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[musical interlude]

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Welcome to a presentation of Networks for Training and Development's

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20th Employment Supports Symposium. 

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Funding for the Symposium has been provided by the City of Philadelphia

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Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.

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We hope you enjoy the session.

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Nikita: Good Morning everyone! Welcome to the 20th Employment Support Symposium

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We are so glad to be here with you all today.

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Without further ado, I'm gonna pass this off to Joe who will be facilitating today's session

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by Tracy Lapreziosa called Transitioning to Employment - 

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Stories of Young People's Journeys to Employment. Take it away, Joe.

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Good morning! My name's Joe Murphy with Networks for Training and Development.

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Unfortunately, Tracy could not be with us today,

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so we actually prerecorded most of today's session with Tracy, 

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and a couple of interviews with people she's worked with in the past.

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With that in mind, we wanted to keep this as interactive as possible,

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so there will be two spots during today's session where we're going to go into

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breakout rooms to answer some questions, and have some small group discussion

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about some of the things that were talked about during the interviews.

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If you have any questions, we made sure as part of the Networks' team that we have

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People here who have expertise in this topic that we can answer some of these questions.

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And if we can't answer them, we can get the questions to Tracy, 

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and we will get you the answer to your question. 

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So we're still encouraging you guys please participate, please ask questions,

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please raise your hands - and we'll unmute you at some appropriate times

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after each interview. We have two interviews, and a small little recording at the end.

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They're each about 25 minutes, but after each one we'll go into the breakout rooms,

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and have some small group discussion.

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Without that, I get to introduce Tracy,

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Tracy Lapreziosa is a graduate of Elizabethtown College, 

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with a B.S. in Occupational Therapy, and Kutztown University, 

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with an M.A. in Counseling Psych.
She also has a specialty certificate 

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in School-based Therapy from NCP-Hanneman Univerisity.

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Tracy has over 30 years of expertise working with children, 

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adolescents, and adults with developmental and / or physical disabilities,

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as well as spectrum disorders, in a variety of settings 

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including schools, homes, and work environments.

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Tracy has studied sensory integration practices in Sensory Integration International,

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and completes accessibility evaluations which include the effects of the environmental

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sensory inputs on one's ability to function efficiently in their environments.

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She has additional training in Myofascial Release, Stress Management,

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Progressive Relaxation, and Reiki. In addition to her work at Networks she has served as an

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adjunct faculty member at Penn State University - Berks campus,

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and continues to provide direct service to early intervention, school-aged,

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and adult clients. So, without further ado, Tracy Lapreziosa's session...

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Tracy Lapreziosa: Welcome to
today's presentation:

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Transitioning to Employment. I'm
Tracy Lapreziosa and I'm an

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Occupational Therapist that
works with Networks for Training

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and Development. And I'll be
guiding you through today's

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presentation regarding
transition and several

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frameworks that I have found
useful along the way for helping

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folks become more independent in
their daily lives. First off,

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I'm going to share with you some
of my personal journey regarding

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helping folks achieve
independence in their lives and

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how I came from the beginning of
my career to where I am right

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now and working within these
frameworks. And that, and we're

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going to have a conversation
with a gentleman whose

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organization provides support
and training for students in

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high schools who are
transitioning to employment. And

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then lastly, we're going to hear
from two young gentlemen, hear

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their stories regarding their
transition into employment after

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going through job exploration.

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I transitioned into my job as an
occupational therapist in the

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early 80s. And I worked in a
rehab setting. And in the rehab

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setting, I was challenged to
look at each person, look at how

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their lives had changed from
some type of disability or

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injury, and look at what it was
that they wanted to be able to

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do in their life, and how it
could help them to achieve more

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independence. So as a therapist,
I would talk to them about their

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goals, what they wanted to do.
And I would really need to look

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at them as a person: who were
they? What were their

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challenges? What were their
strengths? What were their what,

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who was their support system?
What was their home environment?

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What was their work environment?
Did they want to go back to

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work? Did they want to be
independent at home? Or did they

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want to be taken care of? I had
to look at the motivation level

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as well. So as a rehab
therapist, I always looked at

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the person, I looked at their
environment, I looked at what

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they needed to do and how I
could help them to get there.

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And it might have been adaptive
equipment, accommodations, and

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definitely some skill training.

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Then in the late 80s, I
transitioned into working into

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educational setting in
kindergarten through 12th grade,

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or K to K to 21, basically, age
wise. And in that setting, I

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found that I was doing pretty
much the same thing. I was

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looking at the student and
looking at who they were, and

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looking at their environment,
which in in an educational

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setting, of course, is the
classroom. And I was looking at

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what tasks or challenges did
they have within that classroom,

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and how could I help them be
able to be more independent and

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more efficient in what they
needed to be able to do. So of

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course, in education, it was
might have been things that were

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a little bit more simple. If I
was looking at a student who

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wasn't able to write clearly or
wasn't able to keep up. So I

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would go into the classroom and
look at, you know, their desk

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and how they were sitting, how
close they were to the board,

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what kind of pencil they were
using. And I would come up with

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some strategies, and it was
usually getting them a new desk

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and a new chair. So their feet
would touch the floor, and they

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would have a more stable base,
maybe changing the angle of

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where they were writing and
giving them some type of

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adaptive writing grip. But
things got a little bit more

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complex as more and more
students with more complex needs

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started coming back into the
public school system. And we had

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to look more at assistive
technology. In the 90s,

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computers started to become a
bigger part of what was going on

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in education. And students with
more complex needs were coming

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back and they needed to be able
to communicate. So we started to

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look at more assistive
technology, more higher tech

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technology. And when that came
about the intermediate unit that

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I was working with, which is
Montgomery County Intermediate

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Unit, started training folks,
therapists, teachers regarding

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what was called the SETT
Process. Now the SETT Process

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stands for Student, Environment,
Tasks, and Tools. And right now

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there's a graphic on the screen
that has an outline. And inside

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that outline is the word
"environment", looking at the

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whole picture inside this box,
and then inside that box is a

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squiggly circle that's divided
into three parts. And then each

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of those parts is "student" is
in one part, "task" is in

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another and "tools" is in the
third. So as part of this SETT

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process, we were challenged as a
team to really look at the

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student. What were their
talents, what were their

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interests, what were their past
experiences, what was their

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motivation, social circles,
support from home, supports at

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school, what what things
revolved around that student,

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what did they bring to the
table?

