Employment Service Tools and Strategies for Working

with ASD

Susan Schonfeld, CESP Kelly Carroll, CESP

Danielle Sivick, CESP

Mission

Community Integrated Services’ mission is to empower people with disabilities through

individualized employment opportunities that foster self-sustainability, equality, and

community. Through partnerships with area businesses and organizations, CIS works to find jobs that fulfill the employment goals

and desires for the people they serve.

Vision We believe that all people have the right and

responsibility to be an active part of their community, regardless of their disability, and Community Integrated Services helps people with disabilities Live an Everyday

Life through employment.

Partnership with the ASERT Collaborative Autism Services Education Resources & Training

• Funded by the Bureau of Autism Services, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

• A unique partnership of public and private entities.

• A key component of the BAS strategy for supporting individuals with autism and their families throughout Pennsylvania.

Food for Thought

• What does it mean to be employed? • Why is your job important to you?

Why do people work?

Employment is the Great Equalizer

- Increases self-worth - Develops personal identity - Contributes to our community - Improves financial independence - Develops problem solving skills - Builds meaningful relationships - Increases access to community resources - Creates a diverse workplace - Builds community connections - Creates a positive financial impact on our economy

(supporting businesses, taxes) - Decreases stigma for persons with disability in the community

Creating a Culture of Employment – Setting Expectations that

“Everyone can work”

Guiding Principles of Supported Employment

Employment First Full inclusion Compensation at or ABOVE minimum wage Focus on abilities and capacities Everyone Can work!! Employment is community-based and inclusive Dignity of taking risks No “readiness” Model

Supported Employment is for persons

• who may need intensive or ongoing job support,

• who have traditionally been excluded from competitive work settings,

• whose work has been interrupted or intermittent because of their disabilities, or

• who can be successful with the right supports even when support needs are complex.

Supported Employment

Is… • Community-Based • Strengths-Based • Integrated • Focused on Current

Skills and Capacities

Is Not • Facility-Based • Deficit-Based • Segregated • Focused on Readiness

Supported Employment

Provides • Commensurate Wage-

Earning Employment • Increased Social Capital • Professional Competence

Avoids • No Wage or Sub-

minimum Wage Earning • Minimal Community

Engagement • Volunteering

Employment is NOT: Enclave/group work

• Requires constant

support • Restrictive

environment • Doesn’t highlight

individual interests and skills

• Continues society perception that people with disabilities should only work with each other

Volunteerism

• Should be a time limited experience with the goal of paid employment

• Great way to build confidence and learn more about individual preferences and skills

• Can be a complement to employment, not a substitute

Supported Employment includes…

• Customized Employment • Competitive Wage Employment • Community Employment • Integrated Employment • Job Carving • Entrepreneurship • Resource Ownership

Considerations for adults with ASD in employment

Acknowledge: Environmental considerations Sensory sensitivities

Assess: Social expectations Demands of position Accommodations that might be required

Investigate and Leverage: Overly specific interests/skills

Integrate All Dimensions of the Person

& Determine how best to apply

them in an Employment Setting with a strengths-based approach

Transition Planning & Preparation

When I grow up:

https://vimeo.com/66656100

What is Secondary Transition? Secondary Transition is the process of preparing students for

adult life after they leave high school. • Transition planning begins at age 14, or younger if determined

appropriate by the IEP team. • Academic instruction and community experiences help clarify

and support students’ goals. • Based on individual student’s needs, taking into account each

student’s strengths, preferences, and interests. • Focus on opportunities of adult life, including higher

education or training, employment, independent living and community participation.

Source: SecondaryTransition.org

Planning for employment

• Interagency coordination is key! • Invite OVR counselors and Supports Coordinators

to IEP meetings closer to graduation • Get started early –

– Set an early expectation for work – Broaden community experiences as students get older

through a variety of individualized paid and unpaid internships (it takes three to have real choice!)

– Identify and explore career interest and options...and know they frequently change

PA Autism Needs Assessment: Employment Status

Adults for Whom a Caregiver Responded:

55% unemployed

Adults who Responded for Themselves:

47% unemployed

Adults with autism reported that they need more:

25% Career

Counseling

25% Vocational Training

25% Supported

Employment

Transition Planning for Students around employment

• Building family relationships • Exploring community connections • Community based work assessments/Discovery • Travel Training and Support • Scheduling work opportunities in addition to

classroom experiences • Internships/Work Based Learning • Creating a resume or portfolio • Job Development • Social Security planning • Adult funding planning

Person Centered Planning

Key Elements of Person Centered Planning

Person with disabilities at the center of the planning process for supports and services

“Nothing about me without me” Person first language Community inclusion Social Capital – being relevant in your

community Choice Respect Self Determination

Customized Employment

Customized Employment (CE) CE is defined by the U.S. Dept. of Labor as: a flexible process designed to personalize the employment relationship between a job candidate and an employer in a way that meets the needs of both. It is based on an individualized match between the strengths, skills, contributions, conditions, and interests of a job candidate and the identified business needs of an employer.

