Amanda is a happy girl! She just got her very first job.

But this isn’t the end of the employment road for her. Actually, it might only be the beginning, thanks to a Plan to Achieve Self-Support.

Living in Calhoun County, WV, Amanda happened to attend a High School in just one of nine counties that participated in the Workforce Youth Advantage Program. There, she received training in janitorial work. While Amanda was completing her education she was able to help the school Janitor as a part time job. Upon graduation she no longer qualified for the program, and started looking for a job. Shortly thereafter, she and her mother moved to Gilmer County. (A side note: the Youth Advantage Program is not available to young people living in Gilmer County.)

http://wvworkforce.org/youth_prog/default.asp

Four years later, Amanda was still looking for a job. Seeing an article in the local Glenville, WV newspaper about Job Squad’s employment services prompted Amanda to make a call. She said: “I really need help getting a job.” We discussed her employment goals, as well as Social Security work incentives. She recently had received a packet from SSA with Ticket to Work program information, but didn’t know how to go about using it. With no internet connection, and limited computer skills, she wasn’t able to get more information online about the program or area Employment Network members.

It turned out to be the ‘right time and right place’ for a cleaning job with the WV DOT’s Division of Highways, in the Gilmer County office. Thanks to the WV-ARF state use program, we were able to assist her in getting just the kind of work she wanted. Within two weeks she had her dream job. Fortunately, it was only eight miles from her rural community of Cox’s Mills. Amanda is unable to drive to and from work. But transportation could be provided by her mother, with whom she lives.

It also deserves mentioning that, if it weren’t for a grant provided by the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services to expand Job Squad’s employment services to Gilmer County, Amanda would still be sitting at home dreaming about a job.

We called her after a week to see how things were going. “I like my new job a lot,” she said, “but I am interested in a PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support).“ How did Amanda know about Social Security’s PASS plan? At our first meeting with her and her mother we discussed the SSA PASS, which is another work incentive that she qualifies for.

“A Plan for Achieving Self Support, or PASS for short, is a plan for your future. Many people with disabilities want to work, and you may be one of them. Perhaps you need to go back to school before you can get a job. Or, maybe you'd like to start your own business, but you don't have the money. Whatever your work goal may be, a PASS can help you reach it.”

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/pass/

For a variety of reasons, many persons who start working in a sheltered employment program environment never go beyond that. Sub-minimum wages and menial work is often their lot.

According to The Center For An Accessible Society:

“A 1998 national report indicated that sheltered workshop clients earned an average of $65 per week, while rehabilitation clients working in the competitive labor market earned an average $272. Even for people with severe mental retardation, earnings are significantly higher in competitive employment. Workshop clients earned a weekly average of $37, and workers in competitive employment made $110. Supporters often defend sheltered workshops as a "transitional step" to prepare people to enter the competitive work force. Studies have consistently shown that segregated environments do not prepare people to live, work, or participate in integrated environments. A mere 3.5% of people in sheltered workshops move into competitive employment in a given year. This is one reason why the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration ruled in January 2001 that sheltered workshop placement would no longer qualify as an accepted employment outcome.”

http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/economics-employment/shelteredwksps.html

In Amanda’s case, her job is possible due to a West Virginia State Use Program.

The program was created by the legislature in 1984 and strengthened in 1989. The program allows the employment of persons with disabilities through nonprofit Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP) to produce commodities and services for various state agencies without the requirement of competitive bidding.

Prices charged for these special commodities and services are established by the Governor-appointed Committee for the Purchase of Commodities and Services from the Handicapped.

All West Virginians benefit when our citizens with disabilities are able to work for a wage. Their need to consume costly social services is drastically reduced when rehabilitation is mixed with business.

In 2005, the program enabled:

· Approximately 891 persons with disabilities to earn a wage

· Person with disabilities to work 765,275 hours

http://www.wvarf.org/stateuse/

While State and Federal noncompetitive employment programs for persons with disabilities are a very useful stepping stone, they may not be a desirable destination.

So for Amanda to use a PASS, she needs to have a job. Having an active PASS plan will help her save for future employment opportunities beyond doing janitorial work. And for every two dollars earned, Amanda won’t lose a dollar of her SSI payments. She can put her paycheck in the bank and save for a better career, while keeping all of her SSI check.

When she is ready, she can start her own business, or use her PASS funds to take advantage of Customized Employment services.

What is Customized Employment? According to the U.S. Department of Labor:

Customized Employment - Practical Solutions for Employment Success

"As we invest in critical job training, we are giving workers the bargaining power they need to custom-design their jobs around their lives—instead of the other way around."

—Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, is committed to improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. To achieve this goal, ODEP established a Customized Employment initiative to build the capacity of workforce systems to serve all customers, including individuals with disabilities. The strategies developed through this initiative can assist all workforce customers who have complex needs and may require more individual assistance to achieve their employment goals. The Customized Employment initiative also focuses on incorporating universal strategies into all aspects of workforce services.

A World In Which People With Disabilities Have Unlimited Employment Opportunities

http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/custom/index.htm

Congratulations Amanda, on getting your first job, and starting down a road with unlimited employment opportunities. You go girl!