Needham High School Skills And Career Development

Building individual relationships within the community and changing lives …..

one job at a time.

Meet The Panel

• Pat Pakos: Arc of Massachusetts • Gretchen Ayoub: NHS Guidance • Michelle Kelly: Special Educator • Ilene Asarch: Transition Teacher • Corine Burke: Parent • Laci Ferraro: Supervisor - Marshalls • Shawn Wilmar: Job Coach

Roles of the Panel Members • Pat Pakos came to the team through a three year Walmart

Foundation Grant. She offers liaison support between the school system, human service agencies, students and their families, as well as facilitates linkages with adult service providers.

• Michelle Kelly, Ilene Asarch, and Shawn Wilmar work collaboratively in the Skills & Career Development Program to instruct and provide support to families and employers.

•Gretchen Ayoub works in Guidance as the Career and Community Service Learning Counselor.

• Corine Burke is a parent of a NHS graduate.• Laci Ferarro is the Manager of Marshalls and supervises a new

employee.

About Needham • Suburban community: it borders Newton, Dedham,

and Wellesley • Public Transportation: 59 bus; connects to green line

and commuter rail to Boston • High School is within walking distance to

supermarkets, banks, YMCA, and other community resources

About Needham High School• Primarily academic course offerings• Limited number of vocational classes • There is a need to “think outside of the box” and

mine community-based resources for career exploration

Our Students• Total number of students enrolled varies (9-14) • Programming is divided by “undergraduate” and

“graduate”, but there is overlap and flexibility within the program

“Undergrads”: Ages 14-18• Undergrads typically take academic classes and begin

working in-school and at community-based internships

• The balance between work and academics is individualized

• Undergraduates receive job skills instruction to explore interests, strengths, and learn the tools of the job search

“Post-grads”: Ages 18-22• Post-grads have completed academic classes

within NHS and have participated in graduation activities as desired

• Post-grads consider themselves to be graduates

• They are ready to increase their time at work• They embark on site specific travel training to

get to and from work and activities

Each student has an individualized schedule that incorporates:

Work: The

Foundation

Travel training:

MBTA and Ride Cooking

Shopping

Planning weekly

schedules

Functional reading and

math

Access to community college and

adult education

Fitness classes-

YMCA or BSC

Job Search skills

Social skill instruction

The Goal….To provide a seamless transition from high school to

the demands and expectations of adulthood

How do we reach this goal of a seamless transition?

“If you don’t know where you are going….any road will take you there.”

Lewis Carroll

Instead of “Team”…

.

Student

Teacher

Specialist

Family

Vocational Specialist

Think…“Team”

Student

EducatorFamily

YMCA employee

Neighbor

Friends

Religious Leader

Aunt/Uncle

Sibling NetworkHairdresser

Teacher

Coach

Guidance Counselor

Former Supervisor

Current Supervisor

?

Career Development: A mindful, evolving process

Ongoing Assessment

Family Engagement

Student Involvement

Community OutreachJob Placement

Job Support and Retention

Evaluation of Job Match

It all begins with Assessment…

Who are you?

Assessment includes …• Person Centered Planning celebrations• Informal assessments• Informal observations• Self-assessments• Student contributions to the IEP (personal

statements)• Formal assessments• Supervisor/Employer feedback• Student reactions to interviews and tours

Assessment is a continual process!

It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.

• Keeping an open mind to the possibilities• Being proactive rather than reactive • We are all “responsible” for career

development• Families know their children! Listen! • Everyone has a network to tap into!

The Career Development Process

Promotes Active Family Engagement

Parent Involvement

• There are many uncertainties in the job search process! Schools must foster trust

• Clarify parent desires and student desires through active student involvement

• Empower families to become involved • Enlist experienced families to serve as role

mentors to younger families• Provide trainings on transition related topics

(monthly transition seminars)

From a Parent’s Perspective

• First - the belief that employment is important and attainable

• What can the school system do to help the process? (listen, raise the bar, be flexible, be honest)

• Process of exploring options – when job searches are lengthy, it can be heartbreaking

The Career Development Process

Promotes Self-Advocacy • What do I want for myself? • What are my strengths and interests?• What are my challenges?• How can I relay this information to others?• By creating and practicing sharing personal

statements at IEP’s and meetings, students gain valuable skills and insights

The Person Centered Planning Process

WHO IN THE WORLD AM I? AH, THAT IS THE GREAT PUZZLE

LEWIS CARROL

The Person Centered Plan puts great minds together to create a snapshot…

What are my strengths and

Interests?

At home?

At work?

At leisure time?

Who are my friends and networks?

What words best

describe me?

What are my hopes and dreams?

To begin…students create and share personal statements to detail interests

• These can be Powerpoints, written statements, movies, photo’s (Animoto), iauthor e-stories, drawings, and more

• They can include music • There is no wrong way to share statements!

Things I like:• Music• Drawing/Art• Dolls • Cooking• Movies• Animals• Soccer • Family• Helping People• Cleaning and Organizing

The PCP process defines a vision based upon student preferences…

• Invite employers (present or former)• Get a range of perspectives - friends,

neighbors, relatives, etc.• Get creative - great ideas come out of

humor!

and devises a plan with shared responsibilities…

The Career Development Process:

Centers Around Student Empowerment• Job Search skills instruction (tools of the job

search, social skills on the job, punctuality and time management)

• Interview Skills • Career Exploration• Travel Training • Budgeting and Independence

The Career Development Process

Creates Community Partners• What areas of expertise exist in our

community?• How can we tap into opportunities?• How can we create long lasting relationships?• How can we enlist employers to outreach on

behalf of students?

