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A TRIP AROUND USA: POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE IN EMPLOYMENT

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What Do We Know?

• It’s about jobs . . . . • No one approach will work for all• Good supported employment and

customized employment strategies are needed regardless of the approach

• Network, network, network . . . . • Connect, connect, connect . . . • We all play a role

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Examples of Corporate Initiatives- Disability and Inclusion

• Pepsi• Office Max: Maxing Out Diversity• Mercy Hospital in St. Louis –

changing corporate culture• Best Buy• Walgreens• Lowes• Direct Employers Association

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Coalition of Employment Providers Around Employers

• Louisville, KY and Indianapolis, IN Coalition of Providers Use of Business Account Managers or Single

Points of Contacts (SPOC) Dual Customer Approach

Grossi-Emmett 56/1/2012

Grossi-Emmett 6

Sample of Lowe’s Pre-Screening• Required Orientation Prior to Application:• Applicant has appropriate vocational goal • Applicant has completed the virtual tour on

Lowes Career website• Applicant has reviewed the Lowes Mission

Statement, Values and History on Lowes Career website

• Applicant has reviewed the job description for Lowes Distribution Center Team Member

6/1/2012

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Sample of Lowe’s Pre-Screening• Required Orientation Prior to Application:• Applicant understands the physical nature of

the work • Applicant has no sensitivity to loud noises,

lights, smells associated with Distribution Center

• Applicant has appropriate transportation plan in place

• Applicants Work Readiness Screening Score • Applicant has signed and received Outreach

Program Information/Release

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Lowe’sCriminal History / Job Loss • If applicant has a criminal history, including any offenses

or charges other than traffic violations, attached a detailed explanation of the date, nature and resolution of the charges.

• If the applicant has ever been terminated from employment, attach a detailed explanation of the reason for termination, beginning and ending dates of employment and employer contact information.

• If the applicant has ever left employment, attach a detailed explanation of the reason for leaving, beginning and ending dates of employment and employer contact information.

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Lowes Work EvaluationGENERAL WORK SKILLS: — Staying on task/working hard — Gets all work done as assigned — Works at acceptable speed — Follows oral instructions — Follows written instructions — Lifting/Carrying ability

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Evaluation

WORK HABITS: — Attendance — Punctuality — Ask for clarification or help as needed — Judgment — Attention to detail

WORK ATTITUDES: — Accepts criticism well — Responsibility/Dependability — Enthusiasm/Motivation

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Evaluation (cont)

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:• Cleanliness/Hygiene• Appearance

GETTTING ALONG WITH OTHERS:• With Supervisor• With Co-Workers• With Public• Positive and Friendly Personality

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Resources• Direct Employers Association http

://www.directemployers.org/

http://www.directemployers.org/partners/disability/• Business Leadership Network – http://www.usbln.org/• Kessler Foundation - http://kesslerfoundation.org/• Association for People Supporting EmploymentFirst

www.APSE.Org• James Emmett - emmettx4@aol.com• Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

(CSAVR) - http://www.rehabnetwork.org/

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Self-Employment as an Employment Outcome

• Self employment is the fastest growing career option today in the U.S. (approximately 79 percent success rate)

• Business Within a Business model• Once Example from Montana - https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-QHpTN0P9g#t=63

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Self-Employment Resources• Griffith-Hammis Associates - http://www.griffinhammis.com/• Small Business Administration’s (SBA) web site (

www.sba.gov) • Virginia Commonwealth University – Workplace Supports

http://www.worksupport.com/• Institute On Community Inclusion

–http://www.realworkstories.org/self-employment • University of Montana Rural Institute –

http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/• Griffin, C.C. & Hammis, D. (2003). Making Self Employment

Work for People with Disabilities. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing.

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Individualized Services – Supported Employment and Customized Employment

• POW$R – Autism Services

http://www.delautism.org/AdultServices/AboutPOWR.aspx

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Interagency Collaboration: Schools, VR and Employment Providers Working Together

• Project SEARCH – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWks_yc5Phw&feature=youtu.be• Maryland Seamless Transition Collaborative

(MSTC)• Washington’s School to Work• Think College (www.thinkcollege.net)• Indiana’s School-to-Work Collaborative

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Unique Aspects of the Collaborative

• Employment resources from providers are embedded in the school focusing on quality work experiences and quality employment outcomes

• Single point of contact immersed in the school – e.g., Career Coach

• Coalition of providers (including VR) working together and serving as a local Collaborative

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Key Elements of Local Collaborative• Collaborative of Community employment providers

• Single Point of Contact • Personal Profile- Discovery process • Immersed Internship• Student Empowerment Training• Benefits Planning• Family Training

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A Win-Win for All: Working More Collaboratively

School perspective:

• Teachers have been instructed to spend the majority of their time improving student academic performance, with little or no time and/or skill set and experience in adult employment outcome

• There is limited time to learn the employer’s needs.

• Teachers know the students and families • Can improve their Indicator 14 or post-school outcome data

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A Win-Win for All

Community Employment Provider Perspective:

• Source of referrals and customers• Employment providers have one focus: developing relationships with businesses and to assist the job seeker with disabilities in securing type of employment.

• Community rehabilitation providers have the expertise to offer schools and can reduce the duplication of services.

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A Win-Win for All

Employers perspective:• Having both school and community employment providers approaching employers for potential jobs becomes time-consuming from an employer perspective.

• When employers are aware of the disability resources, there is often confusion due to the “silo-ization” (Luecking, 2008) of programs serving distinct disability groups.

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A Win-Win for All

Students/Families:• Students and families are making connection earlier• Overlap of services with schools for a “safety-net”• Jobs!!!!!!!!!• The Goal is for the “last day of school to look like the

day after”

Vocational Rehabilitation:• Identifying transition-age youth• Providing more counseling/guidance/consulting• Outcomes – 26s

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Resouces• Project SEARCH - http://www.projectsearch.us/• Washington Initiative on Supported Employment –

www.gowise.org• Indiana – www.iidc.indiana.edu/cclc• TransCen – www.transcen.org

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Changing Day Services

• TransCen -WorkLink program, San Francisco, CA www.transcen.orgBraided fundingCollaboration between Developmental

Disabilities and Vocational RehabilitationEmployment outcomes

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North Carolina’s Pockets of Excellence

The Best of “Best Practice”

• The job is a match between student/individual and job site analyses—esp. non-negotiables

• The job is extraordinarily typical• The relationships are interdependent• The language reflects equity and capacity• The strategies flow from the assessment• The job is one you’d like for a loved one

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The Best of “Best Practice” Cont.

• The employment consultant (transition coordinator) has probe data and ongoing communication with job site

• The job is non-seasonal, in a stable or growing industry and allows for evolution

• The job has enhancing features• The expectations of performance are

clearly defined and stable• The employer is committed to diversity

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THANK YOUTeresa Grossi, Ph.D., Director

Center on Community Living and Careers

Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

Indiana University

tgrossi@indiana.edu

812-855-4070