Preparing Youth for Work: Translating skills into taskspluk.org/Translating_skills_to_tasks_final_no_pics.pdf(Tasks) When writing descriptively, we focus solely on the performance

Preparing Youth for Work:

Translating skills into tasks

Learning the most about

a student’s performance,

identifying skills and

abilities, and translating

the information into

novel job tasks

UM Rural Institute 2013 1

Reality

90 % of people with DD/ID are not

employed in the community;

People with significant disabilities can

work with the right supports &

opportunities;

When working, people are taxpayers,

have better health outcomes, and are

less reliant on publicly funded systems.

UM Rural Institute 2013

2

Reality Too many youth with disabilities exit

school without the skills, experience, and

expectation of paid employment in the

community;

Low expectations for youth with more

significant disabilities;

IDEA doesn’t currently mandate

integrated employment. UM Rural Institute 2013

3

Best Predictors of Employment

Post-School:

Paid jobs while in high school;

Parent expectations that their child will

work;

Collaborative funding for employment

while in school, before graduation.


4

Just because a student has

been successful with

shredding or stocking

Doesn’t mean that they

should be sentenced to a

life of that task...


Beyond the Four F’s

“Food" (i.e. food preparation and service)

“Filth" (i.e. cleaning and janitorial service)

“Flowers" (i.e. simple landscaping or

decoration), and

“Factories" (i.e. light assembly work).


6

IDEA 2004 requires that

A student’s Post School Outcomes be

based upon Age Appropriate Transition

Assessments related to Training,

Education, Employment and, where

appropriate, Independent Living Skills.

Assessments should identify strengths and

needs, current performance and support

needs.


7

We need to ask different

questions to get different

answers and new ideas.

If we focus on evaluating, comparing, and judging the performance of students, we miss a lot of rich information about their skills, strategies, and what motivates them to work.

Some students will need more informal assessments to gather useful information to plan for employment.


8

Some job seekers don’t compete

well Just because a person

doesn’t compete well doesn’t mean they can’t

work. It means that we

need to use a different

strategy to employ them.


What information would be

helpful and lead to

employment for ALL youth

with disabilities?


10

Ask about routine(s):

List what the person does;

Note motivation;

Note supports offered & needed;

Note skills, contributions, and tasks;

Strategies the family uses to promote

independence;

Things the person does without being

asked.


11

Gathering information from

someone’s home…

At home,

Carley cooked

meals for

herself and her

little sister,

whom she

babysat when

their mom was

at work. UM Rural Institute 2013

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Ask the person to show you what they

typically do at home


13

Ask where the person goes in

the community…

Services they use in the community

Recreation and leisure

Clubs, teams, classes, after-school activities

With whom and how often?

Connections to people and places?


14

Anders’ family stated

that he gets up early

and rides his bike

around the

neighborhood looking

for people who are out

working in their yards.


Interview Tips Start with open ended questions

Encourage people to be descriptive and robust as they describe the job seeker, their activities, experiences, skills and support needs

“What did that look like?”

“Tell me why you have come to the conclusion that…”

“Can you give me an example of….?”

Listen and give the person time to speak

Conversational tone more so than a formal interview


16

Describe Anders’ Performance

Upon request from Fred to “get the 5/8-inch wrench,” Anders walked to the tool box and opened the top drawer, which contained screwdrivers. He closed that drawer and opened the 2nd drawer where the wrenches were. He touched 3 wrenches with his right index finger at the size stamp on the wrench and selected the 3rd one, 5/8”. He closed the drawer and walked to Fred and handed him the wrench by leaning under the truck to reach him. It took him 45 seconds between the request and getting the wrench to Fred.


17

What did you learn?

Skills

Tasks

Supports offered

Supports needed

What additional questions do you have?


18

Interviewing the neighbor Mom learned about skills:

Recognized various tools by name, size and type

Organized, and motivated to help

And tasks: Retrieve specific tools upon request

Return tools to their locations

Perform errands

Partner with worker to complete any task that requires 2 people


19

Interview people who spend time with the job

seeker in various environments.


20

Interviewing Support Staff Upon arriving at the workshop Emily walks

directly to the wall where the list of jobs is posted and scrolls the list for her name and task for the day. She then proceeds to the work station.

She frequently is on flashlights as she is one of the most consistent employees when handling the small fragile pieces. Many other staff and employees bend these pieces accidently.


21

Many support staff and job

coaches have rich information.

Ask for descriptive examples of performance;

Motivation, pace, stamina, correctness;

Information about environmental

characteristics of work environments;

Supports provided, needed?

What was learned about the person from the

experience?

What questions did you have from the

experience?


22

Observe & describe how people get tasks done…

Carley dials frequently

called phone numbers

from memory or

references a list of phone

numbers posted near her

phone. She uses her

Delta Talker and the

speaker phone to chat

with friends, arrange

transportation, or contact

her support staff when

needing assistance at

home. UM Rural Institute 2013

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What information are we

gathering from work

experiences? Interests

Skills & Abilities

Task List

Motivators

Successful Support Strategies


Tyler collated fact sheets and assembled packets,

including placing stickers on the folders, for the

Rural Institute Transition Projects.


