Micro-Loan is Jerry's "Ticket-to-Work"

Jerry just landed a management position with the Hair Cuttery of Charles Town, West Virginia.

(click on photo to watch interview)

After being unemployed for over 10 years, he is happy to be back working in the profession he loves.

Jerry’s career in cosmetology spans over a decade. He has worked in hi-end salons from the suburbs of Washington D.C. to the sunny beaches of Florida. One of the high points of his career was running his own styling salon on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

But then a decision to join the armed forces led to some unusual experiences. Jerry served alongside Special Forces who were in arctic combat training while stationed in Alaska. His health was at its peak when he decided to leave the service. Not long afterward, Jerry developed a condition necessitating double hip replacement surgery. Resultant complications left him with excruciating pain that was unmanageable. In this condition employment seemed completely out of the question.

In 2010, while undergoing therapy at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center he met Laura and fell in love. After being happily married for almost a year Jerry decided it was time to try going back to work. After considering a number of employment possibilities he came to the conclusion that going back into cosmetology was his best shot.

The biggest barrier Jerry had in returning to the profession was financial. He knew that he was eligible for using a Social Security work incentive called Ticket-to-Work. Locating Job Squad through the Employment Network listings in West Virginia he made a call.

After explaining how the “Ticket” program works, the question was asked: “What do you need to return to work?” After a few minutes Jerry had a mental list of things which included: one of the latest editions Milady’s Standard Cosmetology (around $100); a mannequin for taking the state cosmetology license exam; a set of professional quality clippers, trimmers, and edgers (starting around $1,000 and going to the many thousands of $s); a custom built stool that would give him the need support without aggravating his pain; and the fee for exam, license, and travel expenses. It all conservatively totaled a little over $2,000. After being out of the profession for over 15 years Jerry only had his extensive experience. He needed to start over with getting his professional license and equipment.

Job Squad has a micro-loan fund that is available to persons who have a critical barrier standing between them and employment. Arrangements were made for Jerry to receive a loan. After a year of hard work, he passed his cosmetology exam on the first try with flying colors. But on top of that, after his interview with the Hair Cuttery, a well established company with over 1,000 salons nationwide, Jerry was offered a management position.

Congratulations on your successful return to the Cosmetology profession. Job Squad wishes you future success in pursuit of your dreams.

Document Destruction Assistant

Derek has been working at Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV since April 1,2011. I had the privileged to begin working with Derek as his career counselor in September 2010. Derek previously worked for 21 years in a local sheltered workshop. Other than the sheltered workshop he had no other employment history. Derek has been very lucky to have strong family support.We was fortunate to use his family and social networks for the development of his work site.Derek was very persuasive with his desire to be an employee of the college, where both of his parents had retired. Initially we worked with the WV Department of Rehabilitation Services to develop a suitable work training program. We contemplated the possibility of writing a PASS, use of an IRWE, or resource ownership were tools discussed but the college was in favor of hiring Derek as a temporary,part time employee. Derek was hired for 750 hours at minimum wage. This particular employment venture has given him the opportunity to make new friends and to develop working relationships with his co-workers. Derek was given the title of a " Document Destruction Assistant". With such a strong title came the responsibility of shredding sensitive documents and forms for the college. Derek initially received 100% job coaching but his performance enabled us to fade in September 2011. Derek is a hard worker, and he has the ability of staying focused and precise. Derek's smile and enthusiasm has been a wonderful addition for the staff at Wesleyan college.

Sandy Marfield

A job of her own

Angela has been working at the Morgantown Early Learning Facility (ELF) for the past four years. Angela has been receiving job coaching assistance from Job Squad from the beginning. Angela’s job duties include: ensuring the children are safe during playtime outside, prepping for lunch, preparing tooth brushes following meals, meal clean up, activity initiation while indoors and outdoors, nap prep/back rubs, and other general day care duties. Angela has been working three days a week for 5 hours per day. Over the past four years Angela has gained the experience and the confidence to complete all of her job duties independently. For the past year, Angela’s Job Coach, has been encouraging ELF administrators and Angela’s Title XIX Waiver team to begin job coach fading, because Angela no longer requires assistance with her job duties. Angela’s Supported Employment Team with Job Squad has been on board with job coach fading from the beginning. Angela’s family has also been open to job coach fading once Angela proved that she is able to complete her duties on her own.

