JOB DEVELOPMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH SEVERE
DISABILITIES
Job development for students who present multiple
barriers to employment (i.e., severe cognitive disabilities, severe emotional
disabilities, severe physical disabilities) offers you an opportunity to think
more creatively about what kind of work they can do and what kind of
accommodations they will need to be successful on the job. It also offers you an opportunity to think
about networking for jobs in new and exciting ways.
Determine
what the student’s interests are:
It is important to develop jobs based on the
student’s interest. There are a number
of ways to determine the student’s interests and strengths, which are outlined
below.
1.
Sometimes, the student cannot tell you what his or
her interests are. When a student
cannot tell you what his or her interests are, you may want to use a
non-reading interest inventory. You may
also want to observe the student in a number of different settings and you will
need to ask family and friends about his or her interests. For example, when observing Bill in a store,
the teacher noticed that he kept picking up a fishing pole. Bill’s mother reported that he loved to go
fishing with his brother. Since it
appeared that fishing is a major interest of Bill’s, the transition team was
able to brainstorm several jobs that related to fishing.
2.
Sometimes the student may have behaviors that may
interfere with his or her likelihood of getting and keeping a job. It is important to keep in mind that all
behaviors have a message. In this case,
you will need to think about whether the behavior can be re-interpreted as an
interest. For example, a student in the
Eugene School District would tear any piece of paper within her sight. Rather than seeing this behavior as one that
would keep her from getting a job, the transition team decided to consider the
behavior as something she liked to do or in other words, as an interest of
hers. They brainstormed all the
possible jobs that might incorporate this interest and ended up placing her in
a job recycling paper in a county office, a job at which she was very
successful because it incorporated her interests.
3.
Sometimes a student may want what you
might consider to be unrealistic employment expectations, i.e. a student who
cannot read beyond a second grade level wants to be an airline pilot. It is important that you not dismiss the
student’s interest out of hand because it might be the strongest thing to build
upon. Perhaps the student needs more
information about what an airline pilot does and what skills and abilities are
required. It is better for the student
to learn for himself or herself through personal interviews or job
shadowing. You may also want to look at
what other jobs are available within the aviation industry that the student may
be able to do. You may want to explore
with the student what is appealing about the job and why he or she is
interested in it; this may lead you to another set of job possibilities that
still meet the student’s interests.
4.
Consider self-employment or small business
ownership that will generate income for the student. The student does not need to do all of the tasks associated with
business ownership alone. For example,
Bob, a 49 year-old man who lived 40 years in an institution with limitations in
both receptive and expressive language, relied on others for 100 percent of his
needs. The people who worked with Bob
could not imagine what kind of job he could do until they became creative. It happens, Bob loved to sit in the porch
swing at his home and watch all the activity on his street.
Although swinging on the
front porch is not a typical work environment, Bob was able to become a drop
shipment distributor for a company that makes and sells lawn furniture. Bob agreed to have samples of the company
furniture (include a porch swing) at his home for potential buyers to see and
try out. When someone wishes to
purchase any of the items, they contact the company and order directly from them. Bob gets a commission on each sale and best
of all, from his perspective, each year he gets a new porch swing!
Determine
what accommodations the student will need to be successful on the job:
It is essential that the transition team have an understanding of how a
job accommodation can affect the employability of the student. Unless the transition team can envision the
right accommodation or support, the student is likely to be to be determined
unemployable. A list of possible job
accommodations is presented below.
Since each student will require a different mix of
accommodations, it is essential that you develop an individualized
accommodation plan for every student.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free
consulting serifs that provides information about job accommodations, the Americans
with Disabilities Act and the employing people with disabilities. JAN can be reached at 9-800-526-7234 or
visit their internet site at www.jan.wvu.edu.
1.
Work
Schedule: the hours of the workday and the number of hours
per week. It helps to know as much as
possible about the student’s desired work schedule. The more flexible the student is, the more jobs are potentially
available to him or her. Can the
student work full time or will part-time work be needed? Will the student need additional time to get
set up before the other employees arrive?
Is the student willing to work at night or during the weekends? Will the student need to work around the bus
schedule or someone else’s schedule in order to get to and from work?
2.
