Politics & Government

State Says Man with Down Syndrome Will Stay at Wyndham Hotel

The Department of Health and Human Services said that Mark Stanganelli, who has Down syndrome, will be able continue to work at the Wyndham Hotel.

The State Department of Health and Human Services recently had to take Mark Stanganelli, who has Down syndrome, out of their program that employed him at the . Despite his nominal pay, it was a job that Stanganelli loved.

However, on Wednesday, a spokesman from the state said that, after discussions with his family, Stanganelli will be able to return to his job at the Wyndham Hotel.

“We all have Mark’s best interests at heart, and after meeting with his family...we arrived at a resolution that will allow Mark to stay in a position at the Wyndham while we work with the family," said Alex Loftus, a spokesaman at the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services.

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Loftus said that Stanganelli's family's involvement in supporting his employment at the Wyndham Hotel will be ongoing.

"We will continue our discussions with Mark’s family to determine the appropriate supports and services that fit his current needs.”

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According to the Wyndham Hotel manager Don Corbosiero, Stanganelli, who is 45, had been employed with the hotel by the Greater Lawrence Educational Cooperative, which is operated under the State Department of Health and Human Services. The hotel had no role in the hiring or firing of Mark from his job at the hotel.

The GLEC provided the support services Stanganelli needed as well as his $12 a week pay for polishing the silver at the hotel.

The GLEC had recently said that the hotel job was no longer an "appropriate" option for him. This was before the state went into further discussions with his family to eventually come to a "resolution" to allow Stanganelli to stay in the position.


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