Andy Ball

“I was looking for work with another company in 1996 when the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) referred me to Job Squad. They reviewed the documentation of my disability and sent me a letter to invite me to come in for an interview. I was hired and worked for a year part-time as a Substitute Janitor at the FBI fingerprint facility.

In 1997 I became a full-time Janitor and worked in that role for four years. In 2001 I transferred to the FBI’s Satellite II office in the Middletown Mall where I gained valuable experience related to dealing with people and in working independently, which was an important step in my development as a supervisor.

In 2002 I returned to the main FBI facility as a Substitute Crew Leader and in 2004 became a full-time Crew Leader (which we now call Supervisor) and have been ever since.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work for Job Squad all these years; it has allowed me to have a nice living. I am married, have a son and a home that is now paid for.”

“Andy’s value to Job Squad as an employee is too great to measure. His unfailingly positive attitude, his automatic credibility as a person with a disability and his growth as a supervisor and a mentor are inspirational to other employees. He has shared his story at various conferences, presentations and meetings and has thereby also inspired the community.”

-- Jim Womeldorff, Director of Operations and Business Development

MARK CAMPBELL'S STORY

Mark’s first job out of high school was with a local county Parks and Recreation mowing grass and doing basic landscaping duties. Throughout his life Mark had always enjoyed being outside so he thought this would be the perfect job for him. Mark did enjoy the job but was told many times he was not fast enough at this or that part of the job and was eventually laid off in 2009.

Mark heard about Job Squad and put in an application soon after being laid off and in January 2010 was hired by Job Squad as a Grounds Maintenance Worker. Mark worked at a government facility in which Job Squad contracts with and early on excelled at mowing grass and volunteering for any work that was available. Over the course of the next two years and with the assistance of his supervisors, Mark expanded his knowledge and skills in grounds maintenance. With the extra support Mark became one of the Job Squad’s best workers at the more labor intensive duties, such as using chainsaws and other heavy equipment, while still excelling at his regular grounds duties.

In December 2012, Mark left Job Squad to try some new things and look for other opportunities. For about a year, Mark tried four different jobs from Waste Management to Construction, but each time he was left without a job after a month or so. Mark was told again and again that he was too slow or couldn't learn certain aspects of his job. Mark always felt that he could do his job if given the correct support and time to learn, but that never seemed to happen at these other businesses.

Mark reapplied to Job Squad and was hired back in August 2013 as a Grounds Maintenance Worker and is still currently employed. Mark jumped right back into his job and hopes to one day become a crew leader or supervisor. He wants to be able to support and teach others that find themselves in similar situations that he has found himself in his life.

Using Discovery, High School Transition to Work Student Enjoying His Passion

Gabe Radcliff is a High School Transition to Work student thru the Harrison County Board of Education. Gabe is a senior at Liberty High School and will graduate this May 2014.    Gabe is excited about the opportunities ahead for him.

Gabe loves theater and enjoys playing characters.  He has held leading roles in the Wizard of Oz, Aladdin, and Shrek in his high school plays and received excellent reviews from everyone who had the opportunity to see one or all of the plays.  Because Gabe loves playing a character, we began searching for employment opportunities where he could fulfill his love of acting, while utilizing his skills and talents. 

During Discovery, we visited the Illusive Skull in Fairmont.  The owner recognized Gabe as soon as we walked through the door from the plays he performed in in high school.   We began talking, and she stated that Gabe did an excellent job in Shrek.   The owner gave us contact information for Fairmont State University Community Theater that puts on plays in the summer.   Gabe scheduled an audition and earned a part playing a town person in the play, Tom Sawyer.

Using social capital with Chick-Fil-A, Gabe expressed an interest in dressing as the cow character.  We scheduled an Informational Interview with the owner of our local Chick-Fil-A, and she agreed that she could use Gabe to dress as the cow. By having Gabe as the designated “cow” person, she does not have to pull another employee away from their tasks.   

The first night Gabe worked was Kid’s Night; and, he loved it!   Afterwards, he asked when he could work again.   Gabe is working at Chick-Fil-A two to three nights a week dressing as the cow and entertaining the children.   He not only works at the restaurant, but they have also asked Gabe to be involved in their community events. 