Environmental
Considerations: If
the student has behaviors that may interfere with getting and keeping a job,
you may need to think about environments where the behavior does not matter or
environments that will reduce the likelihood of the behavior occurring. For example, if a student has poor hygiene,
the transition team might brainstorm jobs where good hygiene is not as
essential as other jobs; e.g., collecting garbage, carpenter’s helper, paint
mixer. If the student has trouble getting
along with others, the transition team should brainstorm job sites where
contact with other employees and the public is limited.
3.
Reasonable
Accommodations: A
reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work
environment that permits a qualified applicant to participate in the job
application process, to perform the essential functions of the job, or to enjoy
benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees
without disabilities. Employers must
provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants or employees with
disabilities unless undue hardship would result.
An individual is
considered to be a qualified applicant if he or she satisfies the employer’s
requirement of the job, such as education, employment experience, skills or
licenses and is able to perform the essential functions of the job with or
without reasonable accommodations. An
employer cannot refuse to hire an applicant because his or her disability
prevents them from performing non-essential job duties. If an applicant needs and/or wants a
reasonable accommodation, they must request it from the employer although the
applicant is not required to identify a disability; therefore, the focus of the
discussion should be on the specific job functions where accommodations are
needed to complete the task. You or the
applicant should be prepared to identify the specific accommodations that are needed.
Reasonable accommodations
can consist of a variety of supports and arrangements; some of which do not
present an undue hardship to the employer including, but not limited to:
a) providing
or modifying equipment or devices
b) job
restructuring
c) part-time
or modified work schedules
d) reassignment
to a vacant position
e) adjusting
or modifying examinations, training materials or policies
f)
providing readers and interpreters
g) making
the workplace readily accessible
4.
Job
Coaching: A
job coach may be needed to help the student learn his or her job. The job coach generally works on site
alongside the student providing instruction and support until the student
learns the job to the employer’s satisfaction.
Depending upon the student, the job coach may use any number of
accommodations that best meet the student’s learning style.
5.
Instructional
Strategies: There are
a variety of instructional strategies that can be used to train the student
their job duties and work responsibilities.
However, since training by a job coach may draw attention to the
student, it may also isolate them from co-workers and the supervisors. It is essential that the job coach has
knowledge of training strategies, the student support needs and preferred
learning style. The job coach must also
be aware of the employers support needs and the demands of the workplace in
order to select the least intrusive method for providing support and
instruction.
Specific instructional strategies may include the following:
a)
job analysis, job duty
and task analysis
b)
natural supports
c)
use of least prompt
procedures such as indirect verbal instructions, model prompts, partial
physical assistance and full physical assistance
d)
modeling
e)
natural cues
f)
adding an extra cue to
the natural cue
g)
compensatory strategies
h)
reinforcer technique
i)
self-management
procedures
j)
increasing production
to company standards
k)
increasing the student’s
independence while fading the job coach’s presence from the job site.
In many cases, a
combination of strategies will be selected to promote the student’s success on
the job. The key to long-term
employment for the student is determining which combination will promote
independence while gradually fading the job coach’s support to the supervisor
and co-workers.
There are several things that should be considered
when identifying, selecting and facilitating natural supports. The job coach
should determine and review all the possible workplace support resources and
options with the student, supervisor and co-workers. Second, a transition team member or job coach needs to determine
which options match the learning style or needs of the student. The supervisor, co-workers and student’s
level of comfort with the identified support(s) needs to be determined. The transition team members or job coach
need to determine which support options result in or promote customer
independence since co-workers and supervisors are not always available to
assist the student.
Assistive technology may include low-tech items that are simple, with
few or no moveable parts. Some examples
of low-tech devices are a) build-up or enlarged handles on work tools; b) dycem
(a non-skid mat that can stabilize work materials); c) keyguards; d) laptrays;
e) book stands; and f) reachers. Low-tech
items can be purchases through hardware or medical supply or catalogues or can
be made from materials found in home workshops at a low cost.
Assistive technology may
also include high-tech devices such as a computer, robotics and environmental
control units. Rehabilitation engineers, occupational, physical and speech
therapists, or other rehabilitation personnel can help identify and secure
these devices. Some possible
sources of funding for high-tech items are the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation, Social Security Work Incentives, private insurance, granting
agencies and the employer.
