join BCArc as well. Today he too runs a BCArc program, each of them overseeing a dozen or so staff members.
“I fell in love when I came to this specific home,” Jamie said of the individuals in her house, who all need more care and services than her previous programs. “I wanted to be more hands-on, have more challenges. Some of their medical needs are high. While they all have personal and community goals we work toward, their routines are important to them, so you need to stay in their comfort zone while pushing them to grow a little every day. And when you see progress, that feels good.”
While she calls the job demanding, she notes that it has worked well for her as the mother of a six-year-old.
“You either love this kind of work, or you don’t. The staff here do it because we want to do it.”
