1. The Missing Link in Contemporary Education II
SOFT SKILLS
The Missing Link in Contemporary Education II

2. A (brief) Review of Theory
Employment in Decline
Recidivism
Application to DoR
Training provided
Employment Services Provided
Placement & case closure
Loss/change of job
Disability Statistics from Cornell University

3. A (brief) Review of Theory
Employer Need
Societal Expectation
Social Skills
Workplace behavior/ values
Basic Skills
Quantitative Survey Results
Strategic Plan for Economic and Workforce Development in Contra Costa County, CA,
RespectAbility: A Nationwide Poll of People with Disabilities, Family Members, Close Friends, Professionals, and Volunteers in the Disability Community; Survey Fileded November 6 – December 2, 2013; 3839 Respondents, 1969 PwDs

4. A (brief) Review of Theory
2.2 Million ppl
20% =
320,000 ppl
$3 billion
Sarah Triano at the December 12, 2013 Meeting of the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
 2.2 million are not employed or looking for a job in California
Studies have shown that on average 20% of them can work and want to work but don’t work for “fear of losing the health insurance or Medicaid” tied to the benefits.
Why is this Important? (Beyond the social justice aspects?)
Because if you take the average monthly social security disability payment of $ and multiply it by 320,000 (approximately 20% of the disability beneficiaries in California who may want to work but don’t. That’s over 3 billion dollars a year we are currently spending to support the outdated misperception that people with disabilities can’t work because of their disabilities
Proposition: respond with focused soft skills instruction

5. Zone of Control Critical Thinking Work Ethic Social Rapport
Collaboration

6. Zone of Control Critical Thinking Work Ethic Social Rapport
Common Sense
Time Management
Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Presence
Trustworthiness
Commitment to Work
Unsupervised Behavior
Commitment to Growth
Professional Boundaries
Social Rapport
Emotional Projection
Physical Projection
Reception & Interpretation
Differentiated Communication
Collaboration
Teamwork
Communication

7. BLOCK CRITICAL THINKING Zone of Control Internal External WORK ETHIC
Common Sense
Time Management
Problem Solving Skills
Observe Critically
Reflect & Evaluate
Flexibility
Adaptability
Make Decisions
Social Rapport
Emotional Projection
Positive Attitude
Enthusiasm
Self Confidence
Personal Chemistry
Physical Projection
Eye Contact
Good Personal Appearance
Appropriate Dress
Reception & Interpretation
Courtesy
Small Talk
Willingness to Learn
Active Listening
Gestures/Body Language/Body Position
Differentiated Communication Skills With:
Public
Fellow Employees
Supervisors
Customers
CRITICAL THINKING
WORK ETHIC
SOCIAL RAPPORT
COLLABORATION
Internal
External
Zone of Control
Work Ethic
Presence
Consistently On Time
Trustworthiness
Honesty/Integrity
Make Deadlines
Commitment To Quality Of Work & Company Goals
Wanting To Do A Good Job
Willingness To Be Accountable
Ability To Make Production Quotas
Staying On The Job Until It Is Finished
Commit To The Position
Reliability
Perform Well Under Pressure
Unsupervised Behavior
Follow Rules
Self-Directed
Self-Supervising
Awareness Of Role & Commitment To Growth
Willingness To Take Instruction
Commitment To Continued Training And Learning
Boundaries & Skills Outside Of Work
Ability To Handle Personal Problems
Collaboration
Teamwork
Cooperation
Dependability
Ability To Accept Criticism
Ability To Learn From Criticism
Conflict Resolution
Resolve Conflict & Negotiate
Communication For Success
Networking & Small Talk
Speak So Others Can Understand
Advocate & Influence
Motivational Skills
BLOCK