25

Observational Notes Tyler collated the 7 different Social Security

fact sheets and created 30 folders in 20 minutes. Upon completion of this task there were 3 of one of the fact sheets left over while the rest were all gone. Tyler flipped through each of the 30 packets looking for any packet that did not have 1 copy of each of the fact sheets. After checking all 30, he walked to his supervisor’s office and told her he was done and that he had a few extra fact sheets.


26

TASKS

Tasks observed

Collated

Assembled packets

Shared information

Searched for errors

(omissions or

duplicates)

Skills observed

Organized

Identifies errors and reports them

Quality checks own work

Worked until the task was complete

Reported that he was done and requested additional work


27

What other tasks could you

see him doing?


28

Descriptiveness

The information must be detailed enough

to describe possibilities, the challenges,

impact of disability, supports provided

and supports needed.


Descriptiveness

The reader must be able to visualize the

performance in order to translate the

information into:

1) Skills and contributions for

potential workplaces;

2) Tasks to offer an employer; and

3) The ideal conditions needed

for success.


30

Example of Evaluative Writing

Damian can cook simple items with

assistance. He cannot set the oven

temperature independently and care

should be taken to assure that he does not

burn himself. He cannot read the directions

on the box. Damian required one-to-one

supervision to mix and prepare the brownies

and to put them into the oven. He cannot

be trusted to cut the brownies with a knife.


31

Descriptive Writing Scenario

(Tasks) When writing descriptively, we focus solely on the performance

of the individual, using action verbs in the active tense. Here is an example of the same scenario written descriptively:

Damian selects the brownie mix from the pantry, finds a mixing bowl from the cabinet and removes a mixing spoon from the utensil drawer, after being reminded by a staff person. As the staff person reads the directions he opens the box, pours the mix into the bowl and continues to blend in ingredients. When he completes the mixing he pours the mixture in a glass pan following a gesture by the staff person. The staff person says, “What’s next?” and Damian points to the oven thermostat. The staff person says, “Which button is for bake?” and Damian pushes the Bake button.


32

Descriptive Writing (Skills)

Identifies cooking utensils

Follows directions

Works as part of a team

Distinguishes between various boxed

mixes

Identifies sight words

Experience with mixing, pouring, blending,

oven


33

Descriptive Writing Scenario (Supports Provided)

Damian selects the brownie mix from the pantry, finds a mixing bowl from the cabinet and removes a mixing spoon from the utensil drawer, after being reminded by a staff person. As the staff person reads the directions he opens the box, pours the mix into the bowl and continues to blend in ingredients. When he completes the mixing he pours the mixture in a glass pan following a gesture by the staff person. The staff person says, “What’s next?” and Damian points to the oven thermostat. The staff person says, “Which button is for bake?” and Damian pushes the Bake button. UM Rural Institute 2013

34

Descriptive Writing Scenario (Supports Provided)

Damian then begins to turn the thermostat and the staff person says, “Stop at 375.” As Damian nears 375, the staff person says, “That’s it” and he stops at a nearby indicator. The staff person says, “One more click” and Damian completes the setting. The staff person asks, “How long do we cook them?” and Damian says “30 minutes.” Damian sets the timer similar to the oven. When the timer goes off, Damian puts an oven mitt on his right hand and opens the oven with his left. As he reaches in the staff person says, “Careful, everything is hot.” Damian grasps the pan and slides it out of the oven, keeping the container level. When the brownies have cooled, Damian removes a serving knife from the utility drawer and cuts the brownies into small squares with hand-over-hand assistance from the staff person. UM Rural Institute 2013

35

What other tasks could you

see him doing?


36

Turning ‘issues’ and assumptions

about support into Conditions:

He requires staff supervision at all times to be

appropriate with women, avoid wandering off,

and to remain on tasks.

Do to her lack of safety skills with strangers she

needs to be in a supervised setting.


37

Clarifying Support Needs and

Ideal Conditions:

An ideal condition of success is to have a

predictable schedule and a coworker nearby to

remind him to check his list if he looks lost or if he is

not at his station.

An ideal condition for success is a workplace with

familiar consistent coworkers and no interaction

with unfamiliar people.


38

Discovery as an informal

“assessment”:

Looking for rich and robust information;

Non-judgmental;

Descriptive;

Narrative; and

Optimistic.


39

Unique Tasks

Feed snakes

Watch windows

Support pets in recovery post-surgery

Scale and clean fish

Pay bills online

Custom sewing

Fill stalls with shavings

Quality check property tax records


40

Unique Tasks

Measure scented oils with a pipette

Dress mannequins

Collect honey

Make and sell mini hay bales

Weld yard art

Make and sell concrete garden stones


41

Are students’ work experiences

preparing them for work as

adults?


This project is funded in whole or in part under a Contract with the Montana Department of

Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the

opinion of the Department.


43

Documents

Preparing Youth for Work: Translating skills into taskspluk.org/Translating_skills_to_tasks_final_no_pics.pdf(Tasks) When writing descriptively, we focus solely on the performance