Selecting the Right Work Experience for Youth with Disabilities Ellen Condon Project Director University of MT Rural Institute Marc Gold and Associates

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 2 What factors determine the “right” work experience? Age of student Need for individualization to participate Purpose of the experience  Exposure to work  Teaching skills within an interest area  Assessing skills and aptitudes  Assessing ongoing support needs Factors

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 3 (How much time do we have?) Middle School Students (or earlier)  Exposure to ‘work’  Share the perception that everyone can ‘work’  Begin discussions with family and student about ‘work’ Try various tasks, various environments Learn job related skills Begin thinking about self management and self direction Age of Student

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 4 Middle School: Exposure to Work

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 5 High School Students  Assist students to clarify what they want to do for work  Build skills in areas of interest  Learn what features of a work environment work and don’t work for you  Experience an ongoing community job experience UM Rural Institute, Missoula, MT5 Age of Students…

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 6 Student Working at an Auto Dealership

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 7 Learning about the person As we go to know Richard, his family shared information about his interests and skills with kids. This led the team to develop a work exploration in the preschool.

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 8 A work experience gave the team information about Richard’s skills and attributes around children. Work Experience

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved year olds Off campus work experiences & paid positions Expand skills and tasks in areas of interest Experience an ongoing job Age of Students…

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 10 Drew mowed lawns for his neighbors as a summer job. Drew’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 11 A customized position was negotiated at Wal-Mart for Cathy during high school. Cathy’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 12 Tim collated fact sheets and assembled packets including placing stickers on the folders, for the Rural Institute Transition Projects. Tim’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 13 Need for individualization…

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 14 Bella’s contributions met needs of the employer and the job developer was able to negotiate supports that Ann needed. The experience turned into a paid position. Bella’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 15 Need for Individualization

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 16 Need for Individualization - 2

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 17 Henry stapled and hole punched materials for the Transition Projects. His participation and production doubled during his experience. Henry’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 18 An Evolution of Work Experiences Leading to the outcome of employment

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 19 General work experience  Varied experiences offered to all students Matched to student interest Customized to the student’s ideal conditions for the purpose of gathering information about tasks, skills or validating a condition Types of Work Experiences

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 20 General Work Experiences Anel in Middle School Food Bank: Stocking food, portioning food, newsletter mailings School Library: Shelving books In School newspaper Delivery

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 21 Follows a written list of tasks Files by letter Types data into computer Folds, stuffs envelopes, labels Follows rules Attends to time Learns routes and layouts Measures out food Stocks and organizes shelves Anel’s Skills and Tasks:

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 22 Anel: what did we learn about conditions and support needs? Anel does best when he knows what is next, the schedule, and the length of each activity He learned to manage his own ‘front loading’ of work information (called in to the food bank) Following work rules- wearing gloves Remembers routes and routines Driven to complete the task Being flexible What Did We Learn?

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 23 Work experience & the IEP Response when others don’t follow the rules  School library Response when people are in your way and make it difficult to do your job  Delivering papers through out the school Understanding that your work is driven by a specific production amount or time Expand his tasks and marketable skills Anel’s Support Needs & Goals

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 24 Interests in kids, computer, books CDC: filing, organizing, inventory forms, copy and file forms Reading to children, support person for summer camp Kalispell Public Library Anel’s Matched Experiences

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 25 The plan for high school: Expand task list Working with children in the summer program; reading, theater Computers Cooking/ food preparation Editing/ proof reading Numbers/math Identify Additional Skills Matched Work Experiences

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 26 Ivan participated in in- school work experiences Freshman and Sophomore years Ivan’s Story

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 27 He delivered mail, stocked the vending machines, picked up recycling, washed dishes, and stocked the Latte cart. Ivan’s Story (part 2)

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 28 Ivan volunteers at the food bank to gain work experience & for support staff to learn about his support needs and skills. Ivan’s Story (part 3)

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 29 Ivan uses written checklists to move from one task to the next on his own. Ivan’s Story (part 4)

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 30 Assessing a Student’s Skills Assessing a student’s skills and aptitudes in a well- matched job site will provide more accurate information about abilities and support needs.

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 31 Information about Jim’s Ideal Conditions for Success. Jim does best in an environment where the rules are clear and enforced Mostly male Working around the same few people daily Succinct instruction up front A variety of familiar tasks Physical tasks

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 32 Performance Changes in Well Matched Positions.

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 33 Job Trial A job trial matched to Jim’s conditions showed different performance.

