A Blogger's Perspective: Part I

West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council
Employment Projects Meeting
January 14, 2010
[Disclaimer] Never having attended a WVDD Council meeting, nor having a background in social services, the impressions recorded are admittedly written on a blank chalkboard.

First of all, the letter "D" in WVDDC stands for "disabilities." Yet the council's focus is NOT on "disabilities," but rather the person and their unique abilities to 'achieve independence, productivity and inclusion in their communities.'

The WVDDC website provides this recommendation: "Generally, in choosing words about people with disabilities, the guiding principle is to refer to the person first, not the disability. . . . This way, the emphasis is placed on the person, not the disability. "

But respecting 'the person' goes far beyond semantics, beyond merely using (or not using) certain words or phrases. It is a complete mind-set that respects the person’s right to choose, and the choices they make. It puts the person first, rather than the whim of a service provider, or the convenience of the agency or institution.

The meeting began with an overview of the DDC’s “State Plan Employment Priorities” for 2010 and beyond. The chairman stated that: “People who have developmental disabilities will have the skills, access, and support they need to obtain valued employment with competitive wages and benefits in their communities consistent with their interests.”

Just how they would go about obtaining valued employment was the subject of considerable discussion.

David Hammis, senior partner of Griffin-Hammis Associates, presented. But he handled the meeting more as a facilitator than as a presenter.

There was some polite disagreement over policy, and some rather candid remarks about the shortcomings of service provides. And so in deference to the participants, names shall not be mentioned.

The discussion began with the question: What is "real work?"

The mother of a young man, labeled as autistic, was thrilled with her son’s new job at the CAMC (Charleston Area Medical Center). Her comment that ‘the job wasn't about money’ struck me. Having a purpose, participating in the community, and making new friends, are rewards far more tangible than a paycheck. She was overjoyed by the help her son received from a Community Resource Provider (CRP) in getting what she called "a real job." She explained that a real job is not something artificially created just for a person to have something to do. Rather, it is doing work in the community along with other workers, filling a real world need and contributing a valuable service that actually benefits the local economy.

On a side note: She strongly complained (though very politely) about the insane amount of paperwork that her son's Medicaid Waiver entailed. But she raved about the benefits of community based employment, as opposed to working in a sheltered workshop.

The discussion touched on the problem of how community based employment faces the challenge of job shortages. Job creation projects for persons with disabilities often only create a limited number of jobs at locations which geographically are out of the reach of most jobseekers in rural WV. Distance and lack of transportation are huge barriers to finding work. The solution may lie in creating jobs by developing programs for self-employment, or creating jobs through what the US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy refers to as Customized Employment.

This creates jobs in the communities and counties where jobseekers live, in effect bringing employment to them. It is much more practical for the job specialist to go to the local of the consumer, rather than the other way around. Taking these approaches is a far more effective way of reducing the high percentage of unemployment among West Virginians with disabilities. In 2007, the unemployment rate of working-age people with disabilities in WV was a mind boggling 73.4 percent.

In Part II of this blogger''s perspective will be the direction the discussion took regarding the viability of self-employment and customized employment in West Virginia. The principle of self-determination and person centered services and supports were also addressed. What do jobseekers want, and what works?

There were also comments on the importance of adapting to realities of the 21st century, such as embracing technology.

Stay tuned . . .

Enable America's Annual Disability Forum Feb.3,2010

I encourage everyone to go to this website www.enableamerica.org/ seems to have alot of interesting information!

Quality of Employment

There has been a growing amount of debate about the idea of quality versus quantity in the job market. According to a recent Gallup poll, one in 10 Americans believe now is a "good time" to find a "quality job."

Americans Agree: Quality Jobs Remain Hard to Find

One of the reasons that customized employment is a successful tool for people with disabilities, is the job seeker has the opportunity to make a job outside of the job descriptions that the business may already have in place. There can be some job carving, where different tasks at the site are patched together to make a job for the individual that is more about quality.

Modeling based on Gallup's Job Creation Index suggests that the U.S. unemployment rate is likely to exceed 10.0% when reported on Feb. 5. The job market is only becoming more competitive as people, who have experience, education, etc...are being forced into the field to compete for employment. In general, the people that we serve at JSI either lack education/experience or they have other barriers, which makes the typical resume/application process impractical for them.

By working with the person to discover a job that suits their needs, the job fit is typically better and it raises the quality of employment for the individual.

Angela's Music

Pictured left to right are Katie, Angela and her mother Liz

Angela loves children and music. With assistance from her family and Job Squad Inc. she is combining these two loves into a business. She is planning to offer music lessons to young children in her local community. Angela's lessons will focus on introducing children to music through fun activities. She states she wants to share her love of music and what she has learned with others. Angela has taken piano lessons for fourteen years and has worked with children at a local daycare for about two years now-these combined experiences will provide a great foundation for Angela's business. She has wonderful qualities for teaching children, including patience and kindness. Job Squad is assisting Angela in the start-up of her business by helping to develop and write a PASS Plan-Plan or Plan to Acheive Self-Support, along with a business plan. The PASS Plan will provide funding for a feasability study and marketing. The purpose of the feasability study is to determine if the business idea makes sense. It will answer questions such as is this a needed service to offer in the local community? If so, where should it be offered? Some places being explored are community centers, churches, libraries, pre-school, daycare centers and other places in the community. Job Squad uses a team approach-bringing together people who agree to support the potential business owner in developing the business concept and providing needed support-this is called a Business Design Team or BDT. Angela's team is comprised of her parents and Job Squad staff-Susan Blosser-Career Counselor, Russell Sickles-Supported Employer Manager, and Katie VanDyke-mentor. Job Squad is proud to be a part of Angela's team!

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."

Samantha's C.B.A.

I have had the honor of working with a young lady named Samantha, and we have just completed a "Community Based Assessment". A community based assessment is an assessment that is done with the emphasis on obtaining a vocational goal for our job seekers. This is an agreement where the business sponsor agrees to permit the client to enter its work site for the purpose of a trial work experience. This agreement will serve as a guide to introduce a client to the different job skills needed for employment. The community based assessment or what is commonly referred to as a C.B.A. gives indiduals the opportunity to "try" new work opportunities and possible employment goals. The C.B.A. is a wonderful tool that is used by the WV Division of Rehabilitation Services, the job seeker, and Job Squad Inc. to work together as a team, and to focus on atleast three different employment sites to determine an employment goal.
Samantha used the C.B.A. to explore childcare with the Elkins Y.M.C.A., elderly care with Nella's Nursing Home, and food service with El Gran Sabar. These establishments was very generous with allowing Samantha the unique opportunity and vocational training experience. It was an honor to work with such extraordinary people!