Preparing Youth for Community Employment Part 1

Transition to work for all students.

Ellen Condon, Project Director University of MT, Rural Institute Marc Gold & Associates http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/transition condon@ruralinstitute.umt.edu
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The goal of Transition is that students seamlessly transition from school to adult life with the skills and supports in place for them to succeed in their desired post-school outcomes.

Think of a student whom you work with now who has

ongoing support needs.

What will their day look like when they no longer come to school? Will they work? Where will they live? What will they do for fun? Will their day be full? Who will provide supports that the school provided before?

Part of the challenge in planning for the future

Is understanding the expectations of the future environment and how supports are delivered.

Challenges of Transition
School Services Post-School Services Based on eligibility and availability (waiting list) Parent or youth may need to piece services together from various agencies Various agencies have differing eligibility requirements
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Entitlement Case manager & all services work as a team

School follows the same definition of disability

Challenges of Transition
School Services Services in school may look very different than postschool environments Adult Services Special education services in school vs. college
School Work Experiences vs. Adult Supported Employment

What if we began with the vision that everyone will work?

You need to opt out of work rather than opting in or demonstrating that you are ready or able to work.

Is Employment for Everyone?

TEAM-Legislation
To obtain copies of the bills and track their progress, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for bill numbers HR 602, 603, or 604. See also http://harper.house.gov/news/2011/feb/idleg .html. See also www.house.gov.

Customized Employment
According to DOL:
Customized employment means individualizing the relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both. It is based upon an individualized determination of the strengths, needs and interests of the person with a disability, and is also designed to meet the specific needs of an employer.
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U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy

www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/ CustomizedEmployment/

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Customized Job Development

Job Seeker initiates
Job seekers skills, tasks & contributions are emphasized Employers are contacted because their needs might match what the job seeker brings

Employer Reacts
Considers proposal Reviews their unmet needs or allows developer to identify unmet needs

Job seeker or representative presents a proposal

A position is negotiated

If a match is identified, a new job description is created

Marc Gold & Associates

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Features of Customization
One person one job All employers contacted and tasks offered initiate with the person not the labor market Wages are minimum wage or above In the community alongside workers without disabilities Contribution trumps competition
Marc Gold & Associates
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Features of Customization
Discover and describe instead of measure, compare or evaluate Focus on discreet tasks instead job titles or existing positions Identify unmet needs of specific employers to match to skills and contributions of job seekers A position is negotiated
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Two Distinct Approaches

Labor Market Job Development:
Responding to the needs of employers with applicants who are qualified to meet those general needs.

Customized Job Development:

Discovering the strengths, needs and interests of applicants and proactively negotiating a job description that meets both the applicants and employers specific needs.
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Discovery allows us to determine who the applicant is, their complexities as well as their potential contributions to employers.

Education

Responsibilities

Hobbies

Discovery Process
Transportation

Interest Areas
Complexities

Challenges

Skills
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When developing a job for Patrick the main factor was his list of conditions to be successful. It included preparation, environment, support on the job, and types of tasks.

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He works best with a variety of physical tasks with concrete endings.

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What does this mean for youth or adults with significant needs?

We presume that everyone can work in their community There are many ways to earn a living and contribute; We can define work in many ways We look for strengths, support needs, interests, factors that motivate each person, WHAT WORKS
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Recognize that some job seekers have ongoing support needs

That will need to be met in order for them to work in the community; They can be met in various different ways: natural supports, paid supports, accommodations or adaptations to the workplace; And they may be minimized by increasing the quality of a job match.
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Developing a Plan for Discovery

What is the intended outcome of Discovery? Timeframe? Who? Where? What?
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What does this mean for youth or adults with significant needs?
Focus on skill building in school AND supporting each person to make a contribution and maximize their participation in all activities;
Eliminate readiness and the need to compete;

A vision of employment guides transition activities.

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When work in the community is not the clear outcome for transition, curricular content can get muddied.

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In order to customize employment, we must begin by answering the question, Who is this person?
Interests, preferences, support needs, conditions where they are at their best, contributions to an employer, tasks that the individual can do

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IDEA 2004
Age Appropriate Transition Assessment

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Discovery Exercise
Where are you most who you are? Where are you at your best? What helps you to be at your best? What is an activity that you spend time doing more than once a week?

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Strategies for Facilitated Discovery

Conversation Participation with the student in activities both familiar and novel Finally, review of records

Interview Time together

Observation

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The Who of Discovery

The person of concern Neighbors with good relationships Their family and loved ones Professionals who care Counselors Close and trusted Teachers friends
Case managers Service providers

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The Where of Discovery

Home/Living Context: Discovery starts where relationships start where we live Neighborhood Local Community Ethnic group/peer group School One-stop center Church Places where the person is most who they are
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Gathering information from someones home

At home, Carley cooks meals for herself and her little sister, whom she babysits when their mom is at work.

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During Wroudys Discovery process his family shared information about his interests and skills with kids.

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The What of Discovery

The relevant aspects of the person Routines Tasks Relationships Solutions Responsibilities Connections Challenges Education Associations Location Friendships Life performance Shops and Community inventory Services
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Observe & describe how people get tasks done

Carley dials frequently called phone numbers from memory or references a list of phone numbers posted near her phone. She uses her delta talker and the speaker phone to chat with friends, arrange transportation, or contact her support staff when needing assistance at home.

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Look for support or teaching strategies that work for the person. Look for interests, contributions and skills.

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Rule of Thumb for Asking

Its more important to look at what people do than it is to simply follow what they say.
Of course, we always listen, but its necessary to get well beyond listening to verbal answers, into peoples lives.

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Interview Questions
Routine Responsibilities Informal tasks performed at home Tell me what that looks like? Describe that so I can visualize it.

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Anders rides his bike around the neighborhood looking for people to help.

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Ideal Characteristics
Ideal conditions for success in employment Students contributions Tasks the student can perform now or with training Interest areas

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Are we using work experiences as an opportunity for Discovery and training in independence?

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Performance changes in wellmatched positions.

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Setting youth up for success

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The end goal of work experience is a well-matched, paid job

Mathalia works for Prudential Missoula

Pays the property management bills online, Uses QuickBooks to account for the bills paid, Sorts mail for staff, Collates disclosure paperwork for new clients.

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Questions?

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