·
Compensatory
Strategies: Compensatory
strategies can help the student learn and perform independently or eliminate
instruction and allow the student to participate in activities that they
otherwise would not be able to do.
Compensatory strategies should be designed with input from the student,
supervisor and co-workers and not stigmatize the student and should be simple to
use. Any materials used must be those that
any adult would use and be accepted within the work culture of the employment
site. The lease intrusive strategy
should be use first. Some examples of
compensatory strategies are presented below.
Picture books, checklists, audiocassettes,
assignment boards, color coding, or flow charts can help a student remember the
sequence of job duties. If the student
has difficulty reading copy requests to determine work assignments, the
following compensatory strategies may be helpful:
a)
in/out boxes for each co-worker requesting work
with name or picture of co-worker on the box
b)
audiocassette requests for copy work
c)
special form highlighting relevant features to the
task, such as thick outlined box where number of copies is written
If the student can’t count to package work
materials, these compensatory strategies may help:
a)
sample of package for matching work
b)
strips of tape on the table that corresponds to
number of items in package
c)
box with number of dividers that correspond to
number of items in package
d)
picture with number of items in package
6. Job Site Modifications: If a student is having
difficulty learning the job duties, the job coach or another transition team
member will need to modify the training program to meet the needs of the
student.
One step is to
analyze the training program to determine where changes can be made:
a) does
the prompting procedure match the student’s learning style
b) is
the student responding to natural cues
c) is
the student distracted by noise or people and can the location of the task be
modified to decrease distractions
d) do
the number of job duties being taught need to be reduced to provide repeated
practice on a specific job duty
A second step is to
evaluate the task analysis:
a) does
it match the student’s abilities
b) can
the steps be further broken down
c) have
the physical abilities of the student been taken into consideration and can the
task analysis be modified to match the student’s motor skills
d) does
the task analysis eliminate the need to make quality judgements
A third step is to assess
the reinforcement:
a) are
the naturally occurring reinforces meaningful to the student
b) does
he or she need additional reinforcement to learn the job duty
c) if
a selected reinforce is being used, is it meaningful to the student
d) is
the timing of reinforcement correct
e) has
the reinforcement been faded too quickly
A fourth step is to consider Assistive
technology:
a)
is the student’s mobility or motor skills affecting
their skill acquisition
b)
can the student physically perform the job but is
it difficult or physically impossible for them to meet production demands
c)
has the work site been modified to meet the
student’s physical support needs
d)
are work supplies positioned for maximum
accessibility
e)
would the student’s level of independence be
increased with the use of Assistive technology
7.
Personal
Assistance Services: Personal
assistance services such as personal care assistance, personal assistance with
transportation to and from work; reader services, job coaches and related
assistance may remove many of the barriers between significant disability and
work. In general, personal assistance
services are those used by individuals with disabilities to perform tasks that
a person would perform independently if they did not have a disability. Personal assistance can be needed for
reading, communication and performing manual tasks such as turning pages,
assistance in bathing, eating, toileting, personal hygiene and dressing.
Job related assistance in
the performance of such tasks as reading, communication, the performance of
non-essential manual tasks and business related travel may be considered
reasonable accommodations for which the employer is responsible—unless undue
hardship would result. Assistance in
performing such tasks as toileting, dressing, eating and personal hygiene are
personal in nature and are generally considered reasonable accommodations. Medicaid may pay for these personal tasks if
the student is eligible.
8.
Work
Responsibilities: Sometimes, despite efforts to change the
instruction, modify the workplace or add Assistive technology devices, the
student still has difficulty performing the job tasks or meeting production
standards. In these instances, the
transition team or job coach may need to see if the student can share the job
duty with a co-worker (job sharing) or switch for one that is of equal
responsibility (job restructuring). Job
restructuring is also a good strategy to use when a job seeker is not
“qualified” to do the job as originally structured or able to perform all
aspects of the current job opening.
Since ideas for job restructuring may not be obvious, the transition
specialist or job coach may need to spend time analyzing the business to
determine the potential or undiscovered need.
Obviously, these ideas will need to be discussed with the employer.
9.
Long
Term Supports: Some students will need long-term support to
help them with employment retention.
