CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT

LESSONS 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

NCDBMike FagbemiJon Harding

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

Hmmm…

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)

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

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.

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

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

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?

Customized team members

Young adult (job seeker)

Family TeachersRelated service

providersIntervener ParaprofessionalCommunity members

…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 possibilities and leads to things a person is motivated to do rather than to fears, negativity and deficits.

Discovery is…

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

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

Customized office space

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.

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.

IDAHORobin Greenfield: ID DB Project

Customizing Employment: Lessons Learned

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

emilypiano.dat

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

Emily’s interests include:

Cooking Playing the Piano Children Computers Crafts

Making latch hook rugs Beading Making blankets

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.

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

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

Emily has successfully completed several work experiences through school.

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

MISSISSIPPI

Linda McDowell

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

GEORGIA

Martha Veto: GA DB Project

On the Road to Customized Employment: Lessons Learned in Georgia

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

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.

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

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

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?

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

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???

LESSON 7: Whose Capacity Are We Building? – OURS??? DB project staff did the heavy lifting on both

NCDB trainingsWhose 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

LESSON #8 Get on the right bus Find the people

who are doing what you want to do and work together

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

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

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

KANSAS

Beth Jordan: HKNC Regional RepMegan Cote: KS DB Project

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 businesswww.jackiekbags.com

Advocating for District-Wide Systemic Change

From our experience, in most KS public school districts, learners with dual sensory impairments go to job sites where the district has negotiated a contract OR to a site on district property where kids go to gain &/or practice job skills.

We have been working with 2 districts to try to change this and make the CE process protocol for how they place learners in jobs.

HOW have we done this?

Modeling the process of CE by doing it with learners When they see how it works, they are

sold! Training staff on the benefits & steps Assisting district staff to become part

of the process Changing the responsibilities of the

transition specialists in the districts

Lessons from Kansas teams

Customized Employment is best practice

Need for systemic change within districts

Education on embracing the belief that all people are employable and deserve that right- IN THE COMMUNITY in a job that they enjoy.

There is a lot of work still to be done!

Lessons from Kansas teams Get creative to identify

who will do Discovery For students still in

school, the goal can be work experiences (rather than a job)

Early on, determine who will provide the support on the job

Systems Lessons about VR

Key PointsKey Points Vocational Rehabilitation can provide

supports/services with the end goal of employment

No one can be denied an application Even during Order of Selection, persons with

the most severe disabilities get first priority An IPE (plan) will be developed with the VR

counselor once eligibility has been determined

Services are time-limited

Systems Lessons about VR & CE

Typically, VR counselors will open a case 18 months before the student exits the school system

VR can pay for Discovery as part of their assessment

Identify long-term supports Service priority dilemma Customized Employment can be

successful with OR without VR involvement

How to Include your HKNC Regional Rep in the CE process? *

*Dependent upon the Rep’s proximity to the job seeker

Provide training to employer/co-workers on DB 101 Linkage to local, state, and national resources that

may benefit the job seeker Facilitate the application process for HKNC

evaluation and training (if needed) Identify other regional teams that have had

success with Customized Employment or a related field of work

Resources

http://nationaldb.org/I

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topicCatID=821

QUESTIONS??

Ask away!