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 34 What can the student learn in this setting? Skills Tasks Job related skills Machinery, equipment Academic skills Communication skills What can we learn about the student in this setting? Environment works? Supervision? Tasks work/don’t work Support needs? Effective support strategies Quality of performance Learning style Work Site Analysis

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 35 What Information Are We Gathering From Work Experiences? Skills Task list Connections Successful support strategies

Job Evaluation

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 37 Tim collated the 7 different Social Security Fact sheets and created 30 folders in 20 minutes. Upon completion of this task there were 3 of one of the fact sheets left over while the rest were all gone. Tim flipped through each of the 30 packets looking for any packet that did not have 1 copy of each of the fact sheets. After checking all 30 he walked to his supervisor’s office and told her he was done and that he had a few extra fact sheets. Observational Notes - Tim

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 38 Motivation indicated Supports offered/used General Performance: Pace, correctness, consistency, stamina Specific Tasks: what is it, does general performance vary with tasks Connections Concerns Features of Task Observation:

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 39 Frank explains to the job coach and Chuck that he wants to thin out stuffed animals and throw away older stuffed animals from the youth section of the store. Frank looks directly at Chuck and Chuck maintains eye contact with Frank. Both the job coach and Chuck say “O.K.”. The job coach leads the way to the youth section with a white trash bag. The job coach then holds the trash bags and Chuck picks out a stuffed animal, holds it up to the job coach who nods or says “Yup” then Chuck puts it in the white trash bag. When task is completed, the job coach gives Chuck the trash bag then tells Chuck they are throwing trash bag away. The job coach leads the way to the garbage can outside and opens the lid and Chuck throws the bag in the garbage. Observational Notes - Chuck

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 40 Chuck worked at the Commod thrift store for 2 quarters with 1:1 support from the job coach. Chuck followed supervisor directions and job coach directions. Chuck needed to be directed throughout the various tasks during this work experience. Chuck’s Performance

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 41 Performance of job tasks Supports needed, offered Environmental factors Critical job factors Learning style Recommendations for the next experience Work Assessment Summary

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 42 He needs a 1:1 all the time v.s. He needs a predictable schedule and a coworker nearby to remind him to check his list if he looks lost. Do to her lack of safety skills with strangers she needs to be in supervised setting v.s. We want her to work with familiar people in a nonpublic setting. Clarifying Support Needs

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 43 Focus on how someone can participate not why they can’t Discovery helps reframe what may be perceived as barriers to employment and community membership into “Ideal Conditions for success” and “Support needs”

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 44 Focus on how someone can participate not why they can’t Let’s reframe what we perceive as barriers to employment and community membership into “ideal conditions for success and support needs”

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 45 Comments & Questions

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 46 Contact Information Ellen Condon University of MT Rural Institute Marc Gold and Associates Website:

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 47 THANK YOU!

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 48 Southeast TACE (Region IV) Toll-free: (866) [voice/tty] Fax: (404) Web: TACEsoutheast.org My TACE Portal: TACEsoutheast.org/myportal

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 49 Education Credits CRCC Credit - (2.0) Approved by Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) By Friday, December 17, 2010, participants must score 80% or better on a online Post Test and submit an online CRCC Request Form via the MyTACE Portal. CEU Credit - (pending 0.2) Approved by the University College at Syracuse University By Friday, December 17, 2010, participants must submit an online CEU Request Form via the MyTACE Portal. My TACE Portal: TACEsoutheast.org/myportalTACEsoutheast.org/myportal **For CRCC credit, you must reside in the 8 U.S. Southeast states served by the TACE Region IV [AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN]. If beyond TACE Region IV, you may apply for CEU credit.

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 50 TACE Talks Transition (TTT) Monthly concise information on best practices to transition counselors available for their own pace learning; – sign-up and start your subscription via the Transition -List Transition -List

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 51 Upcoming Webinar on Transition Using Discovery vs Evaluation to Learn from Work Experiences Thursday January 20, 2011 Norciva Shumpert Marc Gold & Associates

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 52 Disclaimer This presentation was developed by the Southeast TACE Center: Region IV ©2010 with funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) under the priority of Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Projects (TACE) – Grant #H264A However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the policy of the RSA and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government [34 CFR (b)].

Southeast TACE, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute. Funded by RSA Grant # H264A © 2010 All Rights Reserved 53 Copyright Information This work is the property of the Marc Gold & Associates Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.