The transition team will need to determine individualized strategies
that will assist in career advancement and facilitate long-term job
satisfaction for the student and the employer.
The transition team will need to analyze long-term funding issues and
options. The actual long-term supports
provided are based on the work completed during training and are focused on the
changing needs of the student.
Long-term supports include both those that are
directly related to the student’s job and personal life. These include training, employer and
co-worker support and those that are arranged and delivered away from the
workplace, i.e., housing, leisure, financial support, transportation and
relationships. If any of these areas
are left unresolved, the student’s employment stability may be directly or
indirectly impacted.
General long-term support needs should be discussed
prior to job development with more specific long-term support needs identified
as the student begins to learn the job.
The transition team should develop a well-established plan for long-term
support to ensure that the necessary supports are maintained. The plan should identify the student’s
needs, support options and student preference; and determine level of support,
primary support and back-up support.
Obtaining and maintaining funding for long-term
supports can be complex and require collaboration among a number of
resources. Difference in individual
support needs and funding resources will require creative thinking as to how,
and from whom, services are funded and provided. Some possible sources of funding for long-term supports
include a) the State Developmental Disabilities Program; b) Medicaid home and
community-based waivers; c) Social Security Work Incentives – Plan for
Achieving Self-Support (PASS) and Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE); d)
business supports; e) community supports, i.e., churches, volunteer groups and
agencies, college internship programs, civic groups, friends and neighbors; and
f) small business tax credits.
Use Personal Networks to Find Jobs
Personal
networks are where job development should begin. A personal network consists of all of the people that the student
and his or her family know, including other family members, friends and
neighbors. It also includes community
connections through religious organizations, local services or stores and
clubs. It may also include business or
professional relationships such as teachers, classmates, doctors and former
employers and co-workers. You want as
many people as possible identifying potential jobs for the student. Each member of the student’s network
accesses his or her own network to expand the number of job leads. Some questions to help you identify personal
networks are presented below.
·
Where does the student like to go for shopping or
leisure time activities? Has he
established any relationships at those places?
Do people who work there know him
personally? Do they know his or
her family personally?
·
Who does the student generally spend his or her
free time with? Do they have jobs or
job leads?
·
What personal connections do they have?
·
Does the student participate in any clubs or
organizations? Does his or her family
belong to any clubs or organizations?
Use
Personal Networks and Mentoring Relationships
Personal networks are where job development should
begin. A personal network consists of
all of the people that the student and his or her family know, including other
family members, friends and neighbors.
It also includes community connections through religious organizations,
local services or stores and clubs. It
may also include business or professional relationships such as teachers,
classmates, doctors and former employers and co-workers.
Acknowledgement:
Adapted from Supported Employment Handbook: A Customer-Driven Approach for Persons with Significant
Disabilities edited by Valerie Brooke, Katherine Inge, Amy J. Armstrong and
Paul Wehman of Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Supported
Employment at Virginia Commonwealth University, February 1997.
1. It
has been said that teenagers consider long‑range planning as what to do
for the next three hours. While that's an exaggeration, it's important to
remember that special education students face the developmental tasks of
adolescence as well as the particular problems created by their disabilities.
2. Job
Placement can be that "something else.” Most of the students we work with
have had bad experiences in school. Many of them feel like failures. Job
Placement appeals to them not only because it makes school more interesting but
also because it puts them in an arena where they can be very successful.
3. Obviously,
an individual student's abilities, interests and needs will have an effect on how you work with him/her, where you look for a
placement site, what type of training will be necessary and what, if any,
modifications will need to be made. There are two points to remember:
a) Don't
make any assumptions about what a student will or won't be able to do based on
his/her disability; work with them on an individual basis to find out.
b) The
special education teachers are well versed in both the generalities and the
specifics of the students they're working with—be sure to make use of what they
can offer.
Do
as little as necessary for each student. Some students need a lot of help but
there are others that need only a little.
For instance, for one student it might be necessary to not only find the
job but actually work with the student for the first few times. Another student
might need help on how to look for work but would be quite capable of actually
doing it.
You may need to teach students about all aspects of
working: time cards, breaks, evaluations. Sometimes it works out better to
teach this as it happens on the job because its relevance is immediately
apparent to the student.
