employment

[Guest guest]

continued to be included in high school instead of being sent to a

different school for life skills for many reasons. She was the manager of the

girl lacrosse teams and after school went downstairs tot he trainers room and

filled water bottles with ice and water and screwed on the tops and put them in

a carrier and then in a wheeled cart I bought for her (they were too heavy for

her to carry). She didn't need a life skills class to learn how to do all of

that, she needed real life.

She also worked at the school store and help locate items - she couldn't handle

the money but could fin the item requested and bag it if necessary.

She had several government supported paying jobs for 3 summers - a music store

called F.Y.E. and Chick-Fil-A. She had a job coach and she straightened the

shelves, put cds and videos back where they belong and cleaned up. At

Chick--Fil-A she filled pickle containers and brownie containers and made up

kid's meal bags.

Her very LAST year of school while I prepared for life after school, she

participated in a " work study " program. She worked for FREE at Marshall's and

PetSmart. Marshalls was a joke she took the size markers off of the hangars

most of the time! They would never hire her to do the job they were having her

do there. But at PetSmart she cleaned the fish tanks (and there are a lot of

them). They were interested in hiring her but the economy was bad then and they

were having to lay people off.

So she exited high school (if left to the schools with nothing and Voc Rehab is

a joke here). I pounded the pavement, computer and phones and got her a job at

my local Publix (grocery store) where she is working 3 mornings a week from 8-12

as a front end customer service rep (fancy name for bagger). She bags, takes

out groceries, restocks, get carts and dust some machines they have up front.

Jen is non-verbal and she got a pay raise at her 1st performance appraisal after

6 months. She has now been there 9 months and they love her and she loves them.

Most programs I have seen for job skills do not really prepare children for the

world of work. Jen needed to be reminded at first that she couldn't hug the

people there or wander off to look at the where the movies are! (Something I am

sure most of us can relate to)! So I would encourage you to try to get real

life activities but also know that you will have to do a lot of the work to get

the job.Kathy Everett

678 230-6985

Kathy Everett Consulting

www.KathyEverett.com

________________________________

From: " " < >

Sent: Sat, April 24, 2010 7:36:22 AM

Subject: Digest Number 4820

Family Centered List for Families Involved with Down Syndrome

Messages In This Digest (2 Messages)

1a.

IEP Employment From: blaise_25053

1b.

Re: IEP Employment From: Jackie Boyd View All Topics | Create New Topic

Messages

1a.

IEP Employment

Posted by: " blaise_25053 " blaise_25053@... blaise_25053

Fri Apr 23, 2010 2:49 pm (PDT)

At our IEP meeting today one topic of discussion was employment possibilities.

Possibilities ended up being fast food, janitorial, housekeeping type jobs.

Conversations were about how these were jobs typically no one wanted but that

our kids were usually good at and loved doing these jobs. Admittedly we are

greatly limited in opportunities to expand our employment horizons but I was

wondering what some of your young men and women are doing in school to prepare

for the workforce and out of school employment. I need some inspiration.

Barb mom to 17ds

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1b.

Re: IEP Employment

Posted by: " Jackie Boyd " jboyd@... jackieboyd46

Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:11 pm (PDT)

Hi Barb,

My daughter Dani, who just turned 20, has worked (volunteered) at the

YMCA (in fact, she was just recognized with their strong kids award).

While there she greeted members at the main desk and also did towels -

folding and rolling them and handing them out to members who needed

them, and she reminds us all the time each person only gets 2. She also

works at Goodwill, which is a paying job for her. She sorts items to be

sold and also straightens racks of merchandise.

Jackie

mom to Dani, 20ds, and 23

blaise_25053 wrote:

>

> At our IEP meeting today one topic of discussion was employment

> possibilities. Possibilities ended up being fast food, janitorial,

> housekeeping type jobs. Conversations were about how these were jobs

> typically no one wanted but that our kids were usually good at and

> loved doing these jobs. Admittedly we are greatly limited in

> opportunities to expand our employment horizons but I was wondering

> what some of your young men and women are doing in school to prepare

> for the workforce and out of school employment. I need some inspiration.

> Barb mom to 17ds

>

>

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Messages in this topic (2)

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