The future looks bright for Gabe.  He’ll soon begin play practice with the community group for the first community play of the summer at Fairmont State University.  We are continuing to use social capital as a means to introduce Gabe to local actors and other businesses, such as the Illusive Skull, where Gabe can continue to grow his interests and skills in the area of acting.

Submitted by:  Julie Davis, Career Counselor

FABULOUS DEBBIE - BEGINNING A NEW CAREER

Debbie High is 58 years old and fabulous!  She has known most of her life that she was a vibrant and outgoing approachable person; however, she didn’t come into her own until she reached the big 50.  Debbie lived a sheltered life while residing with her family in a rural town.  Her parents wanted to protect her from the perils of the world so she didn’t get to go to school till she was an adult like everyone else, and she didn’t interact with community members or do things expected of her age group growing up.  Once her parents passed away, her sister knew it was time for Debbie to shine.  It took a lot of persuading on her sister’s part to get Debbie to open up and experience the world, but once she did there was no end to her becoming an active community member.  Once she moved in with her sister, Debbie began volunteering at a local nursing home assisting the residents with bingo.  Then she began attending a Day Habilitation Program held by a local community health provider.  Debbie’s sister knew Debbie needed more.  With the help of her sister and companions Debbie began to experience more of the world with bowling, shopping, going out to eat, and visiting the local Hot Spots for a little game of chance.  These are activities that she began to need on a weekly even daily basis to meet her social needs. 

During all of these activities and interactions Debbie has become a known community member.  Her sister is always pleasantly surprised when she is out with Debbie and she runs into someone who knows her.  Debbie’s sister still knew Debbie could do more and needed more to thrive.  That’s when Job Squad came into the picture.   Debbie had an interest in employment.  Debbie loves bling and needed a way to feed her ring and bracelet obsession.  Through the Discovery process and just meeting Debbie it was apparent that she is very outgoing and loves fashion.  After some time, Job Squad was able to make a connection with a locally owned consignment store where Debbie was eventually hired to sort and hang all incoming consignment and to assist with getting the new product out onto the sales floor.  She had to organize the clothes by size and color and keep the racks orderly and presentable.  After some time due to some unforeseen issues, Debbie was laid off.  Over the next coming months, Debbie took another big step in life by obtaining an apartment of her own. 

Debbie’s story is still continuing with a new job at TJ Maxx where she works three days a week.  Debbie sorts incoming merchandise and follows TJ Maxx company protocol for hanging all new clothing by department and company specifications.  She continues to collect rings and bracelets and maintains an active lifestyle.  Debbie’s story has been one of growth and change.  The story of fabulous still has pages left to fill.

Written by:  Shannon Corso, Career Counselor, Job Squad, Inc.

An Interview with Dr. Temple Grandin

I found this article today (4/30/14) on the Disability.gov site and felt it was worth re-posting.  Dr. Grandin is an expert on the topic of Autism.  I found her comment very interesting where she refers to children becoming addicted to video games, especially if the child has been diagnosed with Autism.  This article is a must read for anyone they know or provide services to that has this diagnosis.

For many people, Dr. Temple Grandin and autism are synonymous. Listed among her many accomplishments are autism advocate, author, professor and scientist. She is world-famous for using the insights she gained from her autism to dramatically improve the way animals are treated in the livestock industry.

Below are some of the insights she shared, during an interview with Disability.gov, about autism, what parents can do to help their kids and the importance of learning life skills.

What is important for people to understand about autism? 
Autism has a big spectrum, which can make it difficult to define. There are people on the high end like Einstein and others on the low end who are completely non-verbal and unable to care for themselves. Asperger’s was taken off the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and is now merged into Autism Spectrum Disorder, which I feel is a mistake. For service providers, it makes a lot of sense to have Asperger’s where there is no speech delay differentiated from autism with speech delay where early intervention is required.  These two groups need different types of services.

What advice would you give to parents who suspect their child may have autism?
If you suspect your child has autism, the most important thing you can do for them is to get them in early intervention.

