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Disability
and Employment - Vocational Rehabilitation: Where Partners Create
Careers - Strategies provided on the following topic:
Strategy: High School Transition:
One Community’s Collaborative Approach
Presenters: Jim Larson, President and
Chief Executive Officer, Morningside;
Kathi Richards, Vocational Rehabilitation
Lead Counselor; Kathy J. Goldenberger, Director of Community Employment,
Morningside; Pamela D. Grigware, Special Education Teacher, North
Thurston School District
Contact: P O Box 7936, Olympia, WA 98507
Phone: (360) 943 0512
Fax: (360) 943 8466
jlarson@mside.org
Facilitator: Rick Anderson
Successful transition of high school
students with disabilities into individual community employment requires
a concentrated and cooperative community effort. In Thurston County,
Washington, several agencies have worked collaboratively for over 10
years to place students with developmental disabilities into paid
employment prior to their exit from the school system at age 21. In
addition to the job placement, on-going support systems have been
developed to insure the retention of these jobs once the student leaves.
Morningside, a non-profit Community
Rehabilitation Program, contracts with the 6 area school districts to
provide Transition Employment Coordinators in each of their school
programs. The Transition Coordinators work with students, teachers,
family members, and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation personnel
to explore vocational interests/options and develop vocational goals.
Services can include determination, job-seeking, interviewing skills,
community based assessments and eventually job placement and training.
Once a vocational goal has been determined, the Transition Coordinators
work in close cooperation with the student and their secure work
opportunities that meet their individual needs.
After a paid position has been identified
and secured based on the individual’s employment plan, the Coordinator
works with the employer to support their new employee and maximize
inclusion in the work place. This support can include skills training
for the individual as well as training to the employer and co-workers on
effective strategies for supporting their new employee. When the student
is considered stable in their job and individual work skill building
services are transition to and adult service agency once the student
exits school.
After 10 years of successful experience,
the Thurston County Team enjoys an 83% success rate. Eighty-three
percent of the students wanting jobs at exit from school at age 21 have
had jobs! Once the student is in school a system is in place to continue
to support on students’ jobs, thus providing a “seamless” transition to
adult employment support/service.
One of the important components to this
successful program is that services are all community based. The school
districts have programs that are in their communities, providing
appropriate education from houses or apartments. Students are learning
real-life skills, how to become members of their communities through
volunteerism, participating in leisure activities, employment, being a
consumer and being fully included in their communities.
This presentation will include two staff
from the CRP Morningside, as well as one of the Counselors with the
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and a teacher from one of the
programs.
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