Working Together To Reach Supported Employment Goals A Customer's Guide To Using Vocational Rehabilitation and Other Resources to Get and Keep a Job in the Community Created by: Introduction Why Did We Write This Guide? In 2003, a group of people from all over Oregon started to have meetings. They talked about how to help people with developmental disabilities find jobs. They shared ideas about how to help people keep their jobs. Members of the group are Brokerage Directors and Personal Agents, VR Counselors and Branch Managers, family members and advocates for people with developmental disabilities. There are representatives from both DHS' Staley Implementation Team and OVRS' Administration Unit who helped too. The group's ideas and suggestions are written here to help you find your next job. This book tells how the Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS), Support Services Brokerages and County Developmental Disabilities Programs work together to help people with developmental disabilities get and keep a job. This book tells you about:
What is Supported Employment?
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Deciding to Work If you think you want to work, you should talk to people about their jobs. Where do they work? What do they do? Tell your family you want a job. Tell your Personal Agent (PA) or Services Coordinator too. They will assist you to get the help you need. Ask them to make an appointment to meet a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Counselor. Make getting a job part of your ISP, which you will write with your PA or Services Coordinator. Working means you have responsibilities. Will you:
Other things you may know or need to learn about:
Who will you ask to be a part of your employment team? You will pick the people who will be helping you find a job. Think about your family and friends, your VR Counselor and possible job developers or job coaches. Don't forget teachers, classroom aides and your OT or PT. There may be others. Make a list so you can talk to your PA, Service Coordinator and VR Counselor. Do you have the information that you need to help you make informed choices about your employment options?
What is My Family's Role in Helping Me Get and Keep a Job? Your family can be a part of the team that helps you get and keep a job. If you have a guardian, he or she must be part of your team. Families can play an important role in how you feel and how successful you are at work. They can:
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Organizations to Help You Find and Keep a Job There are many places where you can get help to find and keep a job. Some of them provide all kinds of services to people with disabilities. Others only help people with specific disabilities or only assist people with employment. Use all the help you can find from each place. Getting information will help you make informed decisions about working. It will also help you know how earning money from a job will affect your benefits like SSI/SSDI, Oregon Health Plan and housing assistance. Services to People with Developmental Disabilities If you are reading this book, you have already received services through your local County Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP). They will tell you how to find a Support Services Brokerage or a County Services Coordinator/Case Manager. That person will be one of many who will help you find and keep a job. Most people who live in their own home or with their family receive services through a Support Services Brokerage. Support Services Brokerages are organizations that work with the State of Oregon. There are nine Support Services Brokerages in the state. They focus on helping people who live near their offices. At the Brokerage, you will have a Personal Agent (PA) who can help you with planning for your job. The PA will also talk about how working will affect your benefits. They will also work with you to find other people who want to help you find a job. If you live in a group or foster home you can ask your County Services Coordinator/Case Manager to help you plan for a job. Your Services Coordinator can also direct money that is available so you can keep your job. If you are waiting for brokerage services, your County Services Coordinator may help you with your job goals. Employment Services for People with Disabilities Oregon's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS) and the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) help people with disabilities to find jobs. They can provide planning, funding, and support based upon your employment ideas, dreams and needs. Their services are focused on helping you decide what kind of job you want; helping you to find and learn the job; and making sure you can keep the job. They cannot give you long-term funding for supported employment. Your VR Counselor will work with you and your PA or Services Coordinator to make an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE). Your IPE is |
Taking the First Step |
Preparing to Meet with VR Because you decided to go to work and talked about it with your PA or Services Coordinator (SC), it is time to take the first step to find your new job. Ask your PA or SC to call the Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS) to set up an application meeting. If you have a guardian, he or she must go too because they must sign all the papers. Many OVRS office have group meetings every week to share information about how they help people get a job. These meetings are called "orientation." You may want to go to one of these before setting up the meeting with your counselor. Wanting to work is the most important reason for you to get help with your employment search. Your OVRS VR Counselor needs to know more about you and your disability before they can help you look for work. To get their help, you must be eligible based on the laws they must follow. Your PA or SC will help you and your family gather the paperwork for VR. They will