It’s important to consider the student's interests
when determining possible placements. If they're interested in a job, it's much
more likely to be successful for all concerned. Ideally, students have participated in a variety of work
experiences and work assessments before placement. The information gained can also help you determine a good
placement.
Often the students have interests that don't
coincide with their abilities or they have been so isolated that they only know
about jobs they've seen portrayed on television (and how many shows have a busboy
as a central character?) and (perhaps) their parents’ occupations. In this case, talk with students about the
skills necessary to do a job they're interested in. Then help them identify
their skills. Gently compare the two lists. Try to find out what excites the
student about a certain job. For instance, if he/she wants to be a doctor, is
it because of an interest in medicine? In white uniforms? In excitement and
sirens? Is it one of the only jobs he/she knows about? Once you know, you may
be able to satisfy the interest another way.
All jobs have a combination of three factors:
People, Data and Things. In addition, one factor will probably predominate.
Most people have a strong preference for one of those factors. Put
"Things" people in "Things" jobs and "People"
people in "People" jobs (or you are absolutely asking for trouble).
You can pick this up fairly easily by talking to the student or by observing
him/her. Does a student spend time chatting with you and asking you questions
about your life? If so, he/she probably is a People person. Does he/she spend
most of his/her time dealing with objects? Telling you about the car he's
rebuilding at home? Probably a Things person.
From
Transition to Adult Living: A Guide for Secondary
Education
California
Department of Education
A major task of the IEP team is to obtain present
levels of performance data on a student with a disability. Valuable information in this regard can be
provided to the IEP team by families when their student reaches transition
age. Families can assess and support
their student’s transition needs by asking the following questions:
·
What opportunities has
our son or daughter had to participate in non-disabled, organized social
groups?
·
What types of social situations or activities does
our son or daughter prefer?
·
Does our son or daughter require any
accommodations, specialized or compensatory equipment, devices or systems (e.g.,
augmentative communication) to participate in these social situations or
activities?
·
What about exploring career opportunities?
·
What paid or non-paid work does our son or daughter
enjoy and do well?
·
What work related skills has he/she developed?
·
Discuss career plans,
options, dreams and goals with your child.
·
Develop systematic four-to-six-year plan of study.
·
Review with your child the necessary requirements
for high school graduation.
·
Become aware of the career training opportunities
in school and in the community.
·
Understand education and training requirements in
career areas of interest.
·
Help your child become familiar with student
organizations or clubs in school or in the community.
·
Stress the importance of staying in school and
earning a diploma.
·
Understand the difference between a diploma and a
Certificate of Educational Achievement or Completion.
·
Review your son’s or
daughter’s academic performance and progress toward the four-to-six-year plan
of study.
·
Check on financial aid and scholarship
opportunities.
·
Attend career fairs with your son or daughter.
·
Talk with people who work in positions related to
careers of interest to your son or daughter.
·
Explore degree or vocational programs available at
your local community college.
·
Continue to stress the importance of staying in
school, earning a diploma and pursuing postsecondary school options.
·
Review the eleventh grade plan of study with your
son or daughter, including as many general education classes as appropriate.
·
Check on college entrance exam dates and
registration procedures.
·
Review your son’s or daughter’s academic
performance and progress toward the four-to-six-year plan of study.
·
Identify entrance requirements of various postsecondary
career training options in the community.
·
Review graduation requirements and your son’s or
daughter’s progress toward earning a diploma.
·
Check on financial aid and scholarships
·
Review the twelfth grade plan of study for your son
or daughter, including as many general education classes as appropriate.
·
Learn about the salary and benefits in the career
area of interest.
·
Check on the education and training requirements
for your child’s area of interest.
·
Check the due dates for
financial aid and scholarships.
·
Recheck graduation requirements and your son’s or
daughter’s progress toward graduation.
·
Help your son or daughter complete and check
applications to postsecondary education or career training options.
·
Check on available support services in college or
career training options (e.g., Disabled Student Services).
·
Learn about costs associated with post-school
training and/or living arrangements.