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And we looked at the
environment. Which, of course,

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again, and the setting was the
educational setting, could have

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been the classroom. Sometimes it
might have been outside the

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playground, or it could have
been in the gym, or the art

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room, it was different types of
environments we may have to look

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at. And we were challenged to
look at the task that they were

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being challenged with, what was
that task? And in many cases, it

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was either communication or
written communication. And then

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we would look at tools. And the
first step would be to look at

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what tools are the student using
right now? What are they using

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now? And then we would look at:
is it working? Is it not

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working. And if it was working,
we let it go. And if it wasn't

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working, we were challenged to
problem solve, and try to come

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up with other things that might
be a benefit. And we would

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always start with lower tech
options. So if it was writing,

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we would start out with maybe
using a scribe maybe using some

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type of dictation to get the
information out. If it was

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communication, we would start
out with more are they able to

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use pictures, can they use
choices a choice board, and then

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from there, we would look at, if
that didn't seem to be working

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quite so well, we might go to
something more higher tech, like

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an augmentative communication
device. And we would have to

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look at the student what their
abilities were to be able to use

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that device and what the
features were on the device and

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try and match them. And that was
all part of the SETT process.

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And then we would do trial and
error. So again, I looked down

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like this is basically what I've
been doing all along looking at

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the person looking at what they
needed to do, and looking at how

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we needed to come about helping
them to be more independent.

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Then I transitioned from my work
in the schools, to my work at

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Networks, and I started studying
and helping to teach the ACRE

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course, Job Accommodations on
the Job. As part of that, I came

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across the HAAT framework, which
is Human Activity Assistive

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Tech. So on the screen now is a
graphic, which has an outline,

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like a rectangular outline as
box and in there, it says

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context. Inside that box is the
squiggly circle divided into

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three parts. And inside each
part, says "human", "activity",

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and "AT" which is also includes
the accommodations. So I looked

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at this, as you know, we're
looking at the human, which is

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the person and we're looking
again at talents, interests,

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experience, background,
frustrations, motivation, all

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the things that revolve around
that person revolve around the

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human. And we looked at the
context, where is that person

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working? What's the job
environment like? The when, the

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where, you know, what's the time
of day that they're working?

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What does the environment look
like? What's the temperature?

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What's the lighting? What's the
workspace look like? Is it

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accessible? All those things are
part of the context. And then of

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course, we have to look at the
activity, which is in this case,

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the job task, what is the job
task? What are they charged to

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do what they need to get done as
part of their employment? And

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then we would look at what
accommodations or assistive

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technology are needed to be able
to help that person work

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efficiently and independently in
the work environment. And the

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accommodations or assistive
technology could be applied

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directly to the job task, we
might modify the job task, we

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might add some type of
technology to help the person

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access the job task, we might
look at the person themselves

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and look at, maybe we need to
change their positioning, maybe

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they need to stand up to do this
job. Maybe they need to sit

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down. We look at the
environment. Maybe we need to

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modify the environment. Maybe
they need better lighting. Maybe

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they need to be away from that
noisy corner away from the

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copier, so that they can focus.
Maybe they need a cubicle. So we

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looked at the person, the
activity and the AT

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accommodations. And then I
thought back to my work in the

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high school and when I was
helping students in their

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transition to employment
program. And I was using I kind

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of used the SETT Framework from
the assistive technology team to

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help my students at work.
Because I would look at who they

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were, what their job task was,
what environment they were in

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and what we needed to do to
accomplish it. And I'm looking

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at at these two models, I'm
like, these are exactly the same

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model.

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They're exactly the same. So on
the screen now is a graphic. And

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inside there's a rectangular
larger rectangular boundary in

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there I have "environment" and
"context", the words in between

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different models, they're
basically the same, they're

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exactly the same. And inside
this squiggly circle that's

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divided into three parts. One
part has "student" and "human"

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in it with a little figure,
again, looking at that person

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that I looked at, in the
beginning of my career, which

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became a student, which became a
worker, a human, but all in all,

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it's the person. And then we
have the other component, which

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is the task for the activity.
Again, in the education

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environment, it was a school
task in the job environment,

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it's a, it's a work task. And
then the third component is the

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tools, the assistive technology
or accommodations that are

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needed to be able to be more
independent. But when looking at

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this model, this really doesn't
apply just to employment, you

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can use this model this
framework, whether you call it

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SETT, whether you call it the
HAAT model, you can use this

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framework no matter where you're
working, whether you're

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supporting someone in
employment, or whether you're

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supporting someone in the home,
because this can also be used to

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support people in the home, to
come up with accommodations and

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ways to make them more
independent in their daily life

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skills and in their leisure
activities. Rich Weidner has an

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organization that supports
students in high schools to

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transition into employment. So
keeping those frameworks in mind

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and listening to his interview,
kind of see if you can see how

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he looks at students,
environments, job tasks, and

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assistive technology.

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Hi, I'd like to welcome Richard
Weidner. He's the Program

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Coordinator, High School to Work
Transition Services, Inc., And

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Rich, so far, we've been talking
a little bit about models that

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are used in school and after
school for assistive technology

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and coming up with
accommodations for people as

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they're transitioning to work.
So I know that you have a lot of

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experience with helping students
transition. And so I'd like to

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just kind of get an idea how
what you're doing fits into the

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models that we've been talking
about. And one of the things

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that we talked about is like
fitting students interests and

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talents and things into a job.
So what are some things that you

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do to kind of help fit students
to potential job training sites?

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Richard Weidner: Sure, well, you
know, the employment related

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transition really takes students
out of the classroom and puts

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them into a community work
experience where they can build

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some skills and get some
experience to help them make

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informed decisions. And some of
that's just through trial and

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error. You know, sometimes you
learn what you'd like to do

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based on what you don't like to
do, realizing, you know, that

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there's some limitations to
those things. But typically, in

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a school setting, we use the IEP
team, and lean heavily on what a

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student has already experienced,
and what goals they may have for

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their post high school
activities, and then try to

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match them up through interest
surveys and things with programs

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that come through the counseling
center that might be like

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Naviance, or Smart Futures, to
identify again, where a

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student's interests lie and
ultimately, where their

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strengths and needs lie.

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Tracy Lapreziosa: So after you
work through that process, and

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you find out where they're going
to go and what their interests

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are, how do you decide which
locations that you're that they

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might be placed at? Do you have
a set number? Are you you know,

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are do students sometimes come
up with them? How does that all

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Richard Weidner: Yeah, I get I
think it's kind of adapting to

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work?

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what each student would like to
try to accomplish. And

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initially, we focus a lot on
transferable soft skills. So the

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actual placement in terms of
where they learn the skills is

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less important than getting the
experience and going through the

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process of learning on the job.
So while a student might say I'm

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interested in working in an
office, if, if it's not feasible

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to find an office position right
away, sometimes we'll move them

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into food service. And we work
on those transferable skills,

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the things like: following
directions, good attendance,

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good punctuality, maintaining a
positive attitude, things we all

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do in our jobs and often take
for granted but things that

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would apply to just about any
position that you have in

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employment down the road.

