Customized Employment Lessons Learned NCDB Webinar; April 13 th , 2011

1. Customized EmploymentLessons Learned NCDB Webinar; April 13th, 2011 Explain how we (NCDB) got here Brief overview of Customized process Highlight State perspectives and lessons learned Discussion ! Your turn to be heard

2. NCDB Mike Fagbemi Jon Harding

3. Hmmm… “The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television”- Unknown

4. Why we need innovative approaches Living Arrangements for DB: • At home with family 66.7% • Living independently 3.6% Employment Status for DB: • Unemployed 75.4% • Working for pay 19.3% • Outcomes for young adults with deaf-blindness (based on 2000 survey by Dr. Jerry Petroff) (N=57)

5. What is CE? • ODEP definition: “Customized Employment means individualizing the relationship between job seekers and employers in ways that meet the needs of both.” • 4 Key Elements: • Individualization • Representation • Negotiation • Ongoing Supports

6. Why CE?? • Transition: A review of promising practices • CE had some evidence of effectiveness with individuals with multiple disabilities. • CE was innovative, but utilized principles and practices that we were familiar with: self-determination, empowerment, control, respect, choice-making. • US Dept of Labor supports and promotes this concept.

7. Our Answer: Customized Employment Initiative • Young adults 16 – 22 yrs old • Web based distance training for DB projects & local service providers • Onsite training for projects & local teams • Follow up teleconference with consultants • Customized Listserve for information sharing • Annual customized think tank hosted by consultants

8. Partnerships: Marc Gold and Associates • Founded in 1976 • Specialize in employment and community participation • Provides consultation, staff training and project management to throughout the U.S. and Europe • Michael Callahan, Norciva Shumpert, Ellen Condon

9. Customized Employment at a glance • Discovery:–Who is the person? • Profiles: What did we learn about this person’s abilities, interests that will help us find the right job? • Portfolio/visual resume:– How can we best present this person’s abilities to an employer? • Job development and negotiation – What does an employer need that this person can provide that is good for them both? • Job site analysis, accommodations, support- What will this person need to make the job successful?

10. Customized team members Young adult (job seeker) Family Teachers Related service providers Intervener Paraprofessional Community members

11. Discovery is… • …the foundation of customization. The lessons learned in discovery have a direct impact on the negotiations with employers and should be reflected in the customized job descriptions for job seekers. • …a process that involves getting to know people AT THEIR BEST, or helping them get to know themselves, before we help them plan • ..spending time with applicants, instead of testing or evaluating them, as a means of finding out who they are • …a way to show possibilitiesand leads to things a person is motivated to do rather than to fears, negativity and deficits.

12. COMPLEXITIES • Disability • Age: maturity/youth • Poverty • Homelessness • Family responsibilities • Lack of experience or skills • Low vision • Balance issues • Socialization skills • Low self-esteem • Cultural • Health • Addiction • Lack of education • Habits/life routines • Dependence on benefits • Hearing loss • Literacy • Behavior

13. Customized employment & Google • Employees have flexible schedules for productivity , recreation and creativity • Everyone contributes to the company’s bottom line of effectively serving a million people a day • Communication in any mode is welcomed • Employees are all individuals working towards one common goal

14. Customized office space

15. Lessons Learned (Jon) • Parents like the practice and are enthusiastic about its use. • CE can provide “direction” for programming and school activities and compliments the IEP process. • CE can create new opportunities for partnerships outside schools (adult services, ILCs, businesses, families). • CE challenges us to adopt new, sometimes scary, roles in order to achieve employment outcomes for kids.

16. Lessons Learned (Mike) • Businesses have needs that they may not think about resolving with a customized job description, such as part time employees or contract employees to meet their need. • Engaging employers about specific job tasks is only part of the interaction. Educating employers about the capacity of people may involve dispelling myths about employing a person with a disability • Assumptions should not be made about a person’s capacity or willingness to work.

17. Idaho Robin Greenfield: ID DB Project

18. Customizing Employment: Lessons Learned

19. Customizing requires exploration of 5 components from person’s perspective • Ideal conditions • Preferences/interests • Contributions to be offered • Discrete tasks to be performed • Specific employers to be contacted

20. I would like to introduce you to Emily. Emily is a recent Skyline High School graduate who is looking for employment.

21. Emily’s interests include: • Cooking • Playing the Piano • Children • Computers • Crafts • Making latch hook rugs • Beading • Making blankets

22. Emily likes structure and routine • She follows work rules and procedures, • She will assist others to keep to schedules, • She can follow written schedules, or patterns from craft books.

