The group had been successfully helping children living with a disability for ten years at what was known as the South Street Special School, when they realised they wanted to help the young people when they finished school too.

This is how Mai-Wel Enteprises was born.

Mai-Wel Enterprises, which celebrated its 50^th birthday milestone in May, is a supported employment provider, providing engineering, timber and packaging services to local businesses.

In the news:

General manager of employment services, Kylie Tegg, said she could not be more proud of the amazing milestone.

"I'm super proud of what the guys have achieved and to see where we've come from, from our families 50 years ago who created Mai-Wel Enterprises," she said.

"How incredibly forward thinking they were, they were innovators of their time."

Mai-Wel Enterprises has grown into an innovative space for people with disabilities in the workforce.

"We really focus on training and development and progression to alternative positions, either within the enterprise or outside of it moving forward," she said.

Ms Tegg said 50 years ago, finding support for people with disabilities was a real challenge, and even now there is still a stigma.

"One of the biggest challenges we face is people's belief in the capacity and the abilities of people with disabilities, and the value of work," she said.

"You should not be precluded from the value of work because of your perceived ability.

"For their families to have that foresight and that belief in their children, and to want them to have productive, successful lives is just amazing.

"We believe in opportunity and choice for our people and it drives us, even today."

Ms Tegg said a lot of Mai-Wel's workforce is now working in other people's workplaces.

"People with disabilities want to have options and choices about where they work," she said.

The team celebrated the birthday milestone on Friday, May 27 and there are more celebrations to come.

Looking to the future, Mai-Wel will be launching new directions for their employment services and looking at building a training academy.

Ms Tegg said the aim is to use the facilities at Mai-Wel Enterprises to train people and then move them into open employment.

Do you know you can subscribe to get full access to all Maitland Mercury stories? Subscribing supports us in our local news coverage. To subscribe, click here.