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Tracy Lapreziosa: So they're
developing all those soft skills

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and they're doing some trial and
error what they like what they

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don't like, and I you know, I'm
guessing that the students that

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you are working with have a
whole variety of disabilities,

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talents and how, what supports
are provided for them as they're

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going out to try these different
jobs. Are their supports on the

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job and outside of the job? What
are some things that that

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happen?
Richard Weidner: I think the
biggest area of support comes in

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the form of job coaching. And
when the student first

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acclimates to a new worksite um,
there's a coach that's available

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to help serve as a liaison,
maybe between the manager and

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the student to help ensure that
there's good communication and

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understanding of what those
expectations are. Some of it is

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task specific. So in an office
job, you might be, you know,

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honing a skill of filing by
alpha or numerical information.

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And a job coach can help identi
y what tricks might be needed

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00:19:15,300 --> 00:19:18,166
o accommodate that student.
f it's, you know, printing out

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a little cheat sheet or
n alphabet strip to help, tho

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00:19:21,766 --> 00:19:27,033
e things really become sort of t
e focus of the job coach's role

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00:19:27,033 --> 00:19:30,800
o help the student build t
e skills and ultimately mo

304
00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,733
e towards independence, and aw
y from a reliance on somebody el

305
00:19:34,733 --> 00:19:38,433
e to necessarily do the job
r learn the job, but movi

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g towards independence and havi
g that student be as successful

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s possibl

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Tracy Lapreziosa: Now, there are
some students I that may require

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a little bit more as far as
assistive technology

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accommodations. Do you have any
examples of some that may be

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required a bit more than that?

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00:20:00,233 --> 00:20:04,700
Richard Weidner: Sure. I mean,
that could include things like

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software that might use speech
software instead of the student

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who is unable to type. Another
big one is just with the advent

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of smartphones becoming part of
a student's daily life,

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utilizing the positive side of
it. You know, often in a work

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00:20:22,566 --> 00:20:27,700
setting, using a phone is not
permitted. But there's ways that

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you can tap into some apps to
allow students to organize their

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time, help them keep track of
calendar events and items that

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they might otherwise lose track
of. And I think the biggest one

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there is in communication,
right? Where students would have

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to communicate with a manager.
And then oftentimes, how

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allowing the student to text and
stay in touch with a manager

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outside of work hours is often
beneficial as well.

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00:20:58,533 --> 00:21:00,833
Tracy Lapreziosa: Oh, that's
that sounds great. Um, yeah,

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00:21:00,833 --> 00:21:06,800
smartphones are, are very useful
in a number of different ways.

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As the students like, progress
through the program, are there

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ways that you work on fading
supports or adaptations or are

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00:21:15,566 --> 00:21:19,033
there other people, other team
members that become involved to

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00:21:19,033 --> 00:21:23,000
help determine what might be
needed to to help them along the

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way? I mean, I'm thinking back
to my experiences working in

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high school, and sitting down in
those SETT meetings and going

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through trying to figure out
assistive technology or working

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00:21:32,366 --> 00:21:35,300
with students who might have
been out on a job and there was

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00:21:35,300 --> 00:21:37,833
one or two little things they
couldn't do and come back and do

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some specific skill teaching, in
order to help them move forward.

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Richard Weidner: Sure, I think
the reliance on the job coach,

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again, working with the worksite
supervisor and the manager to

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00:21:49,766 --> 00:21:54,866
identify where those needs are,
and then identifying ways that

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they can troubleshoot them. And
in some of those instances, it's

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if it's a PT, or OT, consult
that can happen within the IEP

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00:22:06,266 --> 00:22:11,000
team to work through some fine
motor skills, or gross motor

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skills that a student might just
need some extra practice with,

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and looking for ways to partner
with those work sites, maybe to

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allow them to bring some items
home to practice working on,

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things like that. I think it's,
again, with the focus of

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independence as the ultimate
outcome, we look for ways for

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the student to build confidence
through their experience, so

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that they can not rely on
another person to have them

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complete those tasks and be
successful in that job.

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Tracy Lapreziosa: Um, besides
the more physical

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accommodations, what
accommodations are made for

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those students who may not have
the tolerance for going out and

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working six hours or you know,
or they have there's mental

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health concerns? What are some
accommodations that you might

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00:23:07,466 --> 00:23:10,166
use for those students?

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00:23:10,166 --> 00:23:11,966
Richard Weidner: I think in
those cases, actually, in most

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00:23:11,966 --> 00:23:18,266
cases, we tend to start slow and
build stamina over time. We're

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limited within the hours of the
school day to how many hours a

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student might even be available
to work. So oftentimes, if a

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student is only available to
participate one or two hours a

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day, that becomes the starting
point, the building block then

363
00:23:33,633 --> 00:23:36,566
to try to work on some stamina,
building some stamina and being

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00:23:36,566 --> 00:23:40,966
used to working in a part time
job, the expectation is

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00:23:40,966 --> 00:23:46,300
generally a four hour shift. So
starting slow, I think and

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00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:51,100
building up to a point where you
can extend the day to a

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reasonable amount of time. And
if that requires in a job

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setting, to talk to the manager
and ask for some accommodations

369
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with scheduling, rather than
doing it at four hour chunks,

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00:24:02,366 --> 00:24:06,900
maybe it's possible to do two
hour chunks over two days rather

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than one shift on one day.

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Tracy Lapreziosa: So you're
slowly building up their

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00:24:11,433 --> 00:24:14,966
tolerance over the time period
that they're participating in

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00:24:14,966 --> 00:24:16,100
the program?

375
00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:19,000
Richard Weidner: Yeah,
absolutely. And endurance, I

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00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,200
think is a big thing, when
you're talking about students

377
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,100
getting used to, they might be
used to doing things for a

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00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:28,300
longer period of time in school,
but those are often broken up

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00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:32,100
and spaced out. So in a work
setting, generally, because your

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00:24:32,100 --> 00:24:37,400
expectation is that you're at
one spot, working on one task

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for an extended period of time
getting a student used to that,

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and again, having the employer
understand that that's part of

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the process of building up that
tolerance towards the

384
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independence and longevity.

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Tracy Lapreziosa: So by the time
they hit that final year,

386
00:24:57,366 --> 00:25:00,533
whether it be they're ending
their school career at 18, or

387
00:25:00,533 --> 00:25:04,366
they're ending their school
career at 21. What's the goal

388
00:25:04,366 --> 00:25:07,866
for that last year? Are they
working most of their school

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00:25:07,866 --> 00:25:12,200
day? Or how, are there many of
them still doing partial days?

