Transcript Document

Transition Services
Exploration + Experience = Employment!
Erin Seeley, Community Employment Coordinator
Jennifer Kane, Transition Specialist
Transition Services
What are Transition Services?
- Employment oriented services that provide
real work experience.
- Designed to guide and support students as
they begin the journey from school to
employment and independence.
- Are individualized to each students
interests and needs.
- Follow students throughout their high
school career, exploring options and
gaining experience each step of the way.
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Transition Services
Why did we start providing
Transition Services?
- Schools in our area continued to see budget
cuts which resulted in non-essential programs
being cut. This included career oriented
programs.
- There was a push from the state for schools
to offer Transition Services.
- Several schools reached out to us looking for
help with meeting new state requirements.
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Transition Services
Our Program Objectives
1. Enhance Self-Awareness/Self Advocacy
2. Explore Options
2. Gain Experience
4. Overcome Barriers to Employment
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Transition Services
Enhance Self-Awareness
–
Identify strengths and areas to work on
– Identify interests, preferences and skills
– Understand what kinds of support one might
need and who could provide that support
– Learn to make informed choices and decisions
– Understand one’s rights and responsibilities
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Transition Services
Explore Options
– Skills & Interest Assessments
– Career Exploration
– Job Shadowing
Explore
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Transition Services
Skill and Interest Assessments
– Several different assessment instruments
– Assess job preferences, employability
skills, student interests and how they
connect to job skills
– Administered by trained Transition
Specialists on a 1:1 basis
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Explore
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Transition Services
Career Exploration
– Identify available jobs types in the community
– Identify skills needed for different job types
– Learn how to match preferences, skills and
abilities to available community jobs
– Choose preferred job sites for Job Shadows
– Develop questions to ask employers while on a
Job Shadow
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Explore
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Transition Services
Job Shadowing
– Visit preferred job sites
– Learn about the job
– Meet employees and ask questions
– Evaluate how closely the job matches
personal preferences
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Explore
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Transition Services
Gain Experience
– Develop a resume
– Complete a job application
– Practice interviewing
– Learn how to search for a job
Experience
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Transition Services
Overcome Barriers to Employment
– Identify strategies to overcome barriers to
employment
– Learn soft skills needed to retain a job
– Participate in assessments at actual job
sites
Experience
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Transition Services
Site Assessments
– Student chooses preferred job site
– Performs job tasks that actual employees
would do
– Interacts with coworkers & customers
– Practices workplace behaviors needed for
success on the job
– Student receives a detailed performance
evaluation from the Employment Specialist
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Experience
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Transition Services
Benefits of Transition Services
– Services begin as early as age 15
– Assistance with ACCES-VR referrals
– Partnership with OPWDD ETP Traineeship
– Links to other eligible services
– Well-trained and experienced staff with extensive community
employment connections
– Customized, person-centered service packages
– Uninterrupted flow of services
– Helps schools meet new CDOS Requirements
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Employment
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Transition Services
What is Unique About Our Transition
Services?
– Student works with a Transition Specialist
from the beginning of services until
graduation and will receive 1:1 support
through the entire journey.
– Students have more options. We develop
assessment sites based on student interest.
– Students leave with a personalized
employment portfolio that will serve as a
useful tool for years to come after
graduation.
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Employment
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Transition Services
What is Unique About Transition
Services?
– There is greater opportunity for students
to find employment in their local
community.
– Students gain experience working with a
Employment Specialist prior to accessing
Supported Employment Services.
Employment
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Transition Services
How Transition Services Can Meet Student and
School Needs
– Meets state guidelines and best practices
and helps schools meet new CDOS
Requirements
– Provides agency participation in CSE
meetings and IEP development
– Provides individual attention – which can be
costly and time consuming for school staff
to provide
– Maintains uninterrupted flow of services
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Employment
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Transition Services
Success Stories: Where are some of our
students now?
– College
– Working independently without the assistance
of SEMP
– Working with the assistance of SEMP through
ACCES-VR or OPWDD including the ETP
Internship
– In Job Development or Discovery
– In Pathway to Employment
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Transition Services
Funding for Transition Services
– Schools can access grant money to purchase
Transition Services.
– Number of service hours varies depending on
the need(s) of the student/school.
– Individual Rates: Cost per hour = $45.
– Group Rates: Cost per lesson = $180.
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Transition Services
Marketing for Transition Services
– Presentations at school districts
– Send out mailings to local school districts
– Word of mouth
• One school talking to another
• MSC’s mentioning the program to schools and
parents
• Parents talking to parents
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Transition Services
History and Growth of
Transition Services
– Started in 2008 with 1 school and 3 students.
1 part time staff member.
– Currently we work with 7 school districts, 32
students and 3 group classes. We now have 2
full time staff members.
– Otsego County has 12 school districts, we have
worked with 9 of the 12 through Transition
Services over the 7 years the program has been
in operation.
– We have trained other local counties to provide
similar services to schools in their area.
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Transition Services
Any ??
Erin Seeley- The Arc Otsego
Community Employment Coordinator
[email protected]
607-433-8447 x 110
607-434-1006
Jennifer Kane- The Arc Otsego
Transition Specialist
[email protected]
607-353-5316
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