Sandra “Sandy” Pelletier has dedicated her career to helping people with developmental disabilities live fulfilling lives in their communities. Pelletier was among the first four case workers across NH assigned to the Kimi Nichols Center when the state became the first to deinstitutionalize and subsequently closed the Laconia State School. She was tasked with helping residents transition back to their communities and find the resources to support them.
It was a daunting task for someone in their early 20s who had just earned her graduate degree. There was no blueprint to follow. But she had volunteered in institutions that served people with developmental disabilities and knew integrating them into the community and helping them succeed was a better way. Pelletier played a pivotal role in shaping NH's service system for individuals with developmental disabilities. Her work for the state led to her being hired at the PLUS Company to continue supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families. When that organization helped to establish The Area Agency of Greater Nashua (later Gateways) to continue the work, she was asked to join.
With just two years experience she was asked to join the agency, a nonprofit based in Nashua committed to bettering the lives of people with disabilities, helping to keep people out of institutions and creating community services. Pelletier has spent 41 years of her career at Gateways broadening services for people with acquired brain disorders as well as aging adults. Today Gateways serves nearly 3,000 individuals annually.
Pelletier has spent her career advocating for increased resources and services for Gateway’s clients. This includes testifying on proposed bills in Concord and asking for help from the NH Charitable Foundation when COVID forced the closure of Gateway’s programs for assessing children with potential developmental delay. The foundation secured a donor to fund an outdoor playground where such assessments—also used by Gateway’s Autism Center—could be done safely. Children still enjoy it today.
She recalls her mentor, former NH Health and Human Services Commissioner Don Shumway, years ago at a meeting for advocates and taking a roll of dimes and telling them, “‘You have to make phone calls and educate policymakers and the community. Never forget that,’” Pelletier recalls. It is a lesson she has carried throughout her career—educating policy makers, business leaders and community members about the importance of allowing everyone to be part of the community and supporting people with developmental disabilities.
“I am an inspired by witnessing individuals who because of disabilities are assigned perceived limitations and then with support lead successful and meaningful lives,” Pelletier says.
Pelletier points to an adult day care program embedded at Alvirne High School as an example of the innovative partnerships Gateways has formed in the community. The school provides space for the program free of charge, providing a safe space where caregivers can find respite and have their loved ones who have dementia and Alzheimer’s cared for by Gateway’s professionals. Students can take a course to learn about caring for that population and gain first-hand experience volunteering at the center. “I’m proud of how far we’ve come as a community to support people with disabilities,” Pelletier says.
Pelletier’s determination to find community partners to deliver new and better ways to serve Gateway’s clients, and attract workers to meet growing needs continues today. Gateways has joined forces with the city of Nashua and NeighborWorks Southern NH to address the housing shortage for individuals with developmental disabilities. They are collaborating on demolishing a Gateways-owned property in need of extensive renovations and are reconstructing it as an eight-to-10-unit apartment building. It will not only provide affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities, meeting Americans With Disabilities Act standards, but it will also provide housing for any employees who will live on site and provide support services. “This new housing project will allow people with disabilities to live independently,” she says. “We’re starting a pilot that we hope will be replicated.”
COVID drove many caregivers out of the industry, leaving huge demand for services and a depleted workforce. With the support of a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Gateways has embarked on a research project focused on identifying national best practices for workforce recruitment and retention.
“Under Sandy's visionary guidance, Gateways has blossomed into a beacon of hope and empowerment for thousands of individuals with disabilities, children with autism, and elders in need of long-term care. Her unwavering commitment to their well-being translates into transformative programs, exceptional care, and an inclusive environment that fosters dignity and independence,” says Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess.
It is little wonder Pelletier and Gateways was recognized with numerous awards. She was named one of “25 Extraordinary Women” by The Telegraph in Nashua, awarded for special achievement in developmental services by Easterseals NH and named “Citizen of the Year” by The PLUS Company. Gateways was named Business NH Magazine’s Nonprofit of the Year in 2016, acknowledged as the national entrepreneurial leader in Consumer Directed Services in 2012 by the Center on Human Policy and awarded The Walter J. Dunfey Award for Excellence in Management by the NH Charitable Foundation.
Pelletier does not seek the spotlight and is quick to credit her staff, board of directors, and family support council, with doing the work that touches people’s lives and makes a difference. After all these years she remains dedicated. “I know that every day when I leave work there is someone at Gateways making a difference in someone's life, and that’s why I do what I do,” she says.
Current Issue - June 2024