Harnessing the Power of Community Support

Reach out and ask employers to:

• Host Informational Interviews• Serve as a site for Functional Vocational Assessments• Practice Mock Interviews• Circulate resumes and visual resumes• Serve as a mentor• Reach out to professional networks• Host Tours• Host interns• Hire a student!

The Career Development Process

Supports Job Placement

• Jobs and internships are typically not “set aside.” They are developed based upon preferences and interests!

• The Benefit…Students have the opportunity of leaving school with a job in place

• The Challenge...jobs must be continually developed

Types of jobs and internships secured

Clerical

Child Care

Activities Asst

Dishwashing/Food Service

RetailPet Care

Music

Library Page

Maintenance

Furniture RefinisherBagger

Clerical

Child Care

Activities Asst

Dishwashing/Food Service

Retail

Pet Care

Music

Library Page

Maintenance

Furniture Refinisher

Bagger

Employer Perspective

• Benefits of hiring employees with disabilities • Factors that go into hiring decisions• What can schools do to best support

companies who employ individuals with disabilities?

• Tips for other employers?

The Career Development Process

Fosters Job Support and Retention

• How do we best support employers?

• What is (and is not) the role of a job coach?

• How do we promote independence?

No job experience is a failure! • Even jobs that do not work out provide us with valuable

information! • Use the expertise of the employer to get feedback and help to

build a new vision!• If we have been responsive to the needs of employers, we

may be able to secure new placements in the future!

And now….Some Nuts & Bolts Strategies

Employer Outreach and

Building Community

Partners

Visual Resumes

and Other Tools

Student Instructi

on

Strategies for Instruction

Preparing students for the work world.……

Students learn from real world experience in natural contexts

• How is the work world different from school?• Responsible adult expectations…consistently

addressed across settings • Students actively engage in the job search process • Creating visual resumes, Person Centered Planning

Statements, Personal Statements for IEP meetings is part of the curriculum

• Social Skills Training provided in natural contexts

Visual Resumes: A visual representation of career

experience, skills, interests and goals

Why use visual resumes?

Experience Shows…

that “traditional” means of applying for jobs may not fully represent the abilities and employment potential of many transition-aged youth with significant disabilities

Benefits to Job Seekers

• Promotes self-expression using a universal language

• Provides a tangible product - tends to be more meaningful than text resumes

• Helps foster the development of self-advocacy and communication skills - it can be used in conjunction with iPads

• Makes the process of identifying skills and interests engaging – and the pride shows!

Benefits to Families

• Helps families gain a broader understanding of their son or daughter’s vision for the future

• Helps families celebrate accomplishments• Encourages families to share the visual

resume with friends and relatives, promoting career planning

Benefits to Potential Employers

• Personalizes the job development process• Enables employers to be active in networking -

helps them relay information about the job seeker to colleagues in a meaningful way

• A picture is worth a thousand words… facilitates the interview by providing a springboard for discussion - employers gain a broader understanding of the qualities of the applicant

Quotes heard from Employers“If your visual resume is this detailed - then it gives me

an idea of how your work must be” “You are more prepared than most applicants that walk

through the door”

An Example of a Visual Resume by Ted XXX

My Name is Ted XXX

• I am 21 years old

• I Live in Needham, MA

• I am in the Needham High Post Grad Program

I’ve Worked in:

• Needham Public Library

• Needham High School cafeteria

• Work Out World

• Gold’s Gym

• Long Term Solutions

• Sheraton Needham

Needham Public Library

• Dusting• Vacuuming • Sweeping• Planting• General maintenance

• Gold’s Gym has changed names to Work Out World

• Work Out World is busy with a lot of new members

• I do the same jobs as I did at Gold’s Gym

At Gold’s Gym I was a Maintenance Assistant

• Clean the weight machines

• Put weights away • Pick up trash • Dust

• Put magazines and racks back • Properly dispose of towels

At the Sheraton:

• Vacuumed• Dusted• Trash Removal• Laundry• Cleared Trays

My Classes at

MassBay Classes 1. Watercolor Where I

painted a self portrait and my

favorite Monkey with Pizza.

2. Drawing I am learning basic drawing skills.

Art Work

My Art Work

1. Self Portrait

2. My House

3. Frogs

Cooking

• I like Shopping and Cooking for lunch.

• I like to cook tacos.

• I also cook, eggs and bacon, pancakes, and mac and cheese.

• Everything needs to be Gluten

Free!

Ted’s Travel Training

• I ride the bus, train and shuttle to Mass Bay all the time.

• I use THE RIDE

• I have visited the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston, twice

• I visited the Hynes convention center

• Art

• The Beach

• Basketball

• Exercising

And Interests

Ray of Hope Award Recipient

Edward XXX was nominated for the Ray of Hope award by Dr. Leo Hogan who states that “Teddy represents the post high school transition students very well as a smiling beacon of hope and enthusiasm for life.” This quality truly qualifies him to be a Ray of Hope. He sets an example of how important it is to enjoy life despite disabilities. Anyone who knows Wong will say that he brightens someone’s day.

Copyright 2010 Needham Times. Some rights reserved

When I Find a Job:I can have a job coach to help me learn how to do the job.

After I learn the job, I can work independently. They can come back to help anytime.

You can reach me or find out more about the Transition Program at Needham High School by calling Ilene Asarch at (781) 455-0800 x 2808 or emailing Ilene_Asarch@needham.k12.ma.us.

Ted’s Story

Sustaining Support over the Years

• Cultivating relationships • Promoting new and continuing opportunities

(Saying “Thank you” through employer breakfasts, networking opportunities)

• Transitioning students into adulthood - How can the student maintain employment?

• Continual mining of resources within the school building and community

Employer Recognition Breakfast

One last thought…