You’re Hired! Preparing Youth With Disabilities for Employment

1. You’re Hired!Preparing Youth With Disabilities for Employment Shannon Myers, M.S., Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), Employment Specialist, Iowa Department for the Blind shannon.myers@blind.state.ia.us

2. Learning Objectives • Learn strategies to prepare youth with disabilities for competitive employment. • Discover ways to engage students and employers in job shadows, tours, and work experiences. • Understand how to do informational sessions for career planning. • Uncover how easy (and fun) networking can be!

3. What Does the Research Say? • Research- Benz, Doren, & Yavanoff, 1998; Colley & Jamison, 1998; Lueking & Fabian, 2000: • The consensus is that having a job prior to exiting high school is the best predictor of positive post-school employment outcomes. • Is this research being shared with youth and supports in meaningful ways? • Is employment being planned for and the expectation set at an early age? • Research- The Journal of Rehabilitation: “Employer Preferences in Hiring Youth with Disabilities”: • Top two reasons employers hire youth with disabilities: Appearance and Youth’s Ability to Perform • Are we giving feedback on appearance and tying it to work? • Is a functional assessment of work behaviors being done and shared?

4. Career Development Influences • The career development process may begin as early as a child’s preschool years and is influenced by early school experiences. Developmental process may be delayed when youth are segregated from experiences. • Person’s environment, including family, education, and socioeconomic status influences career development. Access to development opportunities and experiences are important. • Beliefs strongly influence individuals, such as self-concept and self-efficacy. These beliefs are shaped by culturally based beliefs about work and work roles. • Societal beliefs such as perceptions like prejudice, discrimination, and gender role stereotypes. Disability related stereotypes can impact career development. • Environmental influences such as the labor market, employment practices, inaccessible buildings and negative attitudes. • Career development is a lifelong process as there are ongoing career and job changes in an individual’s lifetime.

5. Super’s Theory of Vocational Development • Physical and psychological growth occurs from birth to age 14, when a person’s self-concept develops, personal needs dominate, and the activities a person engages in and the aspirations they pursue are based on personal interests. As the person’s abilities become evident, they begin to consider the requirements of specific careers. • Exploration occurs from ages 15 to 24. During these years, an individual begins a process of self-examination, role experimentation, and occupational exploration within jobs, leisure, and school activities. This phase includes strengthening of the self-concept, leading to key decisions related to coursework, hobbies, fantasy, volunteering, and job/career choice. • Establishments in an occupation happens from ages 25 to 44. These years are characterized by commitment to a particular occupation and stabilization and advancement within the work world.

6. Benefits of Work Experience • Gaining career readiness skills including the “soft skills” that employers look for in entry level workers; • Increasing one’s knowledge of specific occupational skills and workplace settings; • Establishing a work history and connections with employers that can aid in future job searches; and • Developing an understanding of different occupations in order to make informed career choices. • In addition, research studies suggest that work-based learning may increase school attendance, decrease dropout rates, reduce school suspensions, and increase school engagement (Medrich, Calderon, & Hoachlander, 2002). • Successful long-term outcomes.

7. Career Planning Tips • When should career planning start? • Who should be on the career planning team? • Make sure career goals align across all plans. • Keep it simple! • Allow for creativity. • Re-visit and Re-evaluate often. • Understand that plans will often change.

8. Engage Youth through Experiences • Experiential learning makes work fun! • Informational sessions Tours • Job Shadows • Volunteering/Service Projects • Networking • Internships • Summer Employment • Part-time paid work experience

9. What is an Informational Session? • Commonly referred to as an “Informational Interview” • A hybrid of an networking opportunity, research activity, experience-based, a job try-out • Insider scoop on company, job, culture, etc. • Problem: not advertised anywhere, not familiar with, confused with actual interview • Solution: make it easy to understand, short, and practice asking for one

10. How to Set Up and Informational Session • Practice with who you know first • Then start to target your search • Target those who are not too busy to talk to you • Middle manager vs. CEO • Linked In, Email, Phone Calls, in Person • In person has the best result, next is over the phone • Make a list of all the companies, job types, and people you already know • Ask the people you already know who THEY know

11. Preparation Tips for Informational Sessions • Treat it like a job interview • Research the company, position, and contact • Dress to impress • Arrive 5-10 minutes early • Only take up the 15-20 minutes you asked for • Bring a resume but only leave it if they ask • Ask for their contact information to follow up • Be able to introduce yourself in 30 seconds • Shake hands and explain assistive technology • Practice the questions you will be asking

12. Informational Session Steps… • Start by asking for help • “I’d love your help,” or “I hope you will be able to help me out...” • Be clear and specific • Ask for something that is specific and make it easy for the person to say yes. • “I’d love to know more about your job and how you got your start”

13. Informational Session Steps… 3. Have a hook • Compliment the company or person if known: “I have heard great things about ___ company and wanted to see if we could meet for a quick coffee to learn more about your role” • Use an angle: “I am a student and researching careers and would like to learn about your career path” • Taylor each informational session ask to the person/company as if were an interview

14. Informational Session Steps… 4. Be very considerate • Asking to take time away from their work • Use “please” and “thank you” • Acknowledge how busy they are only ask for 15-20 minutes “I realize you must be very busy in your role and 15 minutes of your time would be appreciated” 5. Do not act like you are looking for a job • (Even if you are) • Act very interested in their specific role and learning from them • Otherwise you may be passed off to HR

