Paid Internship Makes Justin a 'Working Man'

When you ask Justin if he likes working on the Power Painters crew he’ll tell you: “Yes! I’m a working man.” And he hopes to be a ‘working man’ for a long time. Justin is presently completing a paid internship at Power Painters & Property Management in Fairmont, WV.

At age 26 Justin finds himself in the same boat as millions of other Americans . . .  looking for a job. Currently, out of a population of about  310 million, over 100 million working-age Americans are unemployed. 

 Besides the challenge of the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression Justin has only one hand, which was severed in a car accident about 8 years ago.  And wouldn’t you know it . . . he’s right handed and that's the one he lost. Imagine trying to do your job, or any job for that matter, with one hand. And then if you are right handed, doing it with your left.

Yet Justin has adapted to this challenge amazingly well. He bowls, can ride a bike, runs track, plays basketball and bocce, as well as uses a two handed controller to play computer video games. Justin especially loves virtual football, auto racing, and is a tenacious Mountaineer sports fan.

What led him to exploring a career as a professional painter? 

“Most folks with significant disabilities get only one or two chances at securing community employment. Therefore, our efforts at finding a quality ecological fit requires precision. The Discovering Personal Genius (DPG) process blends the best of what we know about person-centered assessment, good employment development, and innovative thinking into a road map for action.” LINKING DISCOVERY & EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT - Griffin-Hammis Associates  

Justin is eager to try new things, and loves to be around people. When Shannon Corso, a career counselor who works with Justin, discovered he had some painting experience, arrangements were made for him to help paint the local school stadium and other facilities over the summer. Justin had a great time.

This gave Shannon an idea. She approached Ronnie Hampton, the owner of Power Painters & Property Management, and requested an interview to gather some information. Justin liked what he saw and heard. Shannon then suggested he try an individualized paid internship. Justin’s work would be customized to fit tasks he was interested in trying. And Ronnie could see what Justin was able to learn and do, while at the same time opening the door to possible future employment.  According to the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation:

“Many employers with experience hiring people with disabilities indicate that the presence or absence of disability was not a primary concern when making hiring decisions. One study found, for example, that regardless of the nature or severity of disability more than75% of youth who completed a standardized work-based internship program in high school were offered ongoing employment by their host companies, even though the companies were under no obligation to retain the interns beyond the internship period. This strongly suggests that, once individuals with disabilities are on the job and performing, their contributions to the companies’ enterprise negates, or at least obscures, their disability in the eyes of their employers.”

“In fact, there is a history of research that supports the notion that company hiring decisions are less influenced by the presence or absence of disability than by potential contributions by a job candidate to the company, especially when it is clear that value is being added to the employer’s enterprise.”
Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation 29 (2008) 3–13 3/Emerging employer views of people with disabilities and the future of job development-Richard G. Luecking

Justin M Power Painting from bconnaughton

Job Squad has been using this customized paid internship approach to discover, through observation, if there is a potential good fit that involves tasks, work conditions, skills, and who the job seeker is. Then, by trying some things out—use the “trying things out” time as an opportunity for the job seeker’s skills and contributions to be seen, look for ways to have a conversation about employment.

Justin and Job Squad really appreciate the support from business owners like Ronnie Hampton who believe that everyone can make a valuable contribution when given the chance.