Rise, Incorporated

Individual Barrier to Competitive Employment

Statistically speaking, the odds are stacked against finding a job in the competitive labor market when an individual has significant and complex disabilities. For example, consider this case of a secondary education student who uses a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy, a visual disability, and a learning disability. These disabilities have resulted in significant functional limitations involving this young man’s mobility, self-dependency skills (he requires feeding, dressing, and toileting assistance), speech communications, learning style, and capacities to perform many motor tasks requiring finger and hand dexterity. Due to his disabilities and the powerful imagery associated with his functional limitations, this young man’s secondary education staff and family members held very low expectations for any employment success beyond the structure of a center-based, community rehabilitation program.

Strategy to Address Barrier

The secondary education program chose to become a collaborator in a newly launched and progressive school-to-work transition program. The primary objective of this program was to obtain customized competitive employment for ALL secondary education students, regardless of the significance or complexities of their disabilities. The functional limitations imposed by this student’s disabilities were viewed simply as barriers to be planned around by its project staff. A person-centered career planning procedure was initiated to support the student and his family members in identifying job interests and talents that could be potentially marketed to community employers. All of the possibilities were explored with the support of his interagency career planning team. Using a problem-solving model, the team also identified, examined, and offered potential solutions to all known obstacles to community-based employment.

Case Example of Individual Change Strategy

Use of Assistive Technology and Job Carving/Creation - The employment specialist assigned to work with this student recommended and secured the technical services of a rehabilitation engineer to assist in the use of assistive technology should a suitable employment position be found. Capitalizing on the student’s known interests in music, the employment specialist canvassed opportunities with Best Buy, an electronics retail superstore. The employment specialist observed a store clerk performing an activity that she thought this student might be able to do with a suitable technology application (placing security tabs on compact disks). The employment specialist approached the store manager about the idea of a job carving/creation strategy for the student. The manager expressed an interest in exploring job opportunities for the student and agreed to work with the rehabilitation engineer to explore potential assistive technology applications.
After working on a design with the employer, a low-tech job fixture was designed with a drop so the student could perform the CD labeling function. The student was paid an hourly competitive wage for the tasks performed. The school district agreed to provide transportation to the job and a paraprofessional was assigned to support the student with his personal care needs. A supported employment provider was recruited to assist in the transition of work support from the secondary education program to adult habilitation services. This young man continued to work successfully in Minnesota as a valued Best Buy employee until one of his parents was transferred to another state. Interestingly, the Best Buy store in Minnesota consulted with a Best Buy retailer in the community where the young man was moving about his employment arrangement. And the supported employment provider in Minnesota consulted with a similar agency in the new community about his job supports. The young man with complex disabilities was successfully transferred, along with his competitive job, to the same national retailer in another state!
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.
The Cobb/Douglas Community Services Boards (CSBs)
HPS, Helping People Succeed, Inc.
KFI
Rise, Inc.
Via of Lehigh Valley