This summer Angela’s Job Coach spoke with the Administrators of ELF and it was agreed that Angela should begin job coach fading immediately. Evidently the new administrators are greatly impressed with Angela’s work. She has been hailed as one of the best employees at ELF. Not only is Angela approved for job coach fading but she will also increase her hours of work per week. By the end of June Angela is now totally independent at ELF. She receives only transportation support from Job Squad. Angela is working Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s from 11am-4:30pm. Her summer hours increase as her schedule allows.

Angela has been a success of her own making. Through hard work and determination she has proved her worth as an important member of the team at ELF. Congratulations to Angela!

2011 PASS Update: $180,516,000 (About $181 Million!) Still Available Yearly for WV Economic Development

In December 2010, there were 25,788 individuals in West Virginia receiving both SSI and SSDI benefits. Click here for the very similar 2010 version of this post and here for the 2009 version of this post, which briefly describes the "perfect Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) potential" of SSI/SSDI beneficiaries. The average PASS totals about $7,000/year, which means that there is potentially $180,516,000 available for these beneficiaries to use towards a work goal.

Some West Virginia PASSes:

Resource Ownership
College
Training
Self-Employment (still in negotiations with PASS Cadre)
Determining a Vocational Goal

Over the life of these PASSes (assuming the self-employment PASS will be approved), over $90,000 of additional resources will be set aside by these individuals for use towards a work goal.

In the Iowa New Entrepreneurs video, below, Nic and Lori both used PASS to help fund their business start-ups.

My Medicaid Matters

 MY MEDICAID MATTERS!

My medicaid matters...... That is the message that was being shouted through the streets of Washington D.C. on September 18th, 19th , 20th and 21st. Over 250 people from ADAPT chapters all over the country came to Washington to voice their concerns about possible cuts to medicaid. The group marched through the streets of D.C., to the white house where they held a rally. People with and without disabilities talked about what medicaid means to them. 

 

Medicaid not only pays for healthcare. It also pays for medication, wheelchairs, and other medical equipment for people with disabilities, the elderly and people with low income. Medicaid provides services such as personal care, respit and supported employment. Many people with disabilities need support to be able to live and work in their communities. Medicaid helps provide those supports. Without those services, some people may not be able to get out of bed in the mornings, take a bath, or even go to the bathroom. Without these services, many people with disabilities could be forced leave their homes and communities and move into nursing homes. ADAPT spoke out about their need for medicaid and, how the cuts would impact their lives.

Monday, September 19th, the group marched to one of the capitol office buildings. ADAPT members stopped by the offices of two Super Committee members to demand that Representative Camp, Representative Hensarling and other Republicans agree to support the "millionaire's tax;" and provide ADAPT with an opportunity to testify before the entire Super Committee regarding ADAPT's proposals for real Medicaid reform and eliminating the institutional bias.

Once in the building, ADAPT activists split up, some going to Camp's office and others to Hensarling's. Some people chanted as they lined up along the walls in hallways while others entered the offices. Everyone was chanting "My mediciad matters!".  54 people were arrested that day. Most of which were people with disabilities. They were charged with unlawful entry. Adapt members say, this charge pales in comparison to the many people who have died in institutions and others who will end up in institutions if their services are cut.


