Stein Education Center Adult Services

I had the pleasure of working for Vista Hill foundation under the Adult Education Center on Mission Gorge road here in San Diego. When I first begin working for them I was under the initial impression that the staff and management team were good decent employees so I felt my time spent there would be valueable; However, as I progressed through my six months I started to notice a different kind of energy regarding the management team there at the Education Center. As a person living with a permanent physical disability myself (Cerebral Palsy), I was under the misconception that the management staff would understand my physical and mental limitations regarding my cerebral palsy but I was wrong. The management team that works there consists of three main people; Two site coordinators Ruth Simmons, Olivia Jimenez, and lastly the supervisor Adriana Hernandez. The treatment of me by the management staff in the beginning, was acceptable but it got progressively worse as time went on. And it was very subtle at first so I didn't notice it but the more attention I paid, the more I noticed their remarks regarding my disability. To give you a little context as to what I'm referring to, as a person living with cerebral palsy it has affected the whole left side of my body; My left hand and left leg. I almost did not survive as a baby due to the fact that I was born prematurely. I did not even weigh a pound at birth. After Incubation thankfully I made it! I have had to have multiple surgeries throughout my life on my leg to relieve tension on my hamstring and my hand and fingers aren't very good when it comes to tasks related to coordination abilities just to provide some background on my physical limitations. This inability to coordinate tasks with my left hand at times does not do the best for my confidence. Although the site coordinators Ruth Simmons, Olivia Jimenez, and the supervisor Miss Hernandez were fully aware of my disability they refused to stop making inappropriate comments in relation my limitations and lack of competence regarding coordinating tasks and it begin to feel as though they were treating me unfavorably on the basis of my disability. The main person responsible for making these comments was Ruth Simmons. When I went to my supervisor four months after noticing their treatment of me I thought that my supervisor would speak to Ruth about these rude and mean comments, however, she took no action and the comments continued to persist. Just to give one example, at their site where the employees must give out pills to clients, the pills come in these tiny plastic square cubes and you must pop out the pills with your fingers. Again, not being strongly skilled with my left-hand abilities due to my CP I would mess this task up each and every time despite my determination to get it right and overcome my disability to my dismay, I failed this task. I guess I just needed more practice. Each time I failed this task the site coordinator Ruth would make a demeaning remark regarding my inability to get the pill out successfully. This isn't the only instance where she would make a hurtful remark. Being in a position of power I looked up to her and regarded her as someone with high intelligence, I thought she would conduct herself in a more professional manner but unfortunately, this was not the case. After six months of dealing with these humiliating remarks. I got fed up with being treated in such a horrible way I went to Human Resources thinking that they could maybe speak with Ruth Simmons and ask her not to make negative verbal remarks regarding my Cerebral Palsy. The next day Human resources called me in, disguising the appointment as a meeting for "my evaluation as an employee", rather than going over the evaluation with me first and foremost they instead slandered my name and fired me, saying that I was a bad employee not doing my job correctly when that, in fact, was not the case at all. If you are considering working here, don't. Don't, because they openly practice disability discrimination.
May 20th, 2019

This post is for the National City Stein location. I would never send any member of my family to this program. I encountered a hispanic staff with pink hair at Plaza Bonita mall today. I didn't catch her name but she was very unprofessional. She was using profanity while talking to the participants and smelled like smoke. I have reported this incident to the proper authorities as well. I'm sure they captured the incidemt on the mall surveillance. Being disabled in this world is hard enough without having to deal with someone verbally abusing you.
Nov 18th, 2018