2.1.0 Choosing the Right Employment Option
Louisiana Statewide Transition Project and Louisiana: Healthy and Ready to Work Fact Sheet Series
	7/8/99

I. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

For most young adults, employment is one of the most important and most anticipated rights of passage following high school. Employment offers young adults financial independence and pride in their accomplishments. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate among young adults with disabilities is very high, with some studies indicating rates as high as 70-90 percent. However, there are many services and supports available to young adults interested in obtaining and maintaining employment. For many young adults with disabilities, these options will make the difference between becoming productive and satisfied employees and remaining unemployed or underemployed. Thus, choosing the most appropriate employment option as part of the transition planning process is very important.

High school programs prepare students for the world of work by teaching them academic, social, and vocational skills. Increasingly, high school programs even offer students opportunities to try out and practice specific jobs in real job settings. Thus, by the time students begin the transition planning years, they should have begun to think carefully about their career interests and skills. The more vocational experiences young adults have and the more time they, their families, and service providers have spent thinking about career interests and work skills, the easier it will be to choose the right employment option.

II. KEY POINTS

As students prepare to exit high school and choose employment options, they will need to consider several questions: What type of work is of interest? What type of training and skills are necessary to perform the desired work? What is the desired timeline for securing employment? High school programs support some young adults and their families in answering these questions and successfully obtaining employment because they need little or no additional services. For other young adults, those with more severe disabilities and support needs, there is one specific agency available to help answer these questions and to provide initial funding for the extra services and supports needed to become successful employees. This agency, Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS), has offices statewide. (See Resources/Contacts.) LRS is an eligibility agency that provides time-limited services. Young adults will need to meet some specific criteria in order to receive LRS services. The most basic, but not the only criterion is ability to obtain and maintain paid employment once time-limited LRS services and supports have been provided. During a student's final year of school, once eligibility has been determined, Rehabilitation Counselors provided by LRS will assist young adults and their families in choosing the right employment option for them. Rehabilitation Counselors will write an individualized plan for each eligible young adult. This plan is currently called an Individualized Written Rehabilitation Program (IWRP). However, soon to be announced revisions to the Rehabilitation Act will require this document be called an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE). Be aware of these coming changes, as some literature may refer to the plan as an IWRP and some as an IPE.

Vocational assessment is one of the initial services offered by LRS. Vocational assessment helps young adults identify individual work preferences and skills and choose careers. Vocational assessment might include vocational aptitude and interest tests. It will also include interviews with young adults, their families, friends, teachers, and previous employers. For young adults with more severe disabilities and/or limited vocational experiences, community-based situational work assessments may also be provided. Situational assessments allow young adults to try out specific job choices for a few hours, as they learn about and practice specific job skills. They are invaluable in determining young adults' abilities to perform jobs, as well as in giving them first hand knowledge of worksites and job duties.

The most typical employment options are:

Competitive Employment - Typical community employment at minimum wage or above with time-limited supports. Young adults provided this option are assessed as ready-to-work and in need of no additional training. However, they may need some time-limited supports in order to obtain and maintain employment. Rehabilitation Counselors might provide young adults who are eligible for this option assistance contacting potential employers, financial assistance for purchasing work uniforms and/or adapting a piece of equipment, or transportation assistance.

On-the-Job Training - Typical community employment at minimum wage or above with time-limited supports. Young adults provided this option are assessed as needing more instruction and time than employers would typically provide to new employees. Employees are paid regular wages and employers are provided funding to offset employees' lower production or quality of work for a limited time.