390
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,733
Richard Weidner: I think it
depends on the student, we have

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00:25:13,733 --> 00:25:18,233
some students who still have
some academic requirements that

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00:25:18,233 --> 00:25:22,300
they're trying to fulfill in
order to exit that year. And in

393
00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:24,933
those cases, we don't have as
much time during the day. But we

394
00:25:24,933 --> 00:25:29,266
also have the benefit of having
students return for post 12

395
00:25:29,266 --> 00:25:33,266
years. And in those cases,
generally from 18 to 21. If a

396
00:25:33,266 --> 00:25:38,600
student stays, we have longer to
try to work on those staminas,

397
00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,800
work on endurance, work on the
skills that again, not

398
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:47,566
necessarily specific to a career
that they're choosing. If

399
00:25:47,566 --> 00:25:53,133
there's a possibility of them
working in one job, building

400
00:25:53,133 --> 00:25:56,133
some skills, and then
transferring it to another job,

401
00:25:56,133 --> 00:26:01,666
that's often what we rely on.
But we also try to match those

402
00:26:01,666 --> 00:26:05,700
longer term career goals. So in
those post 12 years, we have the

403
00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:09,800
ability to focus in and try to
narrow that focus on some of

404
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:14,633
those careers. And, again,
independence, self advocacy,

405
00:26:14,633 --> 00:26:18,166
having a student learn what
their limitations are, and how

406
00:26:18,166 --> 00:26:22,433
to communicate those things to a
manager is is an important part

407
00:26:22,433 --> 00:26:26,233
of what happens as students
prepare to exit.

408
00:26:26,233 --> 00:26:28,566
Tracy Lapreziosa: Now as as
students are graduating, do some

409
00:26:28,566 --> 00:26:33,766
of them actually get jobs with,
with organizations that they

410
00:26:33,766 --> 00:26:38,266
interned with? Or do you, or is
there some assistance with

411
00:26:38,266 --> 00:26:41,433
interviewing and job searching
when they get to the end of

412
00:26:41,433 --> 00:26:42,966
their school career?

413
00:26:42,966 --> 00:26:45,366
Richard Weidner: Yeah,
oftentimes, we find ourselves

414
00:26:45,366 --> 00:26:47,866
kind of working in tandem with
some of the adult service

415
00:26:47,866 --> 00:26:52,200
providers. And in that final
year, there's some overlap in

416
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,666
that handoff where, you know, we
can explain what we've done with

417
00:26:56,666 --> 00:26:58,966
a student and the
accomplishments that that

418
00:26:58,966 --> 00:27:01,766
student has made over the course
of their time in the work

419
00:27:01,766 --> 00:27:06,466
program, and then allowing them
to realize if if job coaching is

420
00:27:06,466 --> 00:27:11,933
a need as they exit school and
are now in an adult system that

421
00:27:11,933 --> 00:27:15,100
job coaching at that point
should be something that can

422
00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:19,433
just be an intermediate step to
get them over the hump towards

423
00:27:19,433 --> 00:27:22,966
being successful independently.

424
00:27:22,966 --> 00:27:25,533
Tracy Lapreziosa: And have you
had students who've graduated

425
00:27:25,533 --> 00:27:28,066
and have gone off to jobs
without the job coach?

426
00:27:28,066 --> 00:27:30,233
Richard Weidner: Yeah,
absolutely. I mean, that's the

427
00:27:30,233 --> 00:27:33,000
best case scenario is when
students can hit the ground

428
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:38,533
running, and just continue with
a program where they've put the

429
00:27:38,533 --> 00:27:42,800
time in, put their hard work in,
have the confidence to be able

430
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,200
to communicate well and rely on
the skills that they've

431
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,033
developed in that toolbox. And
then they just really take that

432
00:27:49,033 --> 00:27:51,666
toolbox with them wherever they
go.

433
00:27:51,666 --> 00:27:54,433
Tracy Lapreziosa: That's great.
We're going to be interviewing a

434
00:27:54,433 --> 00:27:57,700
few of the students who went
through your program coming up,

435
00:27:57,700 --> 00:28:05,133
and both of them had obtained
employment post high school so

436
00:28:05,133 --> 00:28:09,100
it is really exciting to hear,
you know, that they're, you

437
00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:11,066
know, there's so many steps to
getting them ready and by their

438
00:28:11,066 --> 00:28:13,933
senior year, they're ready to
get into that job interview and

439
00:28:13,933 --> 00:28:17,900
go out there and, and see what
they can do and it sounds like

440
00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:21,466
from that there is a pretty high
success rate with students

441
00:28:21,466 --> 00:28:24,333
getting employment after high
school.

442
00:28:24,333 --> 00:28:26,533
Richard Weidner: Yeah, I think
having the opportunity is the

443
00:28:26,533 --> 00:28:31,466
biggest thing. You know, some
students have a number of

444
00:28:31,466 --> 00:28:34,933
limitations such as
transportation and figuring out

445
00:28:34,933 --> 00:28:38,400
how to help families navigate
through some of those things,

446
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,100
again, with some of the adult
service providers who may be

447
00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:47,666
able to make connections and
provide support, become heavily

448
00:28:47,666 --> 00:28:51,466
relied upon, I think for their
students to in order to take

449
00:28:51,466 --> 00:28:54,500
that next step and be
successful, whether it's in

450
00:28:54,500 --> 00:28:58,266
employment that's paid either
part time or full time. And some

451
00:28:58,266 --> 00:29:01,033
students are very content, and
families are content to have

452
00:29:01,033 --> 00:29:05,366
their students volunteer. They
may not be looking for six or

453
00:29:05,366 --> 00:29:09,133
eight hours of employment per
day. So breaking that up and

454
00:29:09,133 --> 00:29:11,700
again, chunking those things out
based on the student's needs

455
00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:15,900
might be an outcome that's
desirable for students outside

456
00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:17,266
of paid employment.

457
00:29:17,266 --> 00:29:21,366
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay. Great,
you really painted a clear

458
00:29:21,366 --> 00:29:24,800
picture of, you know, the whole
process from the beginning that

459
00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,300
trial and error and matching
students and then, you know,

460
00:29:28,300 --> 00:29:31,200
developing all those skills
providing the adaptations, which

461
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,733
really kind of falls into our
model of looking at who that

462
00:29:34,733 --> 00:29:37,800
person is, what environment are
they working in, what do they

463
00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:42,733
have to do and what tasks or
assistive technologies needed to

464
00:29:42,733 --> 00:29:46,866
complete the job. Um, so that's
happening at the school level,

465
00:29:46,866 --> 00:29:51,966
and it continues on as a
transition to adult services. So

466
00:29:51,966 --> 00:29:55,266
we thank you very much for being
here today and sharing a little

467
00:29:55,266 --> 00:29:59,500
bit about your program. And we
look forward to hearing from the

468
00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:02,466
students in the in the next
section here

469
00:30:02,466 --> 00:30:04,033
Richard Weidner: Thank you.