Get services for your kids right away. This is key. If there are no services in your community, then find volunteers at your local colleges, churches or synagogues to support them. The earlier the intervention, the better the prognosis. You need people to work with these kids one-on-one and to interact with them, teach them words and language and how to socially interact. Parents should not wait until their kids are three-years-old and still not talking. I see kids that are going into the first grade who are non-verbal and had no early intervention. This is unacceptable.

Once a child is diagnosed with autism, what can parents do to support them? How can our education system support them?
Read my books, The Autistic Brain and The Way I See It. They are a good place to start for information. I also strongly recommend that you join your local [autism] support group.

I have parents tell me they can’t get their kids out of their rooms – that they just play video games all day. This is the worst thing they can do. Video game addiction is becoming a big problem with these kids. Limit video games to one hour per day.

Help your kids to develop their strengths. And they need to start thinking around 12 what they going to do, what profession they are going to pursue. They need to learn work skills. Lack of work skills is one of the biggest problems kids with autism face. This learning needs to begin way before they start college.

Schools are taking out all hands-on classes like art, sewing, woodworking, auto mechanics  ̶  and that’s a huge mistake. These classes are the salvation for many kids with autism that could turn into jobs for them later on. There is a huge shortage of skilled trades now.

Academic skills are uneven for kids with autism. They tend to be good at one subject and bad at another. Writing organization also tends to be a problem for them. Even kids on the mild end of the spectrum, who are really smart, are getting a handicapped mentality. There is not enough emphasis on strengths and too much emphasis on deficits.

How important are soft skills for kids with autism? What purpose do they serve?
Kids with autism need to develop their socialization skills. I’m seeing too many kids that lack even the basics. They don’t have table manners, know how to shake hands or order food in restaurants.

I’ve visited a lot of tech companies that are filled with young adults that have undiagnosed Asperger’s and they are apprenticed into these good jobs. Kids are not being taught these basic social skills, which is a big problem, especially for those with Asperger’s. They are not being taught skills such as shaking hands.

One way for kids with autism to develop socialization skills is through joining groups with shared interests such as robotics, art, 4-H, computer clubs, band or Boy Scouts. Anything a kid can excel in. They need to engage with other kids, which is very important for developing their socialization skills.

When I was a kid, my parents would have parties and my brothers and sisters and I would have to act as hosts. I’d have to get dressed in my best dress and be Miss Party Hostess. I’d had to greet guests and shake hands with every single one and also serve snacks to them. It was so simple, but it taught me the social skills I needed to succeed in my life.

How can young people with autism succeed in not letting autism define who and what they are?  What advice would you give them?
Kids come up to me at conferences and all they want to talk about is their autism. This gets reinforced by society. The focus becomes what’s wrong with them and not what’s right.

I would tell them to get a job, starting around 12-years-old. This is key. It doesn’t have to be anything difficult, but something that will teach them work skills. It can be anything, as long as it’s outside their home and it’s something they do on a regular basis. Like walking their neighbor’s dog or setting up chairs at church every Sunday. The point is that they do a job. It will teach them discipline and responsibility. As soon as these kids can go into the real economy, they need to do it.

My autism doesn’t define me. I am more defined by my career. I am what I do.

Anything else you would like to add?
We have to help our kids figure out what they can be really good at. My ability in art was always encouraged. Art became the basis for my design work later on. I was pushed to draw different things, not just the same picture over and over. Kids need to find what interests them and then take that interest to the next level and broaden it.

Too many kids are living too sheltered lives. When I was a kid, staying in my room was not an option. Parents need to encourage their kids. There is a tendency to overprotect. In some ways, they love their kids too much. Parents need to get their kids out and doing all kinds of things. They need to be stretched and they’re not. Parents have to slowly push their kids just outside of their comfort zone, but with no sudden surprises. They have to work on expanding their world, otherwise it will contract and become smaller.

Temple Grandin is a doctor of animal science and a professor at Colorado State University. She is a bestselling author, autism activist and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. She also created the “hug box,” a device to calm children with autism. She is the subject of the award-winning 2010 biographical film, Temple Grandin. Find out more about Dr. Grandin by visiting her website attemplegrandin.com/.