Russell Sickles, Senior Consultant Griffin-Hammis Associates, Inc. What is Customized Employment? Become A Detective, not a Fortune-Teller… and an Enemy of The Algorithm Russell Sickles, Senior Consultant Griffin-Hammis Associates, Inc.

What is Customized Employment? Individualizing the employment relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both (predicated on negotiation) Based on 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 the employer The United States Department of Labor, Office of Disability and Employment Policy (Federal Register, June 26, 2002, Vol. 67 No 123 pp 43156) Mutually Beneficial and Profitable Exploitable Tasks/Skills ODEP Video

Shifts in Customized Employment Assessment Discovery Job Development Exploration, Negotiation, & Creation Job Coaching Consultation & Facilitation Maintaining Jobs Growing Careers

Our Thoughts Influence the World (Or: How to Become Batman) Google “How to Become Batman NPR” Expectations Translate into Behavior Change (Employment First) “Running into a pole is a drag, but never being allowed to run into a pole is a disaster.”

“Be good at something. It makes you valuable “Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.” -Randy Pausch “But I’ve got someplace to go. You know, having a job is really important…You gotta come home and have something to talk about at the dinner table.” -Tim Flynn

-What is the good life?

How Does Informed Choice Work? “To Make Choices, You Have to Have Preferences. To Have Preferences, You Have to Have Experiences.” Don’t Know? So how do you make decisions? Learning About Yourself Responsibilities/Relationships/Teaching Skills

Be A Detective (Discovery)! Answering the question: “Who are you?” (Skills, Tasks, Relationships) Finding out “Where people are most who they are.” (Conditions, Environments) Typically Starts at Home 9

Be A Detective (Discovery)! Activities (Skills and Ecological Fit) ecological validity: methods, materials and setting must approximate the real-world that is being examined. Roles & Functions (& Locations): What do you do? Where do you do it? Who does it with you? What are your responsibilities? Where Are You Necessary? Remember these tools schedule/social/economic capital/relationships 10

The End Game To succeed, you must study the endgame before everything else. -Chess Grandmaster José Raúl Capablanca

Competition and Comparison What is the purpose of Traditional job development strategies (Assessments/Evals, Resume Development, Interview Practice, job openings, applications, interviews)? Who Benefits? Why might this be a problem for employment seekers with complex lives? What CE seeks to do is to take people out of traditional job strategies that compare people to standard job descriptions and to other job candidates. Traditional job development strategies utilize standardized vocational evaluations and prepare people by getting resumes together and practice interviewing skills, as well as possibly other soft skills. Job seekers and employment specialists identify available jobs through posted listings such as want ads, Craig’s list, Emp Dept listings, cold calls, etc. and assist people with filling out applications and going to interviews. This more traditional strategy results in the employer or hiring manager selecting the job candidate whose skills best meet the job description. Unfortunately, people with significant disabilities often may not stand out as the most qualified candidates. Alternatively, a Customized approach focuses on how this person’s skills meet an identified need of an employer. Assumption is that employers are always hiring….as long as the potential employee brings value to the business. Employers are always looking for quality employees. CE uses an assessment process known as “discovery” that seeks to identify people’s interests, strengths, and ideal conditions of employment. It also relies on the use of informational interviews to collect information on employers needs. Once a need is identified that matches the job seekers interests and conditions of employment, and their seems to be a “fit” – a proposal can be made. So it completely removes the job seeker from the comparative process – the employer only has to decide if this particular job candidate can meet one or more identified business needs.

One in one-hundred!

What is Customized Employment? It’s about Tasks! No Task is insignificant! A Bias Towards Action Detectives (or Storytellers), Not Fortune-Tellers 2 Questions to Never Ask… What Are You Learning That is New? Where Does it Lead? Qualified or Quality? 14

What is Customized Employment? Especially effective for Individuals with High or Complex Support Needs Applicable to anyone, with any disability (or without) seeking employment Circumvents the Comparison of Applicants made in Competitive Hiring Relies on natural relationships, supports, training

What is Customized Employment? (Outcomes) Negotiated Created Wage Job: Restructured Tasks or Tasks Based on Unmet Needs or New Products/Services Self-Employment: Stand Alone or Business-Within-A- Business Combination Employment: Wage and Self- Employment; “Yes…and” 16

Reflection/Q&A/Discussion Thank You! 17