Knoxville Seamless Transition Project
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Transcript Knoxville Seamless Transition Project
Knoxville Seamless Transition Project
An Integrated Transition Systems Project
operated jointly by the
Knoxville Area Career Center &
The Cerebral Palsy Center
Stephanie Potter
[email protected]
Characteristics of the Transition
Systems Integration Model
No lag time between systems
Supports driven by the student
Students learn in the community 6 hours a day
Services managed by highly structured schedules that
include work & non-work activities
Staff are trained to set up environments and support job
seekers in speaking up for self, decision-making &
problem-solving
Supporting families as they transition from entitlement to
eligibility
Partnership
Critical Stakeholders involved from the start:
Knox County Schools
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Division of Intellectual Disabilities Services
University of Tennessee
San Francisco State University
How the Guidance Group Began
Built on existing relationships established through
collaboration on:
• Local Business Advisory Council
• Regional Employment Consortium
• Local Employment Consortium
• TN Customized Employment Program
Knox County Schools wanted to replicate the Transition
Integrated Transition Systems Model and pilot it in our
county
Shocking Statistics
Only 13% of Special Ed.
Graduates are employed 2
years post exit
Only 25% of Special Ed.
Graduates are employed
3-5 years after exit
These graduates are at
Of these percentages only
The majority of these
38% earn minimum wage
or better
high risk for poverty
graduates are in
segregated programs
Study conducted in 2000 by the National Council on Education
Outcomes:
No service disruption
“The day after graduation looks the same as
the day before”
Same jobs
Same community activities
Same support staff
Outcomes:
100% found employment
92% are currently employed
Averaging 10.2 hours per week
40% receive funding from Division of
Intellectual Disabilities Services
31% growth in quality of life indicators
after one year
Quality of life Indicators
31% growth after one year in the project
Handling money and making purchases
Understanding complex instructions
Showing initiative
Interacting with others
Taking care of personal belongings
Food preparation and eating in public
Employment and other activities
What did it look like before?
Knox County Schools
Some work-based learning (average 2 x per
week)
Very few referrals to DIDS or VR
Only partnered with CRP’s for sheltered work
Life skills taught in a classroom
IEP’s did not include long-term transition goals
Cerebral Palsy Center
Very few referrals from transitioning students
Referrals would come after students graduated
and sat at home for several months frustrated
Community-based and Employment-based
services were separate
Participants saw staff as friends
Safety and protection first instead of Employment
First
Workforce Connections/
Career Center
TN Customized Employment Grant ending
Career Center was fully accessible but people
with disabilities were not utilizing the services
VR was a mandated partner but not truly
integrated
Role of the Student
Students MUST :
want to work
have family support
attend and participate in all IEP meetings
be open to home visits
participate in person centered planning
and divulge information such as:
• Likes, dislikes, experiences, personality traits, skills,
motivation
• Support needs and accommodations
• Work history, employment preferences, stamina, schedule
Role of Voc. Rehab.
Specify one case manager for all
students in the project
Take the application as soon as
students are identified
Fund the employment piece up
to 90 days after placement
Role of DIDS
Assign one case manager to all participants
Take application as soon as students are
identified
Fund post-employment follow up services
and community-based services (only happened
40% of the time due to the long waiting list)
Role of Workforce Connections
Provide an employment specialist
Conduct Self-Advocacy training
Ensure all Career Center resources are
accessible
Access WIA funds including summer youth
employment funds
Role of School System
o Refer appropriate students
o Modify IEP’s to match project goals
o Fund community-based services until
graduation
Role of the CP Center
Attend all IEP meetings
Conduct interests inventories and home visits
Develop master and individual schedules
Hire community specialists/ case managers
Provide transportation
Support students in the community
Provide direct service
The Nuts and Bolts
How in the world do we do this?
Significant Scheduling Details
Heterogeneous groups based on common
interests
Chronological age-appropriateness
Natural Supports from non-disabled persons
Use the students’ network (Including family,
friends, classmates, church members, etc)
Significant Scheduling Details cont…
Natural Consequences
Natural Proportion
Activities based in the student’s neighborhood
(so they become regulars)
Supports driven by the student
Employment: First Service to Consider
Required: Large Doses of Creativity,
Perseverance & Commitment
Significant Staffing Components
Staffing support 1:3 ratio, Employment 1:1
Non-authoritarian approach
Natural consequences
(follow behavior plans)
Staff support families and
act as case managers
Significant Staffing Components
Staff help students
by “fitting in”
Staff trained to
support students in
• Speaking up for self
• Decision making
• Problem solving
EMPLOYMENT
Adhere
to typical
processes
Student
Motivation
1st
Skills 2nd
Use
student’s
network
Consultant
vs.
Salesperson
Customized
and
Competitive
Eric’s Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pick up time/
8:30am
8:45am
8:45am
8:45am
8:30
Staff/
Kevin
Susan
Rachel
Rachel
Nikki
Phone number
715-9716
705-9720
705-8812
705-8812
905-9717
Activities/
Drop to work 9:00
Volunteer at Mobile
Meals
Drop to work 9:00
Swap to Kevin’s group
Drop to work 9:00
Grocery shopping-$5
Pick Up from work
11:30
Items needed
Pick Up from work
11:30
Library/ Personal
Shopping/ Bowling
$2
Pick Up from work
YMCA workout/ swim 11:30
(bring bathing suit,
shower stuff and
Volunteer at Angelic
change of clothes)
Ministries
Sack Lunch park
Cooking class
Laundromat
(bring 1 load of
clothes, soap, $3.00)
Cooking class at John
YMCA- workout
(bring change of
clothes)
Banking- cash
paycheck
Lunch/
Sack lunch
Lunch at Mall-
Fast Food $5
Where/
CAC atrium
Sack or $5
Drop off time/
2:45pm
3:00pm
3:00pm
3:00pm
2:45pm
Staff/
Kevin
Susan
Rachel
Kevin
Nikki
Phone number
715-9716
705-9720
705-8823
715-9716
905-9716
23rd on UT campus
$ or sack
MASTER SCHEDULES
How Do We Fund it?
School System funds community
and work based learning during
the student’s last year in school
VR funds employment services
during the student’s last year
DIDS funds begin when the
school funding ends to continue
community based activity and
long-term employment supports
Additional grants, fundraisers, and
WIA funds are required to
supplement public funding
Success Stories
How YOU can get started today!
Build partnerships
Incorporate employment into every day
Empower your participants
Make the day meaningful
Re-train or hire new staff
Get creative
Think you can…think you can…think you can!!!
For more information contact:
Stephanie Potter
Workforce Connections
PO Box 51650
Knoxville, TN 37950
865-544-5200
[email protected]