View
1
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
Presented by Sandra Montoya, NM LEND Parent Leader Trainee
Employment Options for
Individuals with I/DD
Identifying the Problem
• Inconsistent information about employment for
individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (I/DD)
• Families often do not know or understand:
• That people with significant disabilities CAN work
• What help is available
• The options for employment
• The process for getting a job and keeping that job
Initial Research About Employment
• School-to-Work Transition Guide
• Met with staff from Partners for Employment
• Suggested the product for my capstone be a video
• Didn’t feel I was knowledgeable or comfortable enough for video
• Referred to online job training modules
• Researched Supported Employment, Customized Employment,
Discovery, Self-Employment, Microenterprise, Microbusiness,
etc.
Gathering Information
• Observed an interview regarding the unmet needs of
the Library
• Different methods for finding and keeping a job, based on preferences and unmet needs of a employer/business
• Interviewed Transition Specialist from El Dorado
High School
• Informally ask other parent
friends what they knew about
employment
Online Research
• 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - 19.1% of those
with a disability are employed, compared to 65.7% of
those with no disability
• There are programs to help
people with disabilities find
and keep a job
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
• Workforce Solutions
• School Transition Programs
• Waiver Employment Supports
• Not a lot of information that is easy for families to
understand
Systematic Instruction Workshop
Participated in 2-day workshop – My takeaways included:
• “If you can breathe, you can work”
• Just because someone has “behaviors” does not mean
they cannot work
• “Systematic” means breaking down the steps
• Learned about Task Design,
Task Analysis and Cues
• It’s all about individualizing the
teaching strategy
What Product Would Help?
• Easy to use and accessible to families and individuals
with I/DD
• Accessible online or on paper
• Easy to understand
• Teaches jargon and acronyms used by
professionals in the field
• Gives a starting point – who to contact
• Included LOTS of examples!
Developing the Product
• Worked with the CDD Information Network to develop
a tip sheet for families
• Website with over 65 tip sheets that are often accessed by families and community organizations
• Tip sheets are often taken in paper form to outreach events
• Tip sheets are available in paper form in the CDD Library
• Able to work with Faculty Mentor to develop tip sheets
Challenges in Developing the Product
• Format of tip sheet template
• Distilling the important information down to one page
• Teasing out the differences in employment approaches
• Deciding on what examples & videos to include
• Defining the jargon or language used by professionals
• Software – Apple, Open Word, Google Docs, etc.
Feedback & Dissemination
• Disseminated and got feedback from advocates at the
CDD’s Information and Referral (I&R) meeting
• CDD Programs such as Medically Fragile Case Management, Information Network, Autism Programs, etc.
• The Arc of NM, Partners for Employment
• Centennial Care MCOs
• Children’s Medical Services
• Advocacy organizations
• Ask for feedback from teachers, other family members,
other LEND trainees, Partners for Employment staff
Next Steps
• Plan to disseminate tip sheet to families at Ellen Reavis
Walk for Autism on 4/27/19
• Employment tip sheet will be included on the
Information Network website and disseminated at
outreach events and Transition Fairs
• Plan to personally share tip sheet with organizations
such as NM DDPC, The Arc of NM, and my school’s
transition specialist
What I Learned
• Employment for individuals with I/DD is complex
• Too many families are unaware of employment options,
supports and ways to keep benefits
• Words or terms I thought I knew what they meant, mean
something different in this field
• People with significant disabilities CAN work!
• Job tasks can be broken down into smaller tasks and taught
in a systematic manner that is very successful
• When someone works, they feel included and a part of their
community
References
• CDD Information Network website and tip sheets including Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation, Microenterprise, and Accessible Transportation.
http://www.cdd.unm.edu/infonet/tip-sheets.html
• School-to-Work Transition Guide, A Resource for Families of New Mexican Youth with
Disabilities Transitioning to Work and Adulthood. A collaboration Between UNM CDD
Partners for Development, Parents Reaching Out, and NM DVR.
http://www.cdd.unm.edu/pfe/pdfs/school-to-work-transition/school-to-work-transition-
guide.pdf
• Partners for Employment Training Modules http://www.cdd.unm.edu/pfe/college-
employment-services2.html
• Persons with a Disability 2018 Current Population Survey (CPS) (Division of Labor Force
Statistics). Retrieved from
https://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/DOL_ODEP_2018_Briefing_with_notes_ODEP.pdf
References Continued
• Cornell University 2012 Disability Status Report Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S.
(2014). 2012 Disability Status Report: New Mexico. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Employment and Disability Institute(EDI). Retrieved from
http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/StatusReports/2012-PDF/2012-StatusReport_NM.pdf
• Flexer, T. J. (2005,2002, pp.330-335, pp. 360-387). Transition Planning for Secondary
Students with Disabilities Second Edition . Sadle Rier: Person Prentice Hall.
• Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt image found
https://peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/March_1994_comic_strips
https://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/DOL_ODEP_2018_Briefing_with_notes_ODEP.pdf
Questions?
Thank you!
Recommended