November Theatre
November 5, 2007
Daniel Rodrigue, Sr.
November 7, 2007
Graham Caldarera has always had an interest in history.
The 24-year-old special needs student is getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work alongside state Sen. D.A. “Butch” Gautreaux and watch Louisiana history as it’s being made.
Caldarera beat out four other applicants for the 12-week job.
“I think this is a once in a lifetime experience for me,” he said. “It’s exciting being able to work with Sen. Gautreaux on his campaign, especially during election time.”
The son of Steve and Jeanne Caldarera of Houma, Graham Caldarera is a student at L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College. However, he put his education on hold to become Gautreaux’s newest intern.
At Terrebonne High School, Caldarera said his favorite subject was American history, so his new internship appeals to his liking. “I didn’t know much about politics except for being a registered voter when I first started applying for the position. But in high school, I was interested in American history and I feel politics is a part of history,” he said.
To hear Caldarera express himself, one would not assume he has a learning disability. It is, in fact, his inability to read at a normal level – dyslexia – that qualifies him as a special needs student.
Having dyslexia does not mean that a person has difficulties learning subjects other than reading or is below average in intelligence, experts note. In fact, many people with dyslexia are above average in intelligence. The inability to read fluently or quickly makes areas of learning more challenging.
Prior to working with Gautreaux, Caldarera worked as an assistant in his father’s insurance company in Houma. At the senator’s office, he does some of the same tasks.
The program is geared toward teaching individuals like Caldarera how to function in an office setting, which he is already familiar with. “His prior experiences have helped him develop many of the skills we are supposed to be teaching him,” Gautreaux said.
During the internship, Caldarera is working closely with Gautreaux’s legislative assistant Laura Meadows.
Meadows interviewed Caldarera prior to his final selection for the temporary post. She described the Houma intern as a bright and enthusiastic young man, who makes a great addition to the senator’s camp.
At the outset of his internship Caldarera was counting down the days until Gauxtreaux returned to the state Capitol in Baton Rouge. “I want to tour the Capitol with him and see what he does on a daily basis,” Caldarera said, inferring the information could be beneficial down the road if he sought political office. “You never know.”
As of now, Caldarera dreams of becoming an actor like his mom. His most exciting moments come while watching her perform with Le Petit Theatre in Houma.
Gautreaux has nothing but praise for the young intern and the “Count Us In” program that made the internship possible.
“A proposal was made to the entire delegation to have special student young adults compete for an internship,” he said. “I was open to the whole idea from the beginning because I feel that what better way to learn about politics than to experience it firsthand.”
Caldarera is a part of the “Count Us In” intern program through which the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council of Baton Rouge partners with Bayou Land Families Helping Families of Thibodaux to offer a governmental internship program geared toward employing disabled citizens.
Sandee Winchell, executive director of the state disabilities council, said the program is a two-fold process because it not only gives disabled citizens an opportunity to work in a normal employment setting but it helps them learn key things about Louisiana’s government.
“We want to give the people with disabilities an opportunity to work with governmental policy and in the legislative process,” she said. “We also want to give people in governmental positions an opportunity to see what each disabled citizen has to offer.”
People with disabilities have a lot of positive aspects, strengths and talents, which make them very employable, Winchell added.
Gautreaux agrees. “Young adults with special needs do have a lot to offer the work force. We just have to be willing to work with them and see passed their adversities,” he said.
Louisiana’s unemployment rate is increasing whether the person is disabled or not, but people with disabilities are less likely to get a job as office managers, administrative assistants or secretaries, Winchell said.
“The training each disabled citizen learns during the program, will help them develop as a person and as an employee,” she said.
Prior to joining Gautreaux’s headquarters, Caldarera went through an eight-week work readiness course and the Louisiana Rehabilitation Services training, which teaches interns how to work in an office setting.
Once the training was complete, the selection committee chose Caldarera and three other prospective interns from the work readiness group for the interview process. The senator’s office then selected the intern to work in the governmental internship.
During the 12-week training, Caldarera will work 20 hours per week at Gautreaux’s office in Morgan City and two weeks in Baton Rouge during the next legislative session. The internship is not an hourly paid position, but Caldarera does receive a stipend.
Applications for the next internship process can be obtained from the Bayou Land Families Helping Families Center, 204 East Bayou Rd., in Thibodaux. For more information, contact Maryal Mewherter at (985) 447-4461 or 1-800-331-5570.
Graham Caldarera, 24, of Houma, was tapped to serve as an intern to state Sen. D.A. “Butch” Gautreaux (standing) during the 12-week “Count Us In” program. The program partners learning disabled citizens with Gautreaux’s office through a governmental internship. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN
