Importance, Urgency, and Marketing Genius

Corey reminded me of this (below); had been a while since I'd checked it out.

We need to find a way to communicate this effectively. Can you make the connection to WV?

Stuck is a State of MInd, and it's Curable

From Seth Godin's Blog (updated link found in My Blog List, below)

"Which of the four are getting in the way?

You don't know what to do

You don't know how to do it

You don't have the authority or the resources to do it

You're afraid

Once you figure out what's getting in the way, it's far easier to find the answer (or decide to work on a different problem)."

Program helps high school students with disabilities learn employment skills

Program helps high school students with disabilities learn employment skills

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COACH and CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT: A PROMISING COLLABORATION

On April 29, 2010 I attended a very interesting training entitled IEP's From Start to Finish. One of the presenters spoke about using the COACH program for children with disabilities. The program has shown great promise and is appropriate for students from 3 to 21 years of age with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities (or "differing abilities"). It was interesting to note the similarities between this program and the Customized Employment approach Job Squad uses to assist our job-seekers in finding employment opportunities. Some of the main aspects of the program include a focus on family, collaboration among schools, support persons, and other agencies and professionals involved in a student's life. With COACH, the focus in on family, support persons, interests, social activities, educational, support needs, and career goals (especially for high school age students). In other words, the focus is on the whole person and not a "system". It is important to note that "family" is defined as adults who live with and care for the student. The family (and student, if appropriate) determine the goals to focus on for each year. The following is a summary of important questions and answers that explain more about the program:

How does COACH fit into IEP development?
A: COACH is meant to be used as one part of an overall approach to planning an appropriate education for a student with disabilities. Therefore, it is appropriately considered an IEP planning tool and has proven to be a useful component of transition planning (e.g., preschool to kindergarten; grade to grade; school to postschool). The information generated using COACH is designed to develop an appropriate, individualized education program. COACH is
Not designed to determine eligibility for special education
Not designed to provide a comprehensive assessment profile
Not designed to assign grade or developmental levels
Not designed to be used to the exclusion of other planning tools
Not designed to justify segregation of students with disabilities
COACH is meant to assist in educational planning by
Identifying family-centered priorities
Identifying additional learning outcomes (e.g., general education)
Identifying general supports to be provided to or for the student
Identifying priorities into IEP goals and objectives
Summarizing the educational program as a Program-at-a Glance
Organizing the planning ream to implement the program
Scheduling participation in general education classes/activities
Planning and adapting lesson plans to facilitate learning
Evaluating the impact of educational experiences
Typically, COACH is used to assist in the identification of IEP goals and objectives and to provide some information to document a student's present level of functioning in reference to selected goals and objectives. The planning activities conducted using COACH are then documented in the IEP.

In the article, Severe Disabilities (Education and Individuals With Severe Disabilities: Promising Practices), June E. Downing and Stephanie MacFarland elaborate on the absolute necessity of active family involvment in developing and implementing an educational program for students).

"Given the importance of meeting individual needs that reflect cultural differences, religion, experiences, and language, active family involvement to assist with assessments and determining instructional programs for a particular student is a recommended practice (Downing 2008; Turnbull et al. 2006). When students are unable to speak for themselves, which is often the case for students with severe disabilities, information from family members regarding expectations at home, skills and interests of the student, concerns, and future goals serves to guide educational programs. The home-school relationship is vital, and specific approaches have been developed to facilitate this bridge, such as these seminal approaches: Person Direct Support (O'Brien et al. 2005), and Choosing Outcomes and Accommodations for Children (Giangreco et al. 1998). These approaches to obtaining information from families are designed to keep the individual student as the focal point, with those closest to the student using their in-depth knowledge and caring for the person to guide their comments and hopes for the future"

Downing JE, MacFarland S. 2010. Severe Disabilities (Education and Individuals with Severe Disabilities: Promising Practices). In: JH Stone, M Blouin, editors. International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation. Available online: http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/article.php?id=114&language=en

All parties involved in a student's life are interconnected. Every component, whether it is educational, career goals, social life is of equal importance and one should work together to strengthen the other. For instance, teachers can greatly assist career counselors in providing valuable work experiences for students by open sharing of information (the COACH profile is a useful tool for this since it shows all the individual's goals, support needs, social needs, etc.. on 1 page). This profile is similar to the Vocational Profile we use at Job Squad to learn more about an individual. It is especially important to get differing perspective about an individual from the people they are closest to and obtain detailed information. This open sharing of information is beneficial all parties in assisting students in setting and achieving goals and in linking careers with the actual coursework they are doing.

Next posting: Discover how to assist students in linking educational experiences with career experiences!

Smooth Listening In The Rocky Mountains

This is a view from the interstate of those Rocky Mountains. So different from our Appalachian Mountains, but still beautiful.

Last week we attended a training in Missoula, Montana on Linking Discovery and Job Development. It was held by Griffin-Hammis Associates in collaboration with the Rural Institute at the University of Montana. There are some links to Griffin-Hammis web site on the side and the Rural Institute. The different seminars focused on aspects of customized employment, discovery and job development. These ideas and practices that we have discussed and will continue to talk about in this blog. We wanted to venture out West to learn from colleagues, see how everyone else is doing things. What works in Seattle may work in WV and vice versa.

As with all seminars, each day had a theme, different educational pieces and activities/exercises to go along with them. The one I found the most interesting was during Day Two for the Information Interviews. We were given a list of businesses in a packet that had been contacted by Cary Griffin, who just knew some folks were going to come and chat with them. They didn't know how many or who, and were only given a loose idea of about what. We gave them our top 3 picks, we were sorted and away we went.

Cary Griffin explaining the concept of Information Interviews to us.

At an informational interview, it's not about getting a job at this point. (Of course, if the opportunity arises, don't ignore it.) It's about learning about that businessman and the business: how she got into this field, what he likes about it, is it a family-owned business, is your business a fixture in the community, what exactly do you do here (which is the question I had for Ross Johnson from Powder Coating of Montana--I had no idea what powder coating was!), etc...etc...

However, it's not like you have the owner on the hot seat, throwing question after question at them. Let the conversation grow organically and most of the questions you have, will be answered. This is called "smooth listening" Cary told us. Throw in an occasion question or idea when the conversation feels like it's going to stall, but don't be afraid of silence. Most of the time, silence makes people nervous & they'll start talking again. Also, take notes and don't interrupt and the most important thing I learned from the activity: don't dominate the conversation with items about yourself.

It's a pretty simple trap to fall into. You and the owner find that you have many things in common. You're very comfortable with each other and talking a lot. However, if you're sharing as much or more than the business owner, then what are you really learning? Sure, sharing a few anecdotal things about yourself during a conversation is normal, but the important thing for the Career Counselor/Job Developer to remember is that the information is supposed to be about the employer and the business.

There was quite a range of businesses a bicycle tour company, a television station and a market just to name a few. My group (pictured below) went to Powder Coating of Montana and spoke with one of the owners, Ross Johnson.

Above: The Power Coating Team: Joanne Savoie, director of adult day and vocational rehab services of J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center; Janet Steveley of Griffin-Hammis Associates; Ross Johnson, an owner of Powder Coating of Montana; Doug Bever, Outreach Coordinator of The Full Ahead Foundation of HOPE.

Not shown: Janis Longton, Self-Employment Coordinator & Employee Consultant for Career Concepts, Brian Connaughton and Tamara Woods Career Counselors at JSI.

When we visited Ross at his shop, a wealth of information was learned about how he got into this whole powder coating business. In the 70s his father worked for Champion at a paper mill and an employee died from a freak accident on site. As with any accident of that magnitude a job site OSHA was involved. Champion was told they needed to design a man-basket. Ross's father was given the task and he was able to patent it. Through the Lifting Technologies Inc. was created and from there Powder Coating of Montana in the 80s. He discussed how LTI has the cornerstone on the market and both companies are fixtures in Montanta. A large chunk of Powder Coating of Montana's business comes from LTI. His employees are trained on the job and turnover is very low. He showed us examples of his work, gave anecdotal stories and was a really engaging person to talk to.

After the exercise, we went to back to our conference room and shared our stories with each other. The thing I found the most interesting is not one story was really alike. All of these businesses were unique, the owners with varying personality traits and each group had a different way of talking to the proprietors. Therefore there's no one real approach to take to talking to them. I think there is sometimes a disconnect with people in the social service industry having to talk to business people: a sense of being out of your comfort zone. It's good to keep in mind that everyone has a story, whether it's the man, who vocational rehab has referred to you or the lady, who runs the general store down the street. Part of the job is just listening.

Demand...and Personal Genius

In the March 29th issue of Time Magazine, the focus is on the current recession and how employment will rebound across the country. President Obama, in his State of the Union address called jobs his " No. 1 focus and proposed repurposing bank-bailout money to lend to small businesses, which would then, presumably, generate jobs".

Though this statement sounds really good, this strategy will not necessarily solve the unemployment problem in the U.S. in the long term. The federal government may be able to assist with creating jobs in the short-term by hiring people directly or buying goods and services. However, if we are to create more jobs in the long run, it is not this simple. To create and sustain employment, there must be a demand for services and products. We need to get back to basics, so to speak, and realize that small business and the law of supply and demand are at the heart of job creation in this country.

The issue becomes how to create demand in the current economy? The answer lies in creating products or services that are unique in the sense that they offer something better. Where are these unique services and products offered? They will be offered by individuals and small businesses across this nation and by utilizing people's "personal genius" and making connections in communities.

It stuck me that approaches such as Customized Employment just make sense, whether the state of our economy is in the black or in the red. According to this article, the projected annual growth in employment over the next four years "will rebound differently across the U.S. In West Virginia, it is projected to grow less than 1.5 percent. Additionally, West Virginia is a state with the highest rate of "disability" and one of the highest unemployment rates. This is why we really need to "think outside the box" and find solutions to our unemployment crisis.

This article gives us reason to hope-in the example of how one man created a business five years ago and now has $120 million a year in sales. HomeAway was born out of one man's solution to a dilemma. He was puzzled as to why he could not go to one website to find a comprehensive list of houses for rent, so he and a business partner set up their own site. This is the stuff of what we term "personal genius"-seeing a need and fulfilling it by using our innate talents and perservering.

When reading this, I thought of the wonderful talents the job-seekers I have worked with have and of how excited I am to be assisting them in their endeavors, whether this includes wage or self-employment, or educational attainment. Each of us has this inside of ourselves, even if we don't always see it and finding this can unlock may doors. Doors that may have been closed to many of us for any number of reasons-prejudice, misunderstanding, labels people have place on us and so on.

There is reason to be cynical right now with the sad shape the country is in economically speaking. There is also reason to be positive and to learn from the experience. Let's begin listening more and talking less. Let's embrace people's personal genius and help them to put it to good use in order that they may make better lives for themselves and for others. Let's put America to work one person, one business at a time!

Development in West Virginia

In Small is Beautiful: Economics as If People Mattered, E.F. Schumacher considers unemployment. Schumacher describes unemployment as "the non-utilization or gross under-utilization of available labor."

Economic Development, according to Schumacher, "is primarily a question of getting more work done." For an economy to develop, four conditions must be met:

1. Motivation
2. Know-How
3. Capital
4. Access to New Markets

Regarding motivation, Schumacher says that "there is little to be said from the outside. If people do not want to better themselves, they are best left alone."

Of know-how, he asks "What is education for?" and talks about the obligation of those with know-how, or education, to act as leaders for the larger community. Schumacher says that this is a view that is "well supported by all the higher teachings of mankind" and quotes St. Luke: "Much will be expected of the man to whom much has been given. More will be asked of him because he was entrusted with more."

Capital is necessary because productive work cannot be done without it--"in the form of equipment and also in working capital."

The last condition is markets, which Schumacher says is a problem for poor economies: "There is a very real problem because poverty means that markets are small and there is very little free purchasing power. All of the purchasing power that exists already, is, as it were, bespoken...if I start a new production in a poor (economy) there can be no local market for my products unless I divert the flow of purchasing power from some other product to mine."

All of the above, he says, "sounds very difficult and in a sense it is very difficult if it is done for the people, instead of by the people... Let's not mesmerise ourselves by the difficulties, but recover the commonsense view that work is the most natural thing in the world."

My question: What does this mean for Economic Development in West Virginia?

Schumacher describes economics as an inexact science--"(Economics) is in fact, or ought to be, something much greater: a branch of wisdom...economic life is still worth living because it is sufficiently unpredictable to be interesting. The future cannot be forecast, but it can be explored."

The Importance of Social Capital: "The Strength of Weak Ties"

In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert Putnam discusses the notion of "Social Capital," which he defines as "connections among individuals--social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them...By analogy with notions of physical capital and human capital--tools and training that enhance individual productivity--the core idea of the social capital theory is that social networks have value. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a college education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so too social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups."

Putnam argues that "social capital turns out to have forceful, even quantifiable effects on many different aspects of our lives...(there is) hard evidence that our schools and neighborhoods don't work so well when community bonds slacken, that our economy, our democracy, and even our health and happiness depend on adequate stocks of social capital."

Unfortunately, West Virginia is ranked 42nd on Putnam's "Social Capital Index," meaning that only 7 states have lower amounts of social capital. This is a problem, because, as Putnam says, "precisely because poor people (by definition) have little economic capital and face formidable obstacles in acquiring human capital (that is, education), social capital is disproportionately important to their welfare." Less or lessening amounts of social capital negatively impacts West Virginia to a much greater extent due to the lack of the counter-balance of other forms of capital.

Putnam says that "a growing body of research suggests that where trust and social networks flourish, individuals, firms, neighborhoods, and even nations prosper."

Some examples:

• "Individuals who grow up in socially isolated rural and inner-city areas are held back, not merely because they tend to be financially and educationally deprived, but also because they are relatively poor in social ties that can provide a "hand-up."
  
• Evidence shows that connections "influence who gets a job, a bonus, a promotion, and other employment benefits. Social networks provide people with advice, job leads, strategic information, and letters of recommendation" and also that "casual acquaintances can be more important assets than close friends and family for individuals in search of employment." This is because a person's "closest friends and kin--"strong ties"--are likely to know the same people and hear of the same opportunities. More distant acquaintances--"weak ties"--are more likely to link that person to unexpected opportunities, and thus those weak ties are actually more valuable."

Job Squad has seen first-hand the value of connections--it seems that in every good outcome, some community connection played a role: business acquaintances of an individual's family, a prior mentor or friend, a community acquaintance, the connections of our organization, or the Active Employer Council, a group put together by Job Squad, and first pioneered by Griffin-Hammis Associates in the 1990's, to purposefully leverage the business, community, and social connections of the Council members. We have also seen, as Putnam describes above and in Bowling Alone, that individuals at the economic margins of their communities tend to participate less in their communities and have fewer social networks to utilize when seeking employment.

Putnam sums up his chapter on economic prosperity in Bowling Alone by saying that, "For the moment, the links between social networks and economic success at the individual level are understood. You can be reasonably confident that you will benefit if you acquire a richer social network...(the data) encourage the view that social capital of the right sort boosts economic efficiency, so that if our networks of reciprocity deepen, we all benefit, and if they atrophy, we all pay dearly."

The message to us all: Join now. Join a lot. Participate in community activities with others and help others participate in community activities. Or put another way, as Ernesto Sirolli says in Ripples From the Zambezi, "The person who is most capable of enlisting the support of others is the most likely to succeed."

On Thankfulness

The following story was published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle-a Northern Michigan newspaper:


Disability Is Illuminating

Father's blindness makes whole family stronger

BY INGA DIETLINSpecial to the Record-Eagle

'But I will never see her face."

This comment was made in 1991, nine months before my birth.
While the births of my siblings had been joyous occasions, mine was mixed with sorrow. My father has a degenerative eye disease called Retinisa Pigmentosa, or R.P., which was diagnosed at a very young age. This disease slowly stole his eyesight, making him almost completely blind at the time of my arrival. Although his blindness has been a trial in many ways, it has also blessed both him and our entire family with the joy of having guide dogs, viewing other disabled people in a more compassionate manner, and in spiritual growth. When I was 5, Dad received his first guide dog, Mischa. The 1-year-old German Shepherd only had basic training. But with the help of a local dog trainer, he quickly learned how to safely lead my dad around obstacles.
Before we moved to Michigan and had Mischa, my family lived in Chicago, where Dad worked as a piano tuner. Since he maintained a large clientele there, he continued to travel back and forth every other week, while my mom stayed with my siblings and me in Michigan. Mischa aided Dad in traveling on airplanes and navigating through city streets. After Mischa had been working for almost seven years, my dad realized he would need a replacement dog. We soon received an 8-week-old puppy and named him Bartok. Bartok watched Mischa work for two years, which contributed greatly to his excellence in leading. Bartok began to guide Dad when Mischa was about 9 years old. Almost two years later, after Mischa had been sick for many days, I received the news that he had been put down. This was one of the most emotional moments my family and I had ever experienced, and it was very heart-wrenching for Dad to say good-bye. No dog can replace Mischa in our memories, but Bartok is a great helper, keeping Dad safe both in Michigan and Chicago. Although it may seem like my father's trips to Chicago are perfect, he still encounters many rude people unwilling to even help him navigate a busy street, or move from their seat on a crowded bus. It is obvious that my dad has a disability and may need assistance, but most people seem too busy to realize he exists. Through viewing his attempts at obtaining a seat on crowded Chicago Transit Authority buses, the whole family has become aware of people with disabilities, and we strive to help those who may be in need. Many who see another person with a disability such as blindness simply gawk as though the person is contagious. Dad has aided me in realizing that even though the person is disabled, they are just like me. Because of this, I am often one of the few to leave my seat on a bus in favor of letting a disabled person take the chair. The obstacles that Dad encounters through his blindness, whether it is simply steering himself through a throng of people or being denied a seat on the bus, have all been formidable. But he is able to overcome them through his sturdy believe in Jesus Christ. The sorrow that my dad expressed when told I was going to be born was short-lived, but powerful. Although he was thrilled at the idea of having another child, the notion that he would miss seeing me grow into a woman left him somber. His eyesight has slowly degenerated throughout most of his life, but by becoming a Christian at a young age, his faith helped him cope with the impending blindness. After becoming completely blind, it seemed that studying the Bible would be impossible, until he received the treasured gift of a Bible on CD. This has allowed him to continue reading as well as memorizing. Because of this passion for memorizing the Bible, he has inspired my siblings and me to attempt the same feat. His attitude is also a product of his faith. While many people who have disabilities are bitter because of their misfortune, my dad is well-liked by everyone because of his inner joy. Dad's hardships have threatened to dismantle his faith and good attitude, but he is always able to return to his faith and discover the promises held in the Bible.
Disabilities can tear families apart, but my dad's blindness has made our stronger. We connect over the faith that we share, and enjoy the dogs that have made his mobility possible. Throughout my days, I am constantly aware of the impact his blindness has made on my life, whether it be increased awareness of other people or thankfulness for my many blessings. I know that my dad has never had the chance to see me growing up, but I recognize that he has helped me become the woman I am today.

Inga Dietlin is a sophomore at Elk Rapids High School

Learning From Stan Lee

 In his new book, Manhood For Amateurs, Michael Chabon describes the early days at Marvel Comics:

"In the early sixties, when "Stan's Soapbox"--pages in Marvel Comics through which Stan Lee created and sustained the idea of Marvel Comics fandom in the sixties and early seventies--began to apostrophize Marvel fandom, there was no such thing as Marvel fandom. Marvel was a failing company, crushed, strangled, and bullied in the marketplace by its giant rival, DC. Creating "The Fantastic Four"--the first "new" Marvel title--with Jack Kirby was a last-ditch effort by Lee, a mad flapping of the arms before the barrel sailed over the falls."

"But in the pages of the Marvel comic books, Lee behaved from the start as if a vast, passionate readership awaited each issue that he and his key collaborators, Kirby and Steve Ditko, churned out. And in a fairly short period of time, this chutzpah--as in all those accounts of magical chutzpah so beloved by solitary boys like me--was rewarded. By pretending to have a vast network of fans, former fan Stanley Leiber (Stan Lee) found himself in possession of a vast network of fans."

What does this mean? What can we learn from Stan Lee?

Marvel was bought by Disney in 2009 for $4 Billion.