Tuesday morning, ADAPTers were ready to go again. Many people did not sleep at all because they were awaiting their brothers and sisters to return home from jail.  As each person came out of the jail they were greeted by many others clapping an screaming for them. Every one of them was treated as a hero when exiting the  police station. The last person was released from jail at 9:30am. The next march started at 10am.  The group marched to the Hart building, which houses many senetors. Again, the over 250 people chanted all the way. When entering the building, some people went to the 3rd, 5th and 7th floors while most stayed on the ground level and made a circle around a large sculpture.  ADAPT wanted to be heard by the Senetors. The chanted "My medicaid Matter" until they were finaly silenced by police.

Wednesday was the day of the big rally. Over 90 organizations sponsored the rally. There were close to 1,000 people there, from all over the country. They all came to the capitol to tell their congressmen that "My medicaid matters".  They were joined by a few members of Congress: Senator Tom Harkin, and Senator Bernie Sanders. Howard Rosenblum of the National Association of the Deaf, spoke.  CIL directors spoke. Illinois' Secretary of Health and Family Services spoke, as did the mayor of DC. Elaine Kolb sang. Labor unions were there. Three different religious leaders in the disability community offered words of hope. Rahnee Patrick and Bruce Darling of ADAPT emceed.

This event was about the people  who depend on Medicaid services to live and work in the community.

If you want to learn more about ADAPT or get more information about this event, go to ADAPTs website.

http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/mmm/

Discovery Continued...

As we continue on with Discovery, we are working with the job seeker to find out what their vocational themes are. We try to narrow their themes into three categories, yet broad enough to cover various employment opportunities within the vocational theme. The themes are not job descriptions. They are a large umbrella of topics that represent an accumulation of many jobs, environments, skills/task sets, and interests.

The job seeker we are working with is interested in vehicles. He has pinpointed his interests about vehicles into detailing the vehicles. After attending several informational interviews about vehicle detailing, the job seeker obtained a work site which will allow him to explore his vocational theme. The manager of the detail shop explained that he wants the job seeker to learn the tasks required of this position from the ground up. Since he has began his new work trial experience, the job seeker has been washing vehicles using a pressurized water hose, washing the vehicle with a sudsy brush, rinsing the vehicle off, and drying the vehicle. He has also cleaned the tires, and the windows inside and out. (See the attached video of our job seeker working in the car wash/detail shop.) The shop manager explained what chemicals to use in each process. He has also vacuumed out the vehicles.

Because of discovering what the job seeker’s vocational theme is, he has had the opportunity to find out if this is the type of work he wants to do for a living. Detailing is just one area under the vocational theme of vehicles. There are many other areas we can explore if the job seeker desires to go in a different direction. The job seeker is adjusting to this new work site and is learning skills that he didn’t have before. He has gained self confidence and social skills and has adapted to his environment. Aren’t these the qualities that make a good employee?

Stereotypes...

All of us have heard the common stereotypes, some positive, some negative. All African Americans are good athletes. All Asian-Americans are good students. White men can’t jump. A deaf man could never be a great musician. A blind man could never become a great piano player. Though some basic roots of stereotypes may lie in truth, today’s versions are far more complicated and distorted. It is best to treat one on his or her merit and not on that of his ancestry, ethnicity, or disability. Many stereotypes may be perpetuated by self-fulfilling prophecies. This happens more often than we like to believe. Our support systems play a large role in determining the person we develop into, and stereotypes can have a large influence on this outcome. We always have our mold-breakers, such as Ray Charles, Beethoven, and Helen Keller, but imagine how many more we would have if we were all willing to set aside those stereotypes we all subconsciously apply to people. Everyone’s support system would grow, leading to endless possibilities. The rule of thumb is “do not judge a person by any stereotype, even when you think the stereotype might have a kernel of truth". Everyone deserves a fair shake in life, regardless of ancestry, ethnicity, disability, or any other area you can categorize someone into. How about this stereotype: A man with Cerebral Palsy can never learn how to kick a football. Let me introduce you to NFL Coach Doug Blevins.