470
00:30:04,033 --> 00:30:04,200


471
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:09,700
Michelle? Hey everybody, it's Michelle Sparling from Networks.

472
00:30:09,700 --> 00:30:10,666


473
00:30:10,666 --> 00:30:15,200
We thought that we would have just a little bit of back and forth in the chat box - 

474
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,900
What are your thoughts on what you heard from Rich?

475
00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:21,833
So what are your thoughts on what you heard?

476
00:30:21,833 --> 00:30:29,833
[Michelle reads from the chat box] Wendy says, "Very motivating!"

477
00:30:29,833 --> 00:30:35,600
Is this something that some of you are already donig?

478
00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:41,833
Nancy Jo says she agrees with the job coach.

479
00:30:41,833 --> 00:30:49,833
Chris says, "Interesting that they mention volunteering as an option."

480
00:30:49,833 --> 00:30:55,300
Michelle: Hm mmm. Especially for transition - it's good experience.

481
00:30:55,300 --> 00:31:01,833
Vanessa says, "Yes, I'm doing a lot of what he discussed." Michelle says, "That's great."

482
00:31:01,833 --> 00:31:09,000
Cathy says, "I like the development of the soft skills building - 

483
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:15,133
their iPhone to communicate with a manager. Real good tools to develop paths to success!"

484
00:31:15,133 --> 00:31:21,200
Michelle: That's great - yeah, the iPhone has taken on a whole life to support everyone - 

485
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:26,933
not just people with disabilities - it's everyone. It's technology in our pocket.

486
00:31:26,933 --> 00:31:27,666


487
00:31:27,666 --> 00:31:34,333
Joe: We're gonna move on with the next set of interviews Tracy did with 2 of her students.
Joe: 

488
00:31:34,333 --> 00:31:34,966
Richard Weidner: Thank you.

489
00:31:34,966 --> 00:31:38,200
Tracy Lapreziosa: As you listen
to these interviews, think back

490
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:43,133
to the models and see where you
can see if you can determine if

491
00:31:43,133 --> 00:31:46,666
their experience took into
consideration who they were,

492
00:31:46,666 --> 00:31:49,533
what what their job tasks were
and what accommodations they

493
00:31:49,533 --> 00:31:49,600
needed. Next up, we have an
interview with Dane Soda. Hi,

494
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:50,366


495
00:31:50,366 --> 00:31:51,200


496
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:56,366
needed. Next up, we have an
interview with Dane Soda. Hi,

497
00:31:56,366 --> 00:31:58,300
Dane, how are you today?

498
00:31:58,300 --> 00:31:59,666
Dane Soda: Good, how are you?

499
00:31:59,666 --> 00:32:02,400
Tracy Lapreziosa: I'm great.
We're going to be talking with

500
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,066
Dave today about his experience
with job exploration and his

501
00:32:06,066 --> 00:32:09,566
current status with employment
and that journey that he's had

502
00:32:09,566 --> 00:32:13,466
to get there. So today let's
start out with first you know,

503
00:32:13,466 --> 00:32:16,733
tell us a little bit about
yourself.

504
00:32:16,733 --> 00:32:20,433
Dane Soda: So I'm a triplet, I
have a brother and sister. I'm

505
00:32:20,433 --> 00:32:25,500
also a huge sports fan. I like
the Eagles,  Phillies, Sixers

506
00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:32,233
and Flyers. And [my] brother and
sister are in college. My

507
00:32:32,233 --> 00:32:36,433
brother's in college and in
class right now and my sister's

508
00:32:36,433 --> 00:32:43,200
at Wilkes University so she's in
college so I've been the only me

509
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,433
and by myself [at] home, so.

510
00:32:46,433 --> 00:32:48,333
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay, so
you're at home and they're off

511
00:32:48,333 --> 00:32:52,566
at school, but you're you're
working and so we're going to

512
00:32:52,566 --> 00:32:56,300
talk a little bit about the job
exploration program and that

513
00:32:56,300 --> 00:32:59,366
started for you in high school.
Can you tell us a little bit

514
00:32:59,366 --> 00:33:03,766
about what your day was like at
school before you started the

515
00:33:03,766 --> 00:33:06,733
job exploration program?

516
00:33:06,733 --> 00:33:10,533
Dane Soda: So an old day looked
like was I had classes like all

517
00:33:10,533 --> 00:33:17,100
day. I didn't start like work
until  December of 2016 - that

518
00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:22,666
was in my sophomore year. So I
wanted to be a server so they,

519
00:33:22,666 --> 00:33:28,200
Mr. Weidner,  Mrs. Emerson, my
parents, myself, started started

520
00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:34,700
at a Chick-fil-A in Royersford.
First time there. I went back

521
00:33:34,700 --> 00:33:42,233
there my senior year for a
second stint. So

522
00:33:42,233 --> 00:33:46,366
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay, so you
started in 2006 now how did you

523
00:33:46,366 --> 00:33:49,466
find out about the work program
and what got you interested in

524
00:33:49,466 --> 00:33:51,200
it?

525
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:57,000
Dane Soda: Um yeah, my parents
were interested in working so

526
00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:02,100
we're going to the man, Mr.
Weidner was the guy that I'll be

527
00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:08,366
working with.  So he's my one
boss. So just started to start

528
00:34:08,366 --> 00:34:15,400
on December 6 2016. That was my
sophomore year and I started my

529
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,500
work for him. So

530
00:34:17,500 --> 00:34:19,800
Tracy Lapreziosa: So as part of
that work experience, you had

531
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,800
multiple places where you went
right and i know you wanted to

532
00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,200
be a server. So you went to
Chick-fil-A, but I think there

533
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:27,400
were some other places where you
went as well right?

534
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:32,266
Dane Soda: Yes, um Spring-Ford
Diner, Keller Williams, which is

535
00:34:32,266 --> 00:34:37,900
an office setting, Spring-Ford
5/6 Center, the Spring Valley

536
00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:45,166
YMCA. I also this past year
worked at GlaxoSmithKline as a

537
00:34:45,166 --> 00:34:51,666
Project SEARCH Intern student.
We had like two rotations, used

538
00:34:51,666 --> 00:34:58,000
to do three but we had to do two
because of the pandemic. My

539
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:03,466
first rotation I did - Global
Clinical Studies and Research &

540
00:35:03,466 --> 00:35:08,000
Development Tech, which is an
office setting. And then what I

541
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:13,166
did was I did data and research
development tech I did data

542
00:35:13,166 --> 00:35:20,133
visualization on Spotfire, data
entry, data inventory over

543
00:35:20,133 --> 00:35:26,266
there. And that's where we also
had a couple work Christmas and

544
00:35:26,266 --> 00:35:34,400
Halloween parties that we did
that. I did a I got to be a part

545
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:40,533
of the penal point game so I was
like the host for that one.