review the Essential Worker's Characteristics and VR Eligibility Checklist with you. A sample of these papers is in the back of this book. It will help if you bring as much information about yourself as you can to your meeting with VR. VR has up to 60 days to tell you if you are eligible for their help. If you bring all the information VR needs to this meeting, your Counselor can make you eligible the same day. The Application Meeting This will probably be your first chance to meet your VR Counselor. It is important that you make a good impression and show that you are motivated and responsible. You must show the VR Counselor you are ready to look for a job. If you feel that you can thoroughly answer all the questions yourself, then you and your PA or SC can go to the application meeting. If you need some help answering all the questions, it is a good idea to bring a family member or advocate to help you at the meeting. At this meeting, you will learn about OVRS. You will learn about how OVRS helps people find jobs. It will also be a time for everyone to get to know each other. It can be hard work to get a job. It is important that everyone works with you as a team - your "employment team." |
General Timelines: Because everyone is different, it is impossible to guess what your job will be or how long it will take to get it. At this meeting you and your team will want to start a discussion about:
What's next? If you are ready to participate with the employment team, the VR Counselor will open a file for services. If you aren't, the VR Counselor will suggest things you can do to become ready so you can come back to VR later. If your file is opened your employment team will set up the next meeting. At that meeting, the team will do an Employment Focused Person Centered Plan (EPCP) or start to write your Individual Plan for Employment (IPE). |
When you are done, you will have shown what you like, what you are good at and what skills you have. This assessment will give you and your team detailed information on specific tasks you can do. It will show how you learn new things. It will tell your team what support you need at your job to be successful. It will help you and your team know what kind of supervisor and coworkers you need do your job well. This kind of assessment takes about 20-30 work hours. The information from your Employment Focused Person Centered Plan is summarized in a report. You and your employment team use this information to help you decide on your employment goal. It also helps you and your team know what to write in your Individual Plan for Employment to help you get and keep your job. |
Finding and Learning a Job The process of finding a job is called "job development". It is the responsibility of every employment team member to help you find and learn your job. There are many ways to find a job, and they can all be useful. People who have a lot of barriers that make it hard for them to get a job often need a "customized" approach to job development. In customized job development, a job developer focuses on your skills, interests, and abilities. The job developer looks for an employer who can benefit from your contributions. Then the job developer works with the employer to develop a series of tasks that matches your skills. This may be part of an existing job or an entirely new job created especially for you. This means you get a job and the employer gets a valuable employee; both of you "win" what you want. The following are common words that are associated with finding and learning a job:
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What Happens After VR Closes My File? Vocational Rehabilitation cases can be closed two different ways. Closed as "Rehabilitated" means the person is working and does not need more help from VR to keep the job. In Supported Employment, your file can be closed as Rehabilitated if:
Closed as "Other" means the file was closed before you got a job. Some reasons this might happen would be:
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Appendices Essential Supported Employment Worker Characteristics 21 |
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Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services Eligibility Determination Checklist What Kind Of Information Can Be Used To Determine Eligibility?
List and Document Specific Impairments and Diagnoses (list all) List all Specific Needs and Accommodations Required to Get and Keep Employment (hours worked per week, work schedule, work site, job carving, job coaching, on-going employment support needs, transportation etc. If unknown, indicate so.) 23 |
Questions Asked in an Employment Focused erson Centered Plan Strengths, Interests, and Abilities What do you like to do? What are your interests? What are the things that you do well? What so others compliment you on? Past jobs or tasks that you enjoyed doing? Skills and interests you have shown at home? What Works For You? What do you like about working? What keeps you interested (money, friends, environment)? What keeps you in a good mood? What can bring you out of a bad mood? Specific jobs or tasks Worksite preferences (time, temp, noise, clothing) Expectations of a job (pace, detail level, quality) What Doesn't Work? What things make it harder to do a job? What do you dislike? What do you do when you really dislike something? (Get a description of behavior) Work History Jobs, volunteer & school experiences including job titles, dates, what helped in success What kinds of things do you so at home to help out? What classes have you taken? Possible Support Needs Consider mobility, transportation, self-care, work skills, social skills, time awareness and specific training needs: What help would you need to get a job? What help would you need to learn a job? What help would you need to keep a job? What would make your job easier? Ideal Situation/ Possible Jobs What would the ideal job look like? What things are really important and should be part of your job? 25 |
