Community Involvement Programs

Employment and Community Supports

Community Involvement Programs provides assistance to individuals with significant disabilities in finding and maintaining employment at businesses in their communities. CIP also provides services to senior citizens who have disabilities and also to people who require more intensive support strategies.

We provide services to people in many different settings that are as varied as the people we support. Whether an individual chooses to work full-time, part-time, or not at all, Community Involvement Programs supports people as they engage in personally satisfying and rewarding activities that promote their participation in and contribution to their communities.

Employment Services

Perhaps the most typical form of community participation and contribution is employment. Community Involvement Programs believes the best place to contribute as an employee is at community businesses, not in a sheltered workshop. As a person is setting out to find a job, CIP takes a person-centered approach that includes career planning, job development, on-the-job training, and ongoing support. The goal is to develop a customized job in the community that takes advantage of the individual’s interests, abilities, and personal outcomes.

Developing an Individual Career Planning Profile

Success in employment is directly related to how well a job matches the interests, abilities, and experiences of the individual. The process of developing an Individual Career Planning Profile consists of collecting and analyzing valuable information from the individual, family members, residential providers, friends, co-workers, and others who know the individual well. This results in the creation of a positive profile of the person that provides CIP with the foundation to begin a job development process.

Job Development

Once a positive profile has been completed, a CIP employment representative will begin the process of finding the right job for the individual. The goal is to develop a job that capitalizes on the individualís strengths, experiences and preferences. The job development process may include:

• Building a resume

• Writing letters of introduction

• Workign on interview skills

• Setting up and accompanying people on interviews

• Doing job site analysis

• Working with employers and employees to assure a good working relationship

The end result of this job development process is finding a job that will be a good fit for the employee and an employer and will set the stage for a positive employment experience.

On-the-Job Training

When a person has been hired, Community Involvement Programs will work toward enhancing job retention by assisting with on-the-job training. A CIP employment specialist may work with the employer to identify effective instructional and supervision strategies. Our goal is to assure that the new employee gets a thorough introduction to the job, has the opportunity to learn the job using the most typical approaches possible, and has the necessary supports in place to promote long-term employment.

Community Involvement Programs also provides support to community businesses that employ people with disabilities. This may include assistance with training, instruction and other support strategies to ensure a quality employment relationship between the employer and employee.

Ongoing Support

Community Involvement Programs will continue to provide ongoing support to the individual and the business to help maintain a positive employment relationship. This may include periodic visits to the job, at home, or via phone calls. Situations can change, and CIP prefers to take a proactive step to help employers and employee work through difficult times, arranging re-training, or new training if the job changes. We are there for the customers to see that their needs are being met.

Community Involvement Programs provides employment services out of three offices located in Bloomington and Minneapolis. For more information contact:

Strategies to Address Barriers:  Organizational | Individual

Allegan County Community Mental Health
The Arc of Stanly County, Inc.
Career Design & Development Services
Career Support Systems, Inc.
Community Involvement Programs
The Cobb/Douglas Community Services Boards (CSBs)
HPS, Helping People Succeed, Inc.
KFI
Rise, Inc.
Via of Lehigh Valley