546
00:35:40,533 --> 00:35:47,066
Then my second rotation was um
meeting specialists and the

547
00:35:47,066 --> 00:35:51,166
fitness center means the meeting
specialists is when I walk

548
00:35:51,166 --> 00:35:55,600
around the whole campus I've got
all of building 4 for which is

549
00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:59,766
an old building, walk around
there, fourth floor to the first

550
00:35:59,766 --> 00:36:02,700
floor check out the meeting
rooms requirements see if

551
00:36:02,700 --> 00:36:08,266
they're they're nice and clean
and tidy. See if the chairs are

552
00:36:08,266 --> 00:36:13,066
pushed in. And then in the
fitness  center, what I did over

553
00:36:13,066 --> 00:36:17,533
there was I stocked towels,
cleaned the equipment, put the

554
00:36:17,533 --> 00:36:21,433
towels in the womens and mens
locker room.  That's all I what

555
00:36:21,433 --> 00:36:24,933
I did in the fitness center.

556
00:36:24,933 --> 00:36:30,900
Then this right now I'm working
at North Italia at King of

557
00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:35,233
Prussia so I’m doing what I'm
doing is, I'm a busser. Over

558
00:36:35,233 --> 00:36:40,533
there it's a part time job. They
work like five hours so I'm

559
00:36:40,533 --> 00:36:45,933
clocked out at four o'clock pm
when I'm done. What I do there

560
00:36:45,933 --> 00:36:53,000
is I am a busser. I clear and
clean tables. I fill the ice and

561
00:36:53,000 --> 00:37:00,300
soda for the customers, for the
bar and the soda machines. Then

562
00:37:00,300 --> 00:37:09,133
I roll the silverware, polish
silverware. I clean the

563
00:37:09,133 --> 00:37:14,233
bathrooms as well, womens and
mens.

564
00:37:14,233 --> 00:37:16,200
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you've
you've just given us a quick

565
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,333
history of like everything
you've done. Part of it through

566
00:37:19,333 --> 00:37:23,066
Mr. Weidner's program at a high
school with through the STEP

567
00:37:23,066 --> 00:37:26,533
program. And that Project SEARCH
was another program that you did

568
00:37:26,533 --> 00:37:30,066
your senior year. And now you're
in your your regular employment

569
00:37:30,066 --> 00:37:33,600
right now. But let's just step
back a little bit to when you

570
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:37,133
were in Mr. Weidner's program
and you had all those different

571
00:37:37,133 --> 00:37:41,100
rotations. Now was that to kind
of see what you liked and what

572
00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:43,800
you didn't like?

573
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:48,133
Dane Soda: Um, what I didn't
like was the Keller-Williams,

574
00:37:48,133 --> 00:37:53,700
the office setting cuz it wasn't
like a good fit. And then um

575
00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:57,600
Chick-fil-A, I worked it in my
second stint. I worked in the

576
00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:04,666
afternoons actually. And it was
good to be there. So I went to

577
00:38:04,666 --> 00:38:10,733
Spring Valley YMCA and the
Spring-Ford 5/6 Center. There

578
00:38:10,733 --> 00:38:14,500
was a possibility to  work at
the Spring-Ford Diner again. But

579
00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:18,166
Mr. Weidner said "No, try
something new.” So

580
00:38:18,166 --> 00:38:20,533
Tracy Lapreziosa: But it sounds
like your one of your favorite

581
00:38:20,533 --> 00:38:23,533
things to work was was as a
server you liked the

582
00:38:23,533 --> 00:38:26,833
Chick-fil-A. And then from
there, you went to your Project

583
00:38:26,833 --> 00:38:29,333
SEARCH (Dane: "Spring-Ford
Diner") and Spring-Ford Diner,

584
00:38:29,333 --> 00:38:32,000
right. (Dane: "Yes.") And then
and then from there you went

585
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:38,266
through the Project SEARCH which
was at GSK. (Dane: "Yes.") And

586
00:38:38,266 --> 00:38:41,400
you sounded like you did a
number of rotations there as

587
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,700
well to help you kind of explore
what you liked and what you

588
00:38:44,700 --> 00:38:49,100
didn't like and what part of
those rotations did you like the

589
00:38:49,100 --> 00:38:51,066
best?

590
00:38:51,066 --> 00:38:53,866
Dane Soda: So I liked the
meeting specialist and fitness

591
00:38:53,866 --> 00:38:57,000
center, cuz it’s alot of like
walking and moving. I know I

592
00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:04,533
walk and so did a part of that.
While I'm walking and moving on

593
00:39:04,533 --> 00:39:09,800
different floors and all of
that. So it was just building

594
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:19,700
four. Um, we had nurse Gita,
that did the whole campus. So I

595
00:39:19,700 --> 00:39:21,533
just did building four.

596
00:39:21,533 --> 00:39:23,333
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you like
that you were up and moving

597
00:39:23,333 --> 00:39:24,433
around a lot?

598
00:39:24,433 --> 00:39:25,266
Dane Soda: Yes.

599
00:39:25,266 --> 00:39:26,933
Tracy Lapreziosa: And yeah, I
know you're very social. So

600
00:39:26,933 --> 00:39:29,700
anything that has you like, out
there being able to chat with

601
00:39:29,700 --> 00:39:31,300
people is a good thing, right?

602
00:39:31,300 --> 00:39:32,533
Dane Soda: Yes.

603
00:39:32,533 --> 00:39:36,266
Tracy Lapreziosa: Um, but then
after you finished Project

604
00:39:36,266 --> 00:39:43,100
SEARCH, you started your own job
journey, you know, your own job

605
00:39:43,100 --> 00:39:45,966
search right. And you had a
number of interviews. You, it

606
00:39:45,966 --> 00:39:48,366
wasn't just one. You had a
number of interviews. You want

607
00:39:48,366 --> 00:39:51,433
to tell us a little bit about
the the interviews that you had

608
00:39:51,433 --> 00:39:55,300
and why you chose the one that
you chose?