Learning Discovery

As a new Career Counselor, I am in the process of learning “Discovery.” I have had the opportunity of working with job seekers who have a variety of interests regarding their career fields – what they are most interested in working at, what skills and talents they currently have, and what the future might hold for them. According to The Job Developer’s Handbook, “Discovery” provides an ideal foundation for any person-centered planning approach that focuses on employment. This process identifies facets of the job seekers such as: 1) the conditions necessary for successful employment based on the job seeker’s complexities and individual preferences; 2) the job seeker’s employment interests that provide a direction to specific segments of the labor market; and, 3) the potential contributions that the job seeker might offer to employers. The starting point in learning “Discovery” begins with the individual, rather than job openings in the labor market. The strategy of “Discovery” is getting to know the job seeker – what are their interests, their talents, and their skills. Job seekers’ contributions are offered as a proposal to employers rather than have the job seeker accept random job descriptions.

Once we have gotten to know the job seeker’s interests, one of the steps in implementing “Discovery” includes the job seeker visiting an employment site they are interested in. One of the job seekers we have been working with is interested in detailing cars. We found a site in his local community that was willing to allow our job seeker the chance of performing this type of employment. As you can see from the videos, our job seeker was thoroughly delighted in having this opportunity. The job seeker experienced first-hand the requirements of this type of work – the physical demands, what chemicals to use, how much time it takes to complete one vehicle, and working with other employees at the site. A site visit also allows us to address clear needs of the employer and allows us to see the job seeker’s current capacity, potential job tasks, and what is expected to perform at work, with training, supports, and accommodations as necessary.

The use of “Discovery” is an indication that professionals are starting with the job seeker before dealing with the demands of the labor market. “Discovery” provides a powerful, essential picture of the strengths, needs, and interests within the complex life of each job seeker, especially those with significant disabilities. The concept allows the use of recognized qualitative research procedures to be used, one person at a time, while avoiding the traditional evaluation and testing tools that so often exclude persons with significant disabilities. By using this approach, we as human service professionals, are able to get beyond the surface level responses and behaviors that are often relied upon to describe the interaction between job seekers and employment professionals. Because of one employer’s willingness to work with our job seeker, he benefited in the experience of detailing vehicles, while we were blessed with the opportunity to show him that we care about him as an individual – what his interests are, where his skills and talents lie, and what his future may hold for him.

The Job Developer’s Handbook, Practical Tactics for Customized Employment, Cary Griffin, David Hammis, and Tammara Geary, 2007, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Air Travel - Experiencing ADA 

Compliance First Hand

Greg Bilonick travels across the country in his power chair

What’s Greg doing in front of the world’s first Starbucks? The guy next to him is a huge fan. Unfortunately Russell didn’t get his fix. It was closed when they got there.

Greg Bilonick is the owner of Bilonick Advocacy and vice president of the Mountain State APSE Chapter. His work made it necessary for him to travel to Seattle, Washington to attend the 2011 National APSE Conference. As an advocate for disability rights Greg got a chance to experience ADA compliance first hand in connection with accessibility during his travels and stay in Seattle.

Greg’s power chair made the trip to the Pittsburgh International Airport from his home in Morgantown, WV without a hitch. Then the fun began.

Greg’s power chair wouldn’t fit through the metal detector. So, a TSA agent dabbed his chair with a cotton swab and put it in a scanner to detect trace amounts of explosive residue. Another agent wearing latex gloves also patted Greg down. The results were all negative. After running Greg’s shoes and carry-on through the x-ray he was on his way. Elapsed time . . .  about half an hour.

Getting out to the departure gate at Pittsburgh International Airport involves taking a ride on a tram. No problems with access. The platform and car doors were just the right height.

Delta Airline staff let Greg board the plane first. He rode is power chair out to the end of the jetway and then got into an aisle chair (see picture above). It just fits between the seats on the plane and allowed Greg to get down the aisle to his assigned seat. Meanwhile, airline staff transferred the power chair to the cargo hold of the plane for the trip west.

