Pay it Forward Please

[Guest guest]

Some of you will remember previous posts about the two Naperville school

districts who decided to be good corporate citizens and affirmatively hire

significant numbers of their own transition students into meaningful, regular

part-time positions. I know that in my district, Indian Prairie, the intent is

for the students to remain in these jobs beyond transition, provided of course

they are doing the work satisfactorily and they want to continue working. In

other words, these are not job-training or short-term assignments that will end

when the student turns 22. The idea is that we learn how to nurture natural

supports or transition to DRS/agency based employment supports for those who

need additional job coaching services beyond 22. My guess is that we’ll all

be learning a LOT in the next few months and years from this pilot project about

the challenges and, hopefully, the rewards employers experience when they hire

our individuals.

Now for the part that will really make you smile – and which brought a tear to

my eye when I heard about it yesterday – one of the new employees, who happens

to have autism, works in the central administration building. Ready? He has

his own cubicle with his own nameplate on it. That’s right. Just like any

other employee working there.

My fervent hope is that one day, during my lifetime, a story like this will seem

unremarkable. That all of our kids who want to work are able to find jobs where

they are valued, contributing members of their communities. Working full-time

if that is what they want; and in careers that lead to greater opportunities if

that is what they are inclined to pursue.

In the meantime, I’ll smile thinking about that young man reporting to work

each day, walking to his cubicle and seeing his nameplate. He may not think

it’s a big deal. But we know.

Please take a moment to reflect today on the doors opened to us as a result of

someone else’s advocacy, say a private note of thanks to them, and then

publicly pay it forward by getting involved in making all of our communities

better places to live – for our own kids but also for all the other kids

growing up behind ours. We’ll all be better for it.

Laurie