Benefits of CE • In Discovery, coaches learn more about the individual

than in traditional assessments • Designed to avoid HR and traditional interview process • Creates a work opportunity that fits ideal conditions of

employment • Involves the family and community • May lead to creative Employment Outcomes • Focuses on needs of Small Business Community

Challenges of CE!

Challenges of CE

• Discovery is messy • Outcomes tend to take longer • Funding • Understanding it go in many directions • Nothing is fool proof • Defining good outcomes is essential • Embracing philosophy

Sometimes Discovery Can Get Messy!

• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JplpDbOdPP8

Discovering Personal Genius

• To create a Customized Employment (CE) job we start with a process called Discovering Personal Genius (Discovery or DPG)

• Discovery involves observation and exploration through active participation in various community, home, and work settings that match the individual’s career interests, support needs, family resources, and skills.

• 6-8 weeks to complete • Document Discovery in a Discovery Staging Record

(DSR)

What We Need To Accomplish During Discovery

• Ideal conditions of employment – Skills and Talents – Motivation to work – Support needs – Best environmental fit – Interests

• Social Network • Vocational Themes • Transportation Options

Part 1 of Discovery

• Explain CE • Gather Team • Schedule 1st meeting • Tour the neighborhood • Meet with the individual

& family • Incorporate feedback

from Behavior Specialist/Behavior Plan if applicable

• Interview other people • Identify several familiar

activities • Identify unfamiliar

places and activities • Update and Review

Discovery Staging Record (DSR)

Part 2 of Discovery

• Further develop Vocational Themes

• Research businesses that match with interests, talents & skills

• Contact businesses for informational interviews

• Develop work trials at businesses of interest

• Finalize Themes & List of 20

• Distribute final copies of the Discovery Staging Record to team

Vocational Themes

Wrapping up Discovery

• Finish Staging Record using the information gathered during Discovering Personal Genius (DPG).

• Identify ideal conditions for employment • Reference the three themes and the list of 60 jobs where

interests, tasks, contributions, skills, and overall conditions match.

Myths around benefits and working

Does it Pay to Work?

Myth vs. Fact What do you know about social security

benefits? Myths?

Examples: • People with disabilities can’t work more than

20 hours per week. • You lose your benefits if you work. • You cant get your SSI check back if you work. • You will lose your waiver if you work too

much.

Myth Busters • Social Security Red Book - A Guide To Work Incentives

• The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental

Security Income Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities.

• http://www.ssa.gov/redbook/

• Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA)

• Benefits Planning Query (BPQY)

Maximizing Funding Streams

Using Available Sources to Optimize Access to Employment

Supports

2014 PA Autism Census: OVR Data

~20.3% increase in 1 year

2012: 2,051

people served

2011: 1,705

people served

Mean age served =

22 years old

2014 PA Autism Census: OVR Data

28.2%

3.1%

10.7%

23.7%

22.9%

11.5%

Occupations of Individuals with Autism Receiving Services from the Office of

Vocational Rehabilitation Training/Education,Management or Sales

Computer, Math orScience

Health or Personal Care

Food Prep/Service

Construction,Maintenance orProduction

Consumers Served in PA: CIS Example of Braided Funding

- ODP (Office of Developmental Programs): - Autism Waiver - Consolidated Waiver - PFDS Waiver - Base Funding

- OLTL - BBVS (Bureau of Blind Visual Services) - OVR (Office of Vocational Rehabilitation) - Private Pay - SD (School Districts) - Social Security - Work Incentives, TTW (Ticket to Work), Subsidy, PASS, IRWE - Grants

The Decision to Disclose? Generally, if you choose to disclose, it is most helpful

to share the following: • General information about your disability; • Why you are disclosing your disability; • How your disability affects your ability to perform

key job tasks; • Types of accommodations that have worked for

you in the past; and • Types of accommodations you anticipate needing

in the workplace.