HOME
AND SCHOOL WORKING TOGETHER
|
Maria’s
and John’s families support the IEP goals and objectives in the following
ways: Maria
and her family designed community experiences to support Maria’s transition
plan to adult life: Since Maria has learned
about recycling at school, her first chore at home will be recycling the
newspapers. Maria will pick up the
papers in the living room each morning before school and put them in a box in
the garage. Then she will put the
newspapers in paper sacks on the evening before the recycling truck comes and
put the sacks at the curb for pick up in the morning. She
will help her mother fold the laundry. She
will help set the table each evening for dinner. To start, Maria and her mother will work together until Maria
can do it by herself. Maria’s
mother will make a chart with a picture for each chore and days of the week. Maria will check off each time she
completes a chore. Chores
will be added as routines are established. The
family decided to talk to their regional center worker and their pastor to
explore different community services for volunteer or work opportunities. |
|
John
and his family design his ongoing home and community experiences to support
his transition plans to adult life. I
baby-sit for my twin sisters. I
cook meals for my family. I
shop for groceries. I
wash my own clothes. John’s
family supports and reinforces the self-advocacy skills he is learning in
school – how to talk about his disability and the types of accommodations he
needs. ·
John’s parents provide a variety of
hands-on tasks for John to do at home. ·
John’s aunt is helping him use the computer
for writing homework assignments. ·
John’s parents are helping him take charge
of his medications and consultations with his physician. His mother and father
support his interest in the graphic arts and music. The family goes on outings to concerts and art exhibits. |
Ways Parents Support Their Students’
Growth and Development Towards Self-determination
·
Self-determination and
self-advocacy skills will enable your daughter or son to participate fully and
meaningfully in planning for her/his future.
Ways Parents Can Nurture Self-determination and Self-Advocacy
·
Allow your daughter/son
to “grow” (take risks, safe experiences) and try out new things.
·
Recognize that all
young people will make mistakes and change their minds before settling on a
definite path.
·
Learn how to assist or
let your daughter/son advocate for herself or himself.
·
Know when to
“step-back” or when to “step-in” without taking over.
·
Help your son or
daughter feel good about himself/herself and to understand his/her
challenges/disabilities.
·
Emphasize what he or
she can do. Celebrate accomplishments.
Your own family’s religious beliefs and cultural values provide
opportunities for learning.
REMEMBER, self-determination doesn’t just happen. It requires a great deal of preparation, practice, and partnership with schools and agencies
Acknowledgements:
The development of the Transition to Adult Living:
A Guide for Secondary Education was coordinated by Diana Blackmon, consultant
for the California Department of Education, Special Education Division.
Family Partnerships
Family
members provide the most long-term and important support in a person’s life and
can make critical contributions to successful employment outcomes for
individuals with disabilities.
The
type and severity of the family member’s disability can also affect family
inter-relationships. Progressive disabilities require families to continually
adapt and change roles. Families can become exhausted from acting as primary
caregiver to individuals with spinal cord injury or other chronic medical
conditions, or from stresses resulting from a family member’s traumatic brain
injury or psychiatric disabilities. Families of individuals with cognitive
disabilities may assume lifelong roles as guardians and conservators.
Benefit of Family Partnerships
Family
partnerships can assist teachers and transition specialists to achieve program
goals in the following ways:
Families
provide increased awareness of the needs and strengths of the student.
Communication
with family members can enhance effective communication with students during
the transition process.
Families
provide support for the special education program.
Families
who are partners and stakeholders will have intimate knowledge of the program
and a vested interest in the need for the program to “work” for the family
member. Families can assist in promoting the special education program by being
involved in advocacy roles and developing political awareness.
Families
help improve service to diverse and undeserved populations.
With
family participation, an increase in the number of job opportunities may
result. A report of a June 1996 study by the Center on Promoting Employment
(RRTC Boston) “demonstrates that family members play crucial roles not only in
career preparation but in actual job search efforts. Young adults both with and
without disabilities find that using their personal network of relatives,
friends or neighbors is the most effective way to find a job” (Point of
Departure, TATRA 1996).
The
value of the family should never be underestimated. As noted in Point of
Departure, families can help to:
Family Contributions
Disability
clearly has an impact on the whole family. Yet, despite all the stresses
related to a family member’s disability, families are resilient. Love and
caring can be the source of motivation, energy, action and commitment to the
well being of their family member with a disability. The categories below
reflect a range of roles families may assume that enhance their family member
with a disability’s ability to reach successful transition outcomes.