23. If you show Emily a process for performing a task she will perform it that way consistently.

24. Job Tasks which Emily could perform include: • Delivering items, • Stocking, • Taking inventory, • Scanning documents, • Running errands, • Returns, • Replenishing supplies • Supervising children, • Making snacks, • Handing things out to people, • Reminding people of routines and schedules, • Sorting mail

25. Emily has successfully completed several work experiences through school.

26. Lessons Learned • Preferences /interests may not be enough • Team members all need to be on the same page • Ongoing follow-up is critical to success

27. Mississippi Linda McDowell

28. The Master Plan in MS • Customized Employment will not just be a Deaf-Blind Project effort, but all entities providing employment support in MS will be introduced to, and hopefully adopt, the CE process to implement it (with fidelity) with individuals who are DB

29. Summary of 5 year systemic progression of adoption of CE in MS • CE awareness  Buy-in Philosophy and Process  Implementation Development and Competency  Common Practice (with Fidelity)

30. Year 1 • Introduced widely through recorded NCDB webinars and conference calls with participants: • Rehab Services (MDRS) • Mental Health • Two Independent providers of employment services • School Transition Coordinators

31. Year 2 and 3 • Individualized training and support for implementing • Support from MG&A • NCDB-funded training in KY • Further implementation in MS to get buy-in and ownership of CE process • More training, piloting, and documenting • New materials • Continue awareness efforts

32. New Materials • Help in tracking fidelity of implementation of CE • Developed from notes of Melynda Ross, edited by Mike Callahan • New packet includes: • 5 checklists of the Steps of CE • Tracking form for Discovery and Employment Planning • Templates and examples of Profile and Employment Plan

33. Year 4 • Emphasizing “Development of Competency” with agencies and personnel who are trying to implement CE • 2 DB specialists at MDRS • New leadership at MDRS now requiring training on CE process by MG&A • Two contracts to promote implementation of CE statewide • MS APSE • MS Governor’s Council on DD

34. Year 5 • Two more implementation efforts • Transition planning with youth & families (including CE) • The ARC of MS has a new 2 yr project to demo CE with individuals in lower portion of state

35. Georgia Martha Veto: GA DB Project

36. On the Road to Customized Employment: Lessons Learned in Georgia

37. What we KNEW already • The philosophy and goals of Customized Employment from Mike Callahan’s presentation at Topical. Everyone can have a job! • At too many IEP meetings, transition plans were not really planning tools, but just more paperwork. • VR gets jobs for people with disabilities

38. LESSON 1: The Customized Approach is not for everyone • Family and young person need to feel comfortable with customized employment • Results from traditional vocational assessments do not reflect student’s abilities accurately.

39. LESSON 2: Teams are good, but the “right” team might not be who you thought • Position/title less important than concern about student’s future, willingness to do something extra • Knowing the student is not a requirement to start the processing - knowing the community and resources is

40. LESSON 3: Clear expectations for participation in the Customized Approach • Looking for conditions, capabilities- not disabilities • Student interests drive job development – not existing programs you might fit him into • Jobs are negotiated based on students optimal conditions for work

41. LESSON 4: It’s all about the money • Does the student have waiver funds that will cover the cost of job development and ongoing job support? • Are there other agencies that can provide funding? • How long will VR funds support job development? Job support?

42. LESSON 5 : Wait a minute, Mike, this isn’t a training project, it’s a big Systems Change! • Even when the signs all around them point in another direction because what is currently being done isn’t working for substantial numbers of people: we found getting agencies to change their procedures is HARD • Accept new forms of vocational • assessment • Accept new pictures of what • “successful closure” might look like • View students as “ready to work” • based on what they can do instead • of results from inadequate • assessments

43. LESSON 6: It takes lots of planning and leveraging community resources • Who are the people in your community- neighbors, school, Department of Labor, University Disability Center, State Advocacy Office, Council on Developmental Disabilities, Parent Training Institute, Social Services – who can offer something to support this???

44. LESSON 7: Whose Capacity Are We Building? – OURS??? DB project staff did the heavy lifting on both NCDB trainings Whose capacity can we build – and capacity to do what? • Build capacity of teachers on the discovery process to help them develop appropriate transition plans and find appropriate work experiences • Build capacity of transition specialists to recommend the discovery process • Build capacity of parents to request the discovery process

45. LESSON #8 Get on the right bus • Find the people who are doing what you want to do and work together

46. Customized EmploymentPilot Project in Georgia • One year in pulling together partners and planning • Mapping community resources to target areas with coordinated services • Negotiations with agencies about involvement • Steering Committee of major partners • Advocacy office, Developmental Disabiilties Board, DOL/VR, Universities, Job Development agencies, Department of Education –at state and district levels, TACE, parents and parent mentors

47. Customized EmploymentPilot Project in Georgia • Get Employment Stewards – trained by Employment First Georgia registered as vendors for VR vocational profiles • Train additional VR vendors in Customized Discovery • Identify 10 students who have waiver funds from 4 selected counties • VR pays for 10 Discovery profiles • Employment Stewards and existing job development specialists find jobs for the kids

48. GSAP ONGOING INVOLVEMENT WITH CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT • Collaborate with Pilot Project training sessions for teams around kids on my census • Refer students to pilot project • Work with 2 teams a year to develop Discovery Profiles for students in transition • Promote use of CE Discovery through regional transition councils

49. Kansas Beth Jordan: HKNC Regional Rep Megan Cote: KS DB Project

50. Jackie K Bags • an innovative entrepreneurship • works with her dream and the dream of the family(which is not always what you believe the dream should be) • do not be afraid to ask the community for free assistance to help the learner attain their dream • e.g. legal help, etc. • Developmental Disabilities Grant to expand her business www.jackiekbags.com