609
00:39:55,300 --> 00:39:58,300
Dane Soda: My interview was my
first interview was at Olive

610
00:39:58,300 --> 00:40:04,266
Garden as a Host. Um, I don't
think that worked out well and

611
00:40:04,266 --> 00:40:10,533
then um yes I applied at Ursinus
College as a dining room

612
00:40:10,533 --> 00:40:17,466
attendant. It was between
Ursinus and a Nordstrom but

613
00:40:17,466 --> 00:40:28,100
North Italia came up and said um
Italia came up and said how good

614
00:40:28,100 --> 00:40:33,300
it's I went to orientation day
and then I interviewed over

615
00:40:33,300 --> 00:40:38,066
there. And then I went
orientation day then they just

616
00:40:38,066 --> 00:40:43,666
wanted to hire me um North
Italia's very nice people so I

617
00:40:43,666 --> 00:40:49,733
got hired over there. It was
between Ursinus and Nordstrom

618
00:40:49,733 --> 00:40:53,833
but North Italia came up and I
got the job over there so that's

619
00:40:53,833 --> 00:40:55,866
why I did.

620
00:40:55,866 --> 00:40:59,000
Tracy Lapreziosa: Awesome,
congratulations. Now can you

621
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,966
tell us a little bit about your
hours - like how much do you

622
00:41:01,966 --> 00:41:05,066
work? How did you choose those
hours? How did that, how did

623
00:41:05,066 --> 00:41:08,100
that come about for you?

624
00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:11,700
Dane Soda: So I've been working
daytime hours um but when I get

625
00:41:11,700 --> 00:41:15,000
used to it I might work like
Saturday hours, that's a

626
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:19,133
possibility. Saturday hours well
because there's nothing on

627
00:41:19,133 --> 00:41:25,266
actually. Baseball comes around
and now so anyways I  might work

628
00:41:25,266 --> 00:41:28,600
Saturday hours as a
possibility. I've been working

629
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:33,600
like weekdays on a Tuesday
through Friday like five hours

630
00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:38,266
so 11am to 4pm was a good for me
because I get [to] like sleep in

631
00:41:38,266 --> 00:41:42,400
a little, so.

632
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,666
Tracy Lapreziosa: So it fits
your schedule just perfectly.

633
00:41:44,666 --> 00:41:48,866
Dane Soda: Yes, but the Ursinus
job you have to get up like

634
00:41:48,866 --> 00:41:52,600
around and be there at like 7 in
the morning and may be done at

635
00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:55,166
11am.

636
00:41:55,166 --> 00:41:57,666
Tracy Lapreziosa: Yeah, so this
North Italia was a better fit

637
00:41:57,666 --> 00:42:02,533
for your for your schedule for
your sleeping preferences.

638
00:42:02,533 --> 00:42:02,933
Right?

639
00:42:02,933 --> 00:42:04,600
Dane Soda: Yeah.

640
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:08,666
Tracy Lapreziosa: Would have
been for mine too. What are some

641
00:42:08,666 --> 00:42:13,433
of the things about North Italia
that you really like?

642
00:42:13,433 --> 00:42:18,800
Dane Soda: Um, so many people,
very nice people. Get to talking

643
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:24,100
a little bit, you know. Oh and
now is my sixth week going in

644
00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:28,333
this week. I really like it so
far. I'm getting used to the

645
00:42:28,333 --> 00:42:34,700
days there. So this is my sixth
week going to it this week.

646
00:42:34,700 --> 00:42:37,566
Tracy Lapreziosa: Great. And
then I also just one other

647
00:42:37,566 --> 00:42:43,000
question for you, Dane. What
would your dream job look like?

648
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,600
What are you? What do you you
know? What are your dreams for

649
00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:50,000
the future? What other jobs
might you want to try?

650
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:53,133
Dane Soda: So I might do a
flight attendant because me and

651
00:42:53,133 --> 00:42:58,266
my family all love to travel. We
go to like um Florida, Disney

652
00:42:58,266 --> 00:43:03,600
World. We have a timeshare down
there. So we didn't go this year

653
00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:08,533
because of what's going on right
now with the pandemic. So, we

654
00:43:08,533 --> 00:43:11,800
were supposed to go on two
vacations this year: the cruise

655
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:18,666
of Bayonne and then um, Florida
but we cancelled that. So we're

656
00:43:18,666 --> 00:43:21,866
going to do that next year. So,

657
00:43:21,866 --> 00:43:25,400
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay, so
flight attendant, and then just

658
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:28,833
looking back at the jobs that
you've had and what you want to

659
00:43:28,833 --> 00:43:33,366
do. Did you need any type of
accommodations as you were going

660
00:43:33,366 --> 00:43:35,766
through those jobs? Was there
anything that was a little bit

661
00:43:35,766 --> 00:43:39,433
difficult and your job coach or
Mr. Weidner helped you to kind

662
00:43:39,433 --> 00:43:42,566
of problem solve and come up
with a different way of doing

663
00:43:42,566 --> 00:43:44,866
things?

664
00:43:44,866 --> 00:43:48,966
Dane Soda: So Mrs. Musselman was
my job coach at the Spring-Ford

665
00:43:48,966 --> 00:43:53,566
diner, um, she kind of like
helped me through it. I got Mr.

666
00:43:53,566 --> 00:43:59,500
Fisher and Mrs DeMittis, Mrs
Barthe, they kind of like helped

667
00:43:59,500 --> 00:44:00,666
me through this.

668
00:44:00,666 --> 00:44:06,233
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you've had
a job coach throughout your job

669
00:44:06,233 --> 00:44:09,500
exploration and you had, did you
have a job coach through Project

670
00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:10,700
SEARCH as well?

671
00:44:10,700 --> 00:44:15,000
Dane Soda: We had two actually
that he checked on our other 9

672
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:19,666
students, so we had 9 students.
So we have like three, one's

673
00:44:19,666 --> 00:44:26,200
like a teacher and two  are job
coaches. So two had to go check

674
00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:30,000
on people, see how they're doing
and all that, so

675
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:34,400
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay. And then
in your current employment now,

676
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:38,000
um, which I see one  I mean one
accommodation that you kind of

677
00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:40,766
made for yourself is picking a
job that has the hours that you

678
00:44:40,766 --> 00:44:44,400
like, and that helps you to have
the best energy to work but are,

679
00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,000
do you have any accommodations
at the job you're at now at

680
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:51,233
North Italia? Do you have a job
coach? Do you have any, anything

681
00:44:51,233 --> 00:44:52,700
that's going to change how you
do it?

682
00:44:52,700 --> 00:44:55,366
Dane Soda: I don't have a job
coach. I just work on my own

683
00:44:55,366 --> 00:44:59,466
most of the time and so.

684
00:44:59,466 --> 00:45:04,366
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay. Is there
anything that come comes up

685
00:45:04,366 --> 00:45:07,700
that's challenging for you? And
would you know, at the job and

686
00:45:07,700 --> 00:45:11,066
if it does, what do you do?