15. Informational Session Steps… 6. Follow up and be pleasantly persistent • If you have not heard back in a week, email or call to ask again. Remind them how wonderful it would be to have 15-20 minutes to learn from them • Be pleasant and mindful of their time • It is your responsibility to follow up with the contact • Continue to follow up every two weeks until you hear a yes or a no • Example: “Hello, ____ I just wanted to reach out to again. I am sure you are very busy and was wondering if you got a chance to read my email. I am very interested in learning about your role as a _____ and about your career path. I have heard great things about _____. It would be great to chat with you for 15-20 minutes about your job. I am sure I could learn a lot from you. Hope you are enjoying your day and I look forward to hearing from you soon.” • Do not take it personal if the contact does not have time and is busy

16. Questions to Ask… • How did you get this job? • What kinds of experience and preparation helped you the most? • What kind of training or background is necessary for this type of work? • Who would you say most helped you in your career? • What are your responsibilities in this position? • What do you like most? Least?

17. Questions to Ask… • Knowing what you know now, what advice do you have for getting into this work? • What personal qualities or abilities are important for doing well in this line of work? • For you, what part of this job is most satisfying? Most challenging? • If you were going to change directions now, where would you go? How would you do it?

18. Most Important Questions to Ask! • Who would you recommend that I speak to next? • When I contact them, may I use your name? KEEP DOING INFORMATION SESSIONS- YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

19. Networking 101 • Networking does not have to be hard. • Who do you know? • Who do they know? What do they do? • What are their hobbies? • About 80% of all jobs are found by networking. • Networking should be fun! • Start with who you already know. • Work on your “pitch”. • Treat it like a game. (Sources: The New York Times, CareerBuilder.com, and Contacts Count Research)

20. Most Jobs Never Posted Online Approximately 80% of jobs are filled above the black line in this pyramid through networking.  You are only see about 20% of the available jobs when you look online. 

21. Ways to Network • Hobbies and activities already involved in • Community events • Volunteering • Part-time and temporary jobs • Job and Career Fairs • Doing research online for events • Informational Sessions • Other ways to network??

22. Who Do You Know? Who Do They Know?

23. Activity Come up with a list of ten names for a student who is interested in working in the field of animals. Be creative!

24. Preparation for Work Experience • Soft Skills • Soft skills are skills employers expect everyone to have • These skills will get you both hired and fired! • What do employers look for? • Appearance • Communication • Team player • Flexible • Honest • Dependable • Positive attitude • Goal-oriented • Problem-solver

25. Ways to Engage Youth & Employers • Tours • How to ask and explain the purpose of a tour • What to look for on a tour • Questions to ask on a tour • Informational Sessions: • Experiential Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9M-mFNA7w • 20 Questions to Ask in an Informational Session/Interview: http://bestcareermatch.com/interview-questions • Job Shadowing: • Job Shadow Tips: http://www.quintcareers.com/job-shadowing_tips.html • Career Exploration Through Job Shadowing: http://lifeafterieps.com/career-exploration-job-shadowing/

26. Employer Engagement • Get employer buy-in for work experience • Realize there are levels of openness • Make the purpose easy for the employer to understand • Practice your pitch beforehand • Share references of other employers you have worked with • Ask for a small amount of time • Gain and understanding of their business • Be flexible

27. What is a Reasonable Accommodation? • A modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things usually are done that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy an equal employment opportunity. An equal employment opportunity means an opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are available to an average similarly-situated employee without a disability. • The ADA requires reasonable accommodation in three aspects of employment: 1) to ensure equal opportunity in the application process, 2) to enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job, and 3) to enable an employee with a disability to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment. • Examples of reasonable accommodations include making existing facilities accessible; job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules; acquiring or modifying equipment; changing tests, training materials, or policies; providing qualified readers or interpreters; and reassignment to a vacant position. • For additional information about reasonable accommodation under the ADA, visit Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship (EEOC Guidance) at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation.html

28. Reasonable Accommodations • Whose responsibility is it to know about accommodations? • To disclose or not to disclose? When to disclose? • How to discuss accommodations with an employer • Most accommodations are under $500 and are easy to implement (according to JAN and the Department of Labor). • Searchable Online Reasonable Accommodations (SOAR): http://askjan.org/soar/index.htm

29. Resume and Personal Data Sheet Tips • Always update the resume and data sheet once an experience is completed • Work experiences allow for references needed to obtain jobs • Professional references hold more weight than personal references • Proof read, proof read, proof read • Resumes can be creative- portfolio, visual, etc. • Data sheets are useful in completing job applications

30. Resources • PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment:http://www.pacer.org/transition/ • Iowa Transition Assessment: http://transitionassessment.northcentralrrc.org/ • Maryland Transitioning Youth: http://www.mdtransition.org/Workshop%20Schedule.htm • Transition Resource Guide, Heartland AEA: http://www.heartlandaea.org/media/cms/Transition_Resource_Guide_60E1540CCECAC.pdf • Job Accommodation Network (JAN): http://askjan.org/ • Searchable Online Accessible Resource (SOAR): http://askjan.org/soar/ • My Next Move: http://www.mynextmove.org/ • Improving College and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities: http://www.aypf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Improving-College-and-Career-Readiness-for-Students-with-Disabilities.pdf • Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A How To Guide: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/NCWDYouth-ILP-How-to-Guide-Feb2013.pdf