Working with Families
Alliance
building requires engaging families by creating personal connections.
Build trust by following through on promises –
particularly important when previous experiences with service providers have
not been positive.
Impediments to Family Involvement
What
is standing in the way of family involvement in the transition process?
Unfamiliarity
with systems hinders family involvement.
Families
may have little energy left to devote to navigating service systems and can
find them intimidating. Parents and families used to the special education
system may have established ways of relying on the educational system, which do
not carry over to adult support services. Many parents of young adults with
disabilities are unprepared for the move from a single agency to multiple
agencies, from mandated services to non-mandated services and from a system
that assumes no rejection, a least restrictive environment, accountability and
the importance of family involvement to one that does not.
Families
may be reluctant to participate for other reasons.
For
example, families are exhausted from meeting the daily needs of their family
member with a disability; are tired of dealing with the system, or have had
negative experiences and want to avoid further interactions. While
professionals encourage maximizing adult independence, they may not understand
the impact this will have on a family. Families may approach the system with
fears stemming from previous interactions with government agencies. Culturally
diverse families may have been discriminated against or felt disrespected when
they sought help from government programs in the past. Aging parents of older
adults with disabilities may be equally skeptical of service systems because
years ago professionals recommended institutionalization of their family
member. Parents may also be influenced by mainstream cultural norms that
emphasize less parental involvement in the daily life of their adult sons and daughters.
Families
report feeling judged when they come into contact with professionals.
When
their expressed preferences are quickly dismissed as “unrealistic,” families
feel they are not being taken seriously. Professionals can unknowingly send a
message to caregivers that they are either doing too little or too much.
Families can feel they can’t do anything right –
If we are concerned, we are overprotective;
if we are unconcerned we are neglectful.
If we are involved, we are demanding; if we
are not, we are detached.
If we have high expectations we are
unrealistic; if we have simple aspirations we set our sights too low.
If we nurture generously, we are smothering;
if we nurture less we are withholding.
If we offer advice, we are controlling; if we
refrain we are disinterested.
If we phone, write or visit often, we are
pests; if we don’t, we are uncaring.
If we help with tasks or give or loan money,
we cultivate dependency; if we don’t, we are unsupportive.
Based
on “Why Mothers Have a Tough Time” attributed to Jordan Miller, MD Center for
the Study of Women’s Psychology
Twenty-Sixth Institute on Rehabilitation Issues
2000
Region 6
Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP) at the University of
Arkansas
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/critfam.htm#ch2
Getting a job requires different skills than
keeping a job. There are four important points that must be considered:
There are many myths about how to search for a job
in our society. The biggest is probably, "The best qualified applicant
will get the job." Actually, the person who gets the job is usually the one
who best knows how to look for work.
You owe it to your students to research the latest
information about job search techniques. For instance, studies have shown that
only about ten to twenty percent of all jobs ever get into the want ads.
Therefore, to spend most of the instructional time focusing on how to read and
reply to want ads is unwise. Students need to be taught about the hidden job
market and how to approach employers directly.
Students need to be made aware of community resources such as the Alaska
Job Center Network, Job Fairs and other agencies that help people find
work. It is a good idea to visit the
Alaska Job Center Network offices with your students. There are employment counselors and resource rooms available to
students in their job search. For a
full listing of Job Centers in your area, visit the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development website at www.state.ak.us. Students also need to learn how to take
advantage of the Internet in their search for employment.
Sometimes students
may have trouble reading and writing. Some students can be taught how to
transfer information neatly from a master application. Others need to be taught
to ask someone else to help them fill out an application. The same goes for
résumés. Make sure they have a Social
Security card and picture ID.
People need to be taught how to make the best
impression they can during job interviews. Topics such as establishing rapport,
the most common interview questions, and proper grooming and attire must be
addressed. Role playing job interviews
can be a very effective teaching technique for many students.
As much as possible, students need to know about their disabilities, how
to discuss what accommodations and adaptations they may need to successfully
perform the job functions, how to capitalize on their strengths and how to
compensate for them, and how to talk to an employer about them.