The process was repeated when changing planes in Minneapolis.

Greg’s first time flying was quite exciting, due to a very rough landing in Seattle. The stewardess yelled “Whoooo” over the intercom when the plane touched down.

On the way to the baggage claim area and then out to the platform for the downtown light- rail transit Greg confronted several escalators. It took a while to locate elevators.

Out at the light-rail terminal . . . another elevator to get up to the platform. After that it was smooth sailing. Wheel chair access to the Seattle light-rail system was very good, as you can see in these pictures.

At the downtown underground station Greg had to take three different elevators to get up to the street level. Would have been nice if just one elevator went up all three levels.

 Out on the street there were a lot of pedestrians and heavy traffic. Greg cruised about four blocks to the Sixth Avenue Inn. When asked how crossings in Seattle compared with Morgantown, WV where Greg lives he said: “Morgantown is good . . . but Seattle is even better.”

 

Access to the hotel was excellent. Greg rolled right into the lobby from a ground level entrance right next to the parking lot.

From the hotel, Greg could look down Sixth Avenue and see the Seattle Space Needle. He couldn’t resist the urge to check it out. Again, navigating the streets in a power chair was no problemo. Nine blocks later Greg was looking 60 stories straight up at The Needle. Access to the service elevator and the ride up to the top was terrific. Greg loved view through the glass windows.When the elevator opened all the way up at the top Greg was at the restaurant level. Access was great. But Greg's destination was the observation deck, one level higher. But the elevator didn't go up there. A few years ago there used to be a

stairway up to the observation deck, but that wasn't ADA compliant. The picture here shows a fellow in a wheelchair struggling with the help of some friends to get up there. When Greg arrived, he was pleased to find that they had installed a hydraulic lift.

But it wasn't designed to handle the weight of a power chair. So Greg had to transfer to a conventional wheelchair before the lift could finally take him to the observation deck. And what a view . . . 

Hidden Talents

Some of you may be familiar with Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., a singing sensation that recently got exposure on the television show America’s Got Talent. Hidden away in Logan, WV, he had been washing cars for the past 10 years until finally getting the opportunity to showcase his talent to the world. Based on his look, being from Logan, WV, and chewing gum while onstage, the judges thought they were in for a train wreck, but as soon as he started singing, their jaws dropped.

The question must be asked: How can someone with so much singing ability not get discovered until age 36? Well, a lot of factors seem to come into play in this story. First, Logan, WV is not exactly known for producing music sensations. While someone with a Frank Sinatra voice could do amazing things in New York City or Las Vegas, he basically went unnoticed in Logan. Second, from watching the video, it appears that Landau had no idea how good he really is. Obviously, he had enough of a support system to encourage him to try out for America’s Got Talent, but imagine if he had pursued his dreams at an earlier age. No matter how much talent is there, he needed friends and family to push him to nurture and pursue those dreams, people who believed in him. Third, Landau had to believe in himself. After getting the support from his friends and family, Landau finally became confident enough to follow his dream of sharing his voice with the world.

Imagine how many people are in a similar situation to Landau. They have talent, but are not in an environment that is ready to accept and nurture it. They have talent, but need someone to believe in them. They have a talent, but may not even recognize its worth to society.

What can we do? While we may not be able to change the music scene or culture in our local community, we can do many things to help create a more accepting and nurturing environment. Success stories can go a long way in changing certain prejudices and stereotypes in our community. No matter what size the community, there is always some level of diversity. Each success story is more likely to lead to another. For example, these judges may have different expectations if another contestant from West Virginia comes on stage. We can believe in someone who needs support. Most of us have at least one person who believes in us, whether it be a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. However, some people do not have a support system in place. They need someone to believe in their ability. It’s amazing what people can do if you give them the support and encouragement they need. When the environment is right and the support is there, people of all different levels and abilities can truly utilize their talents at the highest level.