April 2010

Volume 1, Issue 2

The holiday season is a time of giving. On Wednesday, December 2nd, Project SEARCH interns offered their time to wrap books and gifts at Border’s in Whitehall. Donations collected were used to purchase items for Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s Pediatric Wing in Bethlehem. Mario Kart Wii, a ladder-ball set, and a Toss Across game were among the items given to the children. Thank you to all those who came out to support the interns. They enjoyed wrap-ping gifts for patrons in the community as well as learning to do for others in need.

Project SEARCH Gives Back to the Community

Project SEARCH Open House... ”Oh, What a Night!”

It was Tuesday, December 7th; the location was the Edwards Center; the theme was Project SEARCH’s Second Annual Open House! The room was full of eager guests anxious to learn about the opportunities available for young adults with special needs and more importantly, the opportunities available to local businesses who partner with the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Presenters included Lanta, Easton Coach, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (GSRN), and the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Sally Gammon, CEO, GSRN, provided an eloquent speech explaining how Good Shepherd has benefited from the partnership with the Intermediate Unit and how Project SEARCH teaches individuals with disabilities employability skills for future jobs. Previous Project SEARCH interns were present and shared where they are now employed!!

Inside this issue:

Project SEARCH

Giving Back to the 1

Open House at Edwards Center

1

Meet the Mentors and Interns

2-4

What Do Mentors Do? 3

Tips for Employees 4

Meet the Mentors and Interns Courtney began her internship working at Sodexo as a Salad Bar Attendant. She learned the responsibili-ties of breaking down the breakfast bar, preparing the salad bar, cleaning tables, and washing dishes. Court-ney’s goal for this rotation was to learn how to organ-ize her work tasks with a checklist and to keep work chatter to a minimum as she hustled to get the salad bar ready for its hungry customers! Courtney’s sec-ond rotation allowed her to continue to develop her socialization skills as a secretarial assistant at Work Services. Karen and Susie trained Courtney to answer phones, transfer calls, take messages as well as process paperwork. More importantly, Courtney started to make her own adaptations which allow her to be a productive worker!

In the first rotation, Sean had work goals of increasing his stamina, monitoring his pacing or time manage-ment and demonstrating confidence by not needing to ask for frequent feedback while he was assigned to the Housekeeping Department. Sean’s friendly smile and positive greeting could have been seen in a variety of staircases as he swept, dusted and wet mopped each step and crevasse! During his second rotation, there was focus on the importance of quantity and quality as a Linen Attendant. Sean quickly learned that the expectations were not isolated to the linen room, but expanded to the floors where he needed to deliver linens to support patients

and residents. He continues to use the internship experiences to understand differences between socializing and communicating.

Jessie had limited experience in a school based work program when she was accepted into Project SEARCH, though did complete many hours shadowing a nurse assistant for part of her graduation project. Given the variety of job responsibilities within the Mailroom, Jessie’s internship assignments for both first and second rotation have been in this department. Her individual work goals were to build strength in multi-tasking while learning the specific skills of organization and using the equipment in the mailroom. To simplify the sorting of mail, a color coding system was implemented for everyone to use increasing accuracy as well as time efficiency!

Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 2

Linda is a Mentor with Sodexo.

Left to right: Susie, Courtney (intern), Karen and Cheryl

Work Services Staff.

Housekeeping Department. Victor, Project SEARCH Mentor with intern, Sean.

Scott has been mentoring interns for two years in the

Linen Department.

Jessie with Mentor, Nate, in the Mailroom.

Interns and their Mentors continued:

Cory has been able to use some of his previous school-work experiences with his internship assignments beginning with a position held at Sodexo in which he completed most of the functions necessary for cold food prepara-tion. Cory used pictures/word cards and visual schedule cues to help with organizing himself and developing a consistent routine of the expectations. Project SEARCH expanded internships to the Warehouse Department at Work Services for Cory’s second rotation as a Shipping and Receiving Attendant. Some warehousing responsibilities were familiar to Cory since he had some experience at the warehouse at Lehigh Career Technical Institute; he quickly learned the dynamics of maneuvering a jack lift as well as moving and delivering large quantities of materials in one trip. Given Cory’s hearing loss, co-workers and fellow interns have needed to learn how to effectively communicate with him whether through sign language, gestures or picture sequencing. No matter how each communicates with Cory, the overriding comment has been that it’s not hard once you get to know him!