687
00:45:11,066 --> 00:45:16,600
Dane Soda: So last week, I was
getting the box and as my time

688
00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:22,466
knows, last week I broke a wine
glass, wine glass so so I had to

689
00:45:22,466 --> 00:45:27,600
clean this all up so I told
like, the manager. So cleaned,

690
00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:32,600
cleaned, the wine glass up, just
one though. So nothing like  too

691
00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:37,466
serious, but I didn't even cut
myself so I just cleaned it up,

692
00:45:37,466 --> 00:45:41,400
and someone helped me. And food
service talked to me, so that

693
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:45,133
was it. that was Like last week?

694
00:45:45,133 --> 00:45:47,133
Tracy Lapreziosa: Yeah, we've I
think we've all broken a glass

695
00:45:47,133 --> 00:45:51,500
or two, whether it's at home or
at a job. So yeah, it's kind of

696
00:45:51,500 --> 00:45:54,300
a rite of passage, I guess.
Especially in the restaurant

697
00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:55,100
business.

698
00:45:55,100 --> 00:46:00,100
Dane Soda: Yeah, we use plates,
glass, wine glasses or got

699
00:46:00,100 --> 00:46:07,366
plates are glass so need to be
very careful with that so.

700
00:46:07,366 --> 00:46:10,433
Tracy Lapreziosa: So do you
adjust the amount that you carry

701
00:46:10,433 --> 00:46:12,633
in order to...?

702
00:46:12,633 --> 00:46:16,533
Dane Soda: I basically am
cleaing tables and cleaning them

703
00:46:16,533 --> 00:46:20,400
and sweeping the floor. So
basically I’m doing that.

704
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:27,200
Sometimes get the ice in the
back. That’s been it, you know.

705
00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:31,933
That’s what I'm doing at North
Italia. And the bus top from the

706
00:46:31,933 --> 00:46:37,700
bar to the back where dishwa-
your dishwasher washes them. So

707
00:46:37,700 --> 00:46:40,066
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you've had
just some minor accommodations

708
00:46:40,066 --> 00:46:43,033
along the way, mostly with a job
coach and people just helping

709
00:46:43,033 --> 00:46:45,866
you out and as you went and kind
of with your scheduling as well

710
00:46:45,866 --> 00:46:50,200
to make it at a time when it
works best for you. And now your

711
00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:53,500
dream job of being a flight
attendant. And I think there was

712
00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:58,333
another aspiration you had to
that you thought you might like

713
00:46:58,333 --> 00:46:59,200
to do.

714
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:04,233
Dane Soda: Sports broadcaster
was one because you know I like

715
00:47:04,233 --> 00:47:08,300
the Eagles, and they lost
yesterday, but the Phillies lost

716
00:47:08,300 --> 00:47:11,766
just as well. So the Phillies
lost yesterday with the bad news

717
00:47:11,766 --> 00:47:17,766
so that the Cowboys won the last
second. So nothing bad. So.

718
00:47:17,766 --> 00:47:19,700
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you're
always up on sports. And I

719
00:47:19,700 --> 00:47:22,866
always I read your posts and all
your updates on all the sports.

720
00:47:22,866 --> 00:47:27,633
So that's great. So I think you
have some, some good ideas there

721
00:47:27,633 --> 00:47:30,366
for the future. It sounds like a
flight attendant might be a good

722
00:47:30,366 --> 00:47:34,233
match too because you enjoy
travel. And you, I don't know if

723
00:47:34,233 --> 00:47:38,366
you can pick your hours for that
or not. But But anyway, I

724
00:47:38,366 --> 00:47:44,733
appreciate your spending time
talking with us today and giving

725
00:47:44,733 --> 00:47:47,566
us a little bit of an insight
into your journey through the

726
00:47:47,566 --> 00:47:52,066
job exploration in high school,
your senior year and your your

727
00:47:52,066 --> 00:47:58,166
transition into employment and
your dreams for the future. And

728
00:47:58,166 --> 00:48:01,633
thank you so much Dane for
joining us today.

729
00:48:01,633 --> 00:48:01,966
Dane Soda: Yeah.

730
00:48:01,966 --> 00:48:04,133
Tracy Lapreziosa: And good luck
to you in the future.

731
00:48:04,133 --> 00:48:08,133
Dane Soda: Thank you.

732
00:48:08,133 --> 00:48:11,566
Tracy Lapreziosa: Next up is
Chandler Balch. And Chandler is

733
00:48:11,566 --> 00:48:15,800
going to share his story about
his experiences with job

734
00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:19,633
exploration and employment
beyond high school. So welcome,

735
00:48:19,633 --> 00:48:22,933
Chandler. If you could give us a
little bit of a background about

736
00:48:22,933 --> 00:48:25,833
who you are and what your
hobbies and interests are. That

737
00:48:25,833 --> 00:48:27,400
would be a great start.

738
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:31,266
Chandler Balch: Thank you for
having me today. My name is

739
00:48:31,266 --> 00:48:39,800
Chandler Andrew Balch. I am 24
years old, and I like to use the

740
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:45,966
iPad and watch a lot of movies.

741
00:48:45,966 --> 00:48:49,266
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay, you were
part of a job exploration

742
00:48:49,266 --> 00:48:53,400
program in high school. Can you
tell us a little bit about that?

743
00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:56,300
Like, what was your school day
like before you started the

744
00:48:56,300 --> 00:48:59,900
program? And then how did it
change as you moved into the job

745
00:48:59,900 --> 00:49:01,533
exploration?

746
00:49:01,533 --> 00:49:05,600
Chandler Balch: The job
exploration program, if you

747
00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:10,033
didn't know is called the STEP
program or the transitional

748
00:49:10,033 --> 00:49:18,466
planning program. My day before
I started the program was as

749
00:49:18,466 --> 00:49:27,566
follows: I would go to school,
get off the bus. And then my one

750
00:49:27,566 --> 00:49:34,633
on one instructional assistant
would help me throughout my day

751
00:49:34,633 --> 00:49:43,666
completing my schoolwork using a
mixture of an iPad and a school

752
00:49:43,666 --> 00:49:48,100
issued laptop.

753
00:49:48,100 --> 00:49:50,366
Tracy Lapreziosa: And then when
you transitioned to the work

754
00:49:50,366 --> 00:49:53,200
program, how did that change?

755
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:56,500
Chandler Balch: Then after I
transitioned to the work

756
00:49:56,500 --> 00:50:03,566
program, I would go through my
day. And then after lunch, I

757
00:50:03,566 --> 00:50:11,533
would get on school issued
transportation and go to the job

758
00:50:11,533 --> 00:50:16,533
site that I was meant to go to
that day.

759
00:50:16,533 --> 00:50:19,700
Tracy Lapreziosa: Can you share
with us what some of those job

760
00:50:19,700 --> 00:50:23,166
experiences were as part of that
program?

761
00:50:23,166 --> 00:50:30,466
Chandler Balch: I had two job
experiences. I, through the