8. The Conceptual Model Critical Thinking Work Ethic Social Rapport
Common Sense
Time Management
Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Presence
Trustworthiness
Commitment to Work
Unsupervised Behavior
Commitment to Growth
Professional Boundaries
Social Rapport
Emotional Projection
Physical Projection
Reception & Interpretation
Differentiated Communication
 Soft Skills Can be defined (and should be)
 The conceptual model is an attempt to bring common language to the discussion
 The skills are learnable, not inherent characteristics
 We can map and influence educational curricula
Collaboration
Teamwork
Communication

9. What we teach when we teach
Explicit (overt) Curriculum
Implicit (covert) Curriculum
Class syllabus image used only for example, and comes from:
MGMT 311: Intro to Management and Organizational Behavior; Western Washington University College of Business Economics; Professor Jason Kanov; Spring 2010
Students in a traditional classroom. Source:

10. JBA’s Street Week
During STREET Week, participants would practice Collaboration Skills through
Determining evening activities to participate in that were within their budget
Deciding the most effective route to travel to reach their morning activities on time

11. During STREET Week, participants received instruction to develop Social Rapport skills through
Teachable moments where staff could provide intervention to address specific issues as they occurred
Modeling  from staff and other participants in naturally occurring situations
Workshop experiences that specifically addressed social skills training through direct instruction and role modeling

12. Junior Blind’s STREET Week
Critical Thinking
Community Based Instruction
Time Management
Route Planning
Work Ethic
Punctuality
Self-Supervision
Dependability
Trustworthiness
Social Rapport
Confidence
Self-Advocacy
Personal/ Prof Behavior
Informational Interview
During STREET Week, participants practiced skills in the Work Ethic domain by
Regularly arriving on time to appointments, activities, and meetings
Collaboration
Negotiation
Determining Common Goals
Accepting Criticism

13. The Conceptual Model Critical Thinking Work Ethic Social Rapport
Common Sense
Time Management
Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Presence
Trustworthiness
Commitment to Work
Unsupervised Behavior
Commitment to Growth
Professional Boundaries
Social Rapport
Emotional Projection
Physical Projection
Reception & Interpretation
Differentiated Communication
 Soft Skills Can be defined (and should be)
 The conceptual model is an attempt to bring common language to the discussion
 The skills are learnable, not inherent characteristics
 We can map and influence educational curricula
Collaboration
Teamwork
Communication

14. STREET Week At-A-Glance

15. During the New Foundations program, students develop critical thinking skills when defining a formal set of personal values

16. LCB’s New Foundations Critical Thinking Expectations Personal Values
Work Ethic
Organization
Research
Work-life balance
Ethics
Writing skills
Financial Literacy
Social Rapport
Assertiveness
Informal Communication
Personal/ Prof Relationship
Formal Interviewing
During the New Foundation program, when asserting one’s self in a professional meeting, students are primarily developing social rapport
Collaboration
Conflict resolution
Advocacy

17. Domains & Constituent Skills
Critical Thinking
Common Sense
Time Management
Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Presence
Trustworthiness
Commitment to Work
Unsupervised Behavior
Commitment to Growth
Professional Boundaries
Social Rapport
Emotional Projection
Physical Projection
Reception & Interpretation
Differentiated Communication
Emotional Projection involves:
Positive Attitude
Enthusiasm
Self Confidence
Personal Chemistry
It is learned through
Critical Thinking
Collaboration
Collaboration
Teamwork
Communication

18. Implications for Vocational Rehabilitation
Persons with disabilities can develop a soft-skills advantage when competing for jobs
Recidivism cycles can be inhibited or broken
Rehabilitation Departments can reach more individuals in need
In CA, DoR has put some heavy work into this with the design of the Placement Plus service model
Integrating soft skills explicitly into educational curricula will develop skills valued by employers

19. Implications for the Successful Life
Persons with disabilities can find role models and mentors
Create positive identities for themselves
Foster community integration
By integrating soft skills explicitly into educational curricula will foster opportunities for future employment, and hopefully impact the employment percentages for people with disabilities