What do Mentors do? Mentors train interns on the essential functions of a job position. The interns not only learn the hard skills of the job, but they also learn transferable skills. The interns create graphs, checklists, task analysis, make accommodations, as they strive to improve their soft skills and progress towards employability. We thank all of our mentors and the departments for their dedication and hard work as they work with the interns on a daily basis!

Lindsay has been completing many job responsibilities while completing her internship rotations at Outpatient Rehabilitation. She has demonstrated the skills to complete specific tasks, and clearly has a strength in paying attention to details. The individual goal that Lindsay has been working on since beginning her rotations is developing her social skills such as greeting others, listening before responding and how she can positively use nonverbal communication in the workplace. She has learned that being part of an organization is more than doing the specific job, and that positive communication is expected of all employees. Lindsay’s first rotation included job responsibilities primarily with filing, organizing and purging records. As the role expanded into the second

rotation, she learned to use each piece of office equipment and was taught to use the computer program, Boardmaker, to create picture cues for therapists and patients. Lindsay enjoys working on a computer, whether it’s entering data, finding therapeutic pictures, or searching the internet for information!

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 2

Linda is a Project

SEARCH Mentor

with Sodexo.

Cory, working with his Mentor, Jeff, at Shipping and Receiving within Work

Services Department

Michelle has been a Mentor

from Outpatient Rehab for Lindsay.

Left to right: Christie, Audra, Lindsay and Andrea

from Outpatient Rehab.

Interns and their Mentors continued:

Lizzie was an intern in the Housekeeping Department for the first and second rota-tion. In this department, Lizzie rotated to a new floor each week in the Rehabilita-tion Hospital and the Raker Building. Lizzie learned how the essential functions within her job description varied across different settings and even floors. Addition-ally, she has learned how to work with different trainers’ personalities as well as how to adjust to daily changes in the work environment. With the support of OVR and job development services from GSRN Work Services, Lizzie completed an ap-plication and went for an interview at Cedar Brook Nursing Home. She got the job and has been employed there in a part time position! She continues to participates in Project SEARCH on a part time basis to expand vocational areas of interest and skills.

Tips for Supervising an Employee With a Disability

DO talk to him/her on a person-to-person level DO introduce him/her to his fellow employees as you would anyone else. Only try to be and supervisors. He/She may seem a bit more specific, more precise and crystal- withdrawn at first, but will warm up once clear. Don’t “talk down” to him/her as though once he gets to know the people. Will He/she were a small tot. They are not. warm up faster if he/she can find one co-worker at first with whom can feel free and easy; someone to answer questions and listen to problems.

DO speak in concrete terms, not abstractions. DO ask a question now and then to make If, for example, you want him/her to put the sure he/she is keeping up with you. Now pail away, show him/her exactly where “away show me your work station,” or “Where is.” does the bus stop?” or any kind of question that checks his/her understanding.

Robert began his internships working in the Linen Department with Scott. Robert learned how to improve his math skills counting the various linen items on the cart. He also learned how to initiate and maintain conversations with patients and co-workers as he retrieved linens on the floors. As a mentor, Scott helped Robert develop his social and communication skills! Often times there are things taught that are not from a textbook but occur through positive modeling and reinforcement. Robert worked in the Maintenance Department for his second rotation. There he learned the names of various tools and how they were used. In addition to understanding the

equipment aspect of the position, Robert quickly gained insight into how many little things need to be done to keep buildings and grounds in proper, safe conditions as well as the regular tasks expected each day. Thanks to the communication and coordination of all the workers in the Maintenance Department; Robert’s confidence soared!

Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 2

Lizzie with Fran, her Mentor.

Robert with Scott, Linen Department

In the Maintenance Depart-ment, Robert works with his

Mentor, Randy.