by Joanna Samuels, Employment Resource Supervisor, REENA
According to a recent report from the Conference Board of Canada, people with disabilities are three times more likely than people without disabilities to be unemployed or out of the labour force. To top it off, researchers demonstrate that the employment rate of working-age adults–especially new graduates–with a developmental disability have the lowest employment rate of any disability type leading to a high rate of unemployment for this population group (Butterworth, et al 2012; Baker, D., and Vaks, B. 2015).
With these concerning facts in mind, Reena has responded by tackling these gloomy statistics. Reena offers individualized supported employment services and programs that are facilitated by professional expert job coaches. They are designed to help job seekers who have identified with a developmental disability diagnosis with achieving their employment or career goals in the competitive labour market.
Starting with the Summer Employment Transitions (SET) program, Reena has partnered with the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic School Board dating back to its inception in 2012. SET offers a 10-week supported employment designed to assist job ready high school students referred from the boards’ special education inclusion stream with securing the keeping of paid employment in the competitive labour market. Each student is assigned a job coach to help with the job search as well as arranging job interviews with on-site job coaching at the work site to assist with problem-solving, training and being included in the workplace. SET supports the proven evidence that high school students with a disability who have experienced paid employment have a high success rate of being employed when they graduate.
The other challenge faced by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families is the post-21 syndrome–what happens after they graduate from high school? Finding and keeping a sustainable and meaningful paid job is always daunting at the best of times. Once again, Reena responded by launching a year-round, customized, one-on-one, job coaching support service that is geared for those individuals with a developmental disability and/or dual diagnosis who are job ready and looking for paid employment in the competitive job market.
Similar to the model of the SET program, this service offers job seekers 1:1 job coaching support that includes: identifying a suitable career/job path, applying for jobs, job matching, securing job interviews, as well paid employment placements in the workforce with 1:1 on site job coaching supports. In addition, our job coaches specialize in helping employees with retention and career growth at the workplace.
After the participant is hired, the job coaching supports continue until the “employee” is self-sufficient and the job coach can fade out. Further, the job coach will continue to follow up with the individual and employer for accommodations, retention, problem-solving, and advocacy as needed on the job.
At Reena, we always ensure that the individual is referred to the appropriate program and service. Often, our job coach team is approached by job seekers as well as their families seeking help with paid employment. We chat with everyone; however there are individuals who still need to build their soft skills and workplace skills to be job ready. In this case, they are referred to our community participation program Channels or Pathways North. Located in Richmond Hill, these programs assist the over 18 aged participants with transitioning into adulthood. The program offers a variety of social, recreational, life and living skills trainings in a safe, group setting. Vocational/job readiness skills training is also an option in a group setting or individualized one-on-one sessions.
An additional service that Reena offers is our Employer Services. Together with the employer, our job coaching team, assists the business with building and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workforce. Reena offers a variety of creative initiatives that help employers to source, recruit, select and retain talent with “diverse abilities” from Reena’s supported employment programs. Services are at no cost.
To wrap up, the main thread of all of Reena’s employment supports is the idea that anyone who would like to work is welcomed to explore this goal with us and our job coaches. It’s a process and takes hard work, time and dedication to be self-sufficient and included in the competitive labour market.
For more information on any of the above programs and services, please contact Joanna Samuels, Employment Resource Supervisor, at jsamuels@reena.org.
References:
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/disabled-income.aspx
In Way leads on to way. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123-143 Baker, D., and Vaks, B. 2015. “Employment for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and challenging behaviour”. In Way leads on to way. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123-143.