On-site Job Training - Typical community employment at minimum wage or above as in the two options above, but with more intensive, but still time-limited supports. Young adults who are assessed as needing this option are provided assistance finding jobs, as well as assistance learning jobs and performing them according to industry standards. Rehabilitation Counselors purchase time-limited job coach services for these employees from local agencies specializing in vocational supports for individuals with disabilities

Supported Employment -Typical community employment, as in the options above, or group employment options (known as mobile crews and enclaves). However, young adults who are assessed as needing this option are expected to need long-term (instead of time-limited) and very intensive supports in order to find, learn, and maintain employment. Employment must be at minimum wage or higher, and commensurate with wages paid other employees at the business. In this option, Rehabilitation Counselors purchase time-limited job coach services for these employees from local agencies specializing in vocational supports for individuals with disabilities. However, to ensure availability of long-term supports, another agency, typically OCDD (Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities), funds the local providers to provide on-going, long-term supports on and off jobsites.

Sheltered Workshops - Job tasks and materials from the community are brought into a structured environment to enable employees to learn and practice specific job skills and related job skills in a sheltered setting. Young adults who are assessed as needing this option are considered unable or unprepared to work in competitive settings. Pay is generally based on production and there is permanent supervision of employees.

It is important to note that some young adults initially may choose employment options that provide a great deal of supports, experience success, and then move to other employment options in order to improve their wages and participation in the community. However, it is not necessary to begin in a more restrictive option before moving to a less restrictive option. The decision must be made on an individual basis and should take into consideration wage expectations, the value placed on community participation, and the need and desire for a stable and sheltered place to go each day versus the less predictable work schedules offered by the local labor market.

III. ROLES/ NEXT STEPS

Students/Young Adults:

Young adults should take advantage of as many high school-sponsored vocational opportunities as possible. This may mean following a curriculum that leads to post-secondary school such as college or trade school. It may mean taking specific classes on the high school campus and/or on the campus of local technical colleges. These experiences will provide career exploration, specific skill training, and opportunities to practice and refine skills in community work settings. Trying more than one job during the high school years can help to make informed choices about vocational goals. Options during school may include work-study, job sampling, summer employment, and community-based paid or non-paid vocational exploration. Young adults should also be actively involved in transition planning. Think about and be willing to describe your ideal job. Think about the most important characteristics of your ideal job and the characteristics you would be willing to negotiate. For example, you might prefer to not work weekends or evenings, but would you consider this type of schedule if the job included other desired characteristics? Finally, young adults should learn about, visit, and apply for services from local adult agencies such as LRS and OCDD. Some adult agencies only serve certain disability populations, but your teacher or school transition coordinator can assist you with appropriate referral information. Additionally, there may be local agencies specific to your community that can assist with employment. Your teacher and transition coordinator will help you identify these resources, but it is the responsibility of the young adult and family to follow through with the referral process and continue working with the appropriate adult service agency.

Families:

Families should learn about employment options while young adults are still in high school. The more vocational information you have, the easier it will be to assist in choosing the right employment option and the better their employment options will be once they leave school. Families should also encourage young adults to assume household tasks, to work part-time, and/or to assume volunteer positions. Ensure a variety of experiences and encourage work periods of two hours or more to build endurance.

Agencies:

Schools must provide young adults with multiple opportunities to explore vocational options and to learn about the world of work. This may mean a secondary curriculum that prepares young adults for post-secondary training. It may mean technical training while young adults are in high school. It may mean in-school and community-based vocational experiences. Educators should also assist young adults in thinking about employment preferences and aptitudes, Social Security work incentives and other benefits of employment.

Adult agencies should become involved with young adults before they leave high school by participating in transition planning meetings and sharing information about their agencies and the local labor market. Agencies will assess young adults' eligibility for the services provided by their agencies by using existing vocational information provided by high schools, as well as by completing additional assessments. They will provide young adults with counseling and guidance to make informed choices about employment options. Adult agencies may include LRS, OCDD, and Office of Mental Health (OMH), as well as local vocational providers such as Goodwill Industries, and ARCs, among others.

IV. RESOURCES/CONTACTS

Louisiana Rehabilitation Services Regional Offices*

(225)-925-4131 (in Baton Rouge) or 800-737-2958

(*contact to get the number of the office nearest you.)