Source: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm

When to Disclose Your Disability

Consider the following stages: • In a letter of application or cover letter; • Before an interview; • At the interview; • In a third-party phone call or reference; • Before any drug testing for illegal drugs; • After you have a job offer; • During your course of employment; or • Never.

Source: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm

Disclosure Protections and Responsibilities

• Have information about your disability treated confidentially and respectfully;

• Choose to disclose your disability at any time during the employment process;

• Have respectful questioning about your disability for the purpose of determining whether you need accommodations and if so, what kind.

• Bring your skills and merits to the table; and • Be truthful, self-determined, and proactive.

Source: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm

Tools in the Tool belt

61% Following up after an Interview

62% Interviewing

71% Getting an Interview

42% Filling out Applications

82% Finding Employment Opportunities

65% Resume Creation

PA Autism Needs Assessment: Job Search

Job Development Strategies • Generic/Specific • Resume/Visual Resume • Portfolio Development • Interviews/Mock interviews – Formal/Informal • Conversations around professional appearance and attitude • Networking • Job Applications • Time limited work trials (120 days max) • Informational Interviews • Neighborhood Inventory • Community Action Team(CAT) • Job Analysis • Job Proposals • Feasibility Study (Self Employment)

Discussing with businesses how to be a supportive employer

• Set clear expectations for employee • Provide timely, honest, and direct

feedback • Build relationship between employee and

manager • Hold the employee with disabilities to the

same standard as other employees • Encourage all employees to be supportive

Interview Strategies

• Interviewing can be challenging for people with ASD

• If interviews are necessary, practice commonly asked questions

• Suggest to employer a working interview as an alternative or supplement to an interview

• Informational Interviews

Informational Interviews/Business Interviews

An informational interview is a meeting with an owner or manager to gather information about a business or industry. We use informational interviews to learn more about potential employment opportunities within a business or an industry without asking for a job.

Opportunity for applicant and business owner to connect

over a shared interest and develop employment opportunities.

Job Carving and Job Proposals Once an informational interview is completed we can use

the information gathered to develop a carved job that matches the consumers ideal conditions of employment and meets the business’ needs. Job Proposals are a good way to present a carved job to a business owner/manager.

Employer Benefits of Hiring Employees with Disabilities

• Diversified workforce • Access to a new and vital talent pool of workers • Employees and customers appreciate diversity • Making accommodations for people with

disabilities is usually easy and inexpensive • Customers with disabilities control discretionary

income of nearly $200 billion • Good business sense! It has a direct impact on the

business’ bottom line.

Ensuring a good job match is essential!

Considerations for Successful Job Matching

• Discovery Staging Record • Ideal Conditions of Employment • Job Analysis • Identifying Natural Supports • Transportation Considerations • Financial Planning and Considerations • Funding Planning and Considerations

Keys to Independence on the Job!

PA Autism Needs Assessment: On the Job Challenges

55% Asking

for Time Off

48% Asking

for Help

43% Working

in a Group

Strategies for Independence Accommodations are another method of providing supports in the workplace. An accommodation could be a piece of equipment or technology to assist the person in place of a job coach. Natural Supports-Any support that decreases the need for paid employment supports and creates opportunities for independence for the employee Systemic Instruction- Task Design Strategies- Assistive Tech- Fading-Fading is the process of gradually allowing the consumer more independence at work. The process involves first fading from individual tasks while at the work site and communicating with the Primary Job Coach to indicate what areas they are showing independence in. Once a person has demonstrated independence, we will fade our support in increments so that they will be working independently for part of their shift.

TASK ANALYSIS Please adapt this form to use it however will best serve your consumer. Add any information that you think may be helpful, including timeframes for each

task. Expand the cells to fit all the text you need. Insert more rows if needed. Ask for technical help if needed.

Narrative Description of Support: If helpful, use space below to describe the support in a narrative format. Expand the cell if necessary.

List all major tasks that are part of the consumers job. Also list any minor tasks that require Job Coach assistance.

Task How the Job Coach

Assists Strategies for Fading

Try Another Way! • Ultimately, this is all reliant upon the Job Coaches’

diligence, patience, and capacities to uncover the best teaching methods. • Job Coaches work to understand how the individual

learns • “Try Another Way” keeps options open, and

accommodates the exploration of approaches that haven’t yet been implemented • If a method for instruction isn’t successful, the

Job Coaches should be exploring other approaches that may work for the employee’s style of learning

63

Path from Discovery to Business Owner

•

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/03/19/local-teen-doesnt-let-disability-hinder-his-business-dreams/