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SUPPORTED AND CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS:Expecting Competitive Employment is an Option for All

Judith Gross, Ph.D.University of Kansas

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EXPECTATIONS• A strong belief that something will happen or is likely to

happen in the future• A belief that someone will or should achieve something• A feeling or belief about how successful or good

something or someone will be

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What we have seen

vs

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What we have heard

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What we have heard

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What we have experienced

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What we have learned

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What we believe

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WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES?

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EMPLOYMENT POSSIBILITIESIntegrated Competitive EmploymentSupported and Customized Employment

Created JobsCarved JobsResource OwnershipSelf-EmploymentBusiness Within a Business Self-EmploymentEmployer-Initiated Models

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Integrated Competitive Employment• Real work in real businesses• 20 hours a week or more• Minimum wage or higher• Individualized supports

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Supported and Customized Employment

Supported Employment

• Real work• Integrated businesses• Job match• Assistance from job

coach • On-going support

services (Rehabilitation Act, 1973)

Customized Employment

• Real work• Integrated businesses• Negotiation between

needs of employer and individual

• One person at a time …one employer at a time (Office of Disability Employment Policy)

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Created Jobs• Establish a new job or job duties that did not previously exist as a position within a business

• Driven by the skills and support needs of the individual and the needs of the business

• Negotiated by a skilled job coach, employment specialist, or job placement consultant

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Created Job – Meet Nji• Recent high school graduate who was highly motivated to work and

very organized• Following high school had a restaurant job

• Did well when supports, were in place• Lost his job after he lost needed supports

• Got a job at an implements company that sells and services tractors and lawnmowers• Created a part-time job of “implements detailer” – cleaning and polishing

the tractors and lawnmowers that had been serviced• Created a picture book breaking down the job into steps• Set up workspace in location where boss could observe and provide

needed assistance or feedback

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Nji’s story adapted from Sowers, J., et al. (2001). Self-Directed Employment: Story Book of Oregonians with Developmental Disabilities.Developed by the Center on Self-Determination, Oregon Institute on Disability and Development, and Oregon Health & Science University.

Carved Jobs• Redistribute job duties from one position to another, tailoring them to the job seeker’s unique skills and abilities

• Job carving is • creating a job description consisting of one or more

tasks from a traditional job in the employment setting• a way to make somebody’s strengths and assets

become a strength and asset for an employer• real tasks, at a real job, that are a cost effective

strategy for an employer

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Carved Job – Meet Andy• Teenager who wanted a job - not a summer

camp for “special needs”• Could communicate “yes” and “no” by

turning head and needed someone to pushhis wheelchair

• Got a job at a large bookstore• Scanning bar codes on books to input them into the store inventory• Built a conveyor belt with stationary scanner• Used switches on either side of his head to operate the conveyor belt

and interface with the Enter key on the computer• Later contracted to build a device to automatically load books onto the

conveyor belt for Andy in order to increase his independence

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Andy’s story adapted from Sowers, J., et al. (2001). Self-Directed Employment: Story Book of Oregonians with Developmental Disabilities.Developed by the Center on Self-Determination, Oregon Institute on Disability and Development, and Oregon Health & Science University.

Resource Ownership• Purchased equipment, machinery, or other items that an individual owns and brings to the workplace as part of their employment with a business, offering an additional resource to the employer • Resource ownership increases the value of the

employee (similar to having a college degree)• Resource ownership benefits the business by

increasing profits or service capacity in some way

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Resource Ownership –Meet Brian• Had a strong interest in working with animals• New, small grooming business recently opened near his home

• Job developer met with the business owner to discuss her business operations and needs/interests with regard to growing her business

• Owner expressed a need for a hydraulic lift to ease the physical demands on the groomers

• Used funding to purchase the hydraulic lift (now owned by Brian)• Negotiated job duties and wages and Brian became an employee of

the grooming business• Has increased his skills to include all aspects of grooming and customer service

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Brian’s story adapted from Real People, Real Lives: Stories from the Front Line. Retrieved from the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts-Boston at http://www.realworkstories.org/job-negotiation/brian-creating-a-job-while-filling-a-business-need

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Self-Employment• Become a small business owner and operator

• Come up with a business idea• Develop a business plan• Obtain start-up funds• Arrange supports• Who can help with funding and plan development?

• Small Business Development Center• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)• Start-Up USA• SCORE• Supported Employment Provider

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Self-Employment –Meet Anthony¨ Had an interest in bees in 3rd grade and decided he wanted to raise

bees¨ Got a beehive and began selling honey at farmers’ markets in 5th

grade¤ Parents purchased and learned about bees, assisted with marketing and

sales, and financed initial business start-up¤ Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities helped Anthony expand

with a small business grant¤ Job coach assists Anthony with business tasks (e.g., gathering and

delivering orders for stores, labeling products, making lip balm, bottling honey)

¤ Family works on improving one aspect of the business each year¤ Anthony earns 10% of market profits and works 15-20 hours/week

Anthony’s story was gathered by the Beach Center on Disability in Lawrence in 2010.

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Self-Employment – Meet Anthony• CNN business video on Anthony’s BeeHive

• Anthony's business• Article in Fortune Small Business

• Small business

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Self-Employment –Meet Ryan

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¨ Very social and independent ¨ Ryan’s GAP (group action planning) team gathered to

plan for his future¤ Used MAPS planning process to determine possible jobs and

made a plan¤ Decided that owning his own business would work well for him

¨ Owns 18 vending machines placed at local businesses¤ Empties money, refills change, and makes deposits¤ Fills machines with snacks and sodas¤ Takes inventory and purchases needed items¤ Works 15-18 hours/week and earns a weekly paycheck

Ryan’s story was gathered by the Beach Center on Disability in Lawrence in 2010.

Business Within a Business• Develop a self-employment venture within an existing

business setting• Offer something the business does not have but

would enhance their market• Established customer base• Access to coworkers and natural supports• A win-win situation

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Business Within a Business –Meet Tamara• Desired choice and control in her life• Vocational Rehabilitation initially evaluated Tamara and determined her

unemployable• Mom challenged the evaluation• Tamara’s planning team decided to explore self-employment

• Owns and runs a hotdog stand at a county justice center• Family explored various business ideas, including start-up costs and

operations of each• Located a community building that had a cafeteria and no food service and set

up shop there• Initially only offered hotdogs – has since expanded to include salads, soups,

sandwiches, and cookies

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Tam’s story adapted from Sowers, J., et al. (2001). Self-Directed Employment: Story Book of Oregonians with Developmental Disabilities.Developed by the Center on Self-Determination, Oregon Institute on Disability and Development, and Oregon Health & Science University.

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Employer-Initiated Models• Project SEARCH• Walgreens

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Employer-Initiated ModelsMeet Project SEARCH• Started at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996• Students transitioning from school to work (last year)

• On site classroom instruction, worksite rotations, lunch with peers, feedback from instructors, individualized jobdevelopment and placement

• Student program is a year long• Whole day program • One hour classroom time both AM and PM• 10-12 week unpaid internships throughout the hospital• At the end of the internships, identify best fit and apply for

permanent employment

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Project SEARCH Kansas• Student internship sites:

• Lawrence - University of Kansas• Lawrence - Lawrence Memorial Hospital• Newton - Newton Medical Center• Wichita - Sedgwick County Government• Wichita - Via Christi Hospital• Butler County - Butler Community College• Butler County - Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital• Derby - McConnell Air Force Base• Mulvane - Hampton Inn at the Kansas Star Casino• Salina - Salina Regional Medical Center

• Adult/hybrid sites:• Johnson County - Johnson County Government

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Employer-Initiated Models -Meet Walgreens• Senior vice president of supply chain and logistics, Randy Lewis, has

a son with autism• Wanted Walgreens to be a model for employment • South Carolina plant has 40% of employees with

disabilities• Company's goal to fill 20% of its workforce with people with disabilities

• Use technology throughout the building to facilitate and support the employment of people with a wide range of disabilities• Universal design• Same performance – same pay• Pre-hire training opportunities

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Employer-Initiated Models¨ Project SEARCH - video on Kansas Project

SEARCH at• Lawrence Memorial Hospital • Internship program• Salina Regional Health Center • Project SEARCH video

¨ Walgreens – Walgreens welcomes disabled workers• Walgreens welcomes disabled workers• Walgreens video

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BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITY

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Discovering Passions Activity

•Environment?

•Preferred Activities?

•Possible Jobs?

Think about a student with whom you work who is transition age.

3 minutesComplete the activity thinking about that student.

5 minutes (2 ½ each) Turn to a neighbor and each share about your student and your ideas. Provide each other feedback and ideas.

5 minutesShare out as a large group.

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Thanks for having me!Judith GrossUniversity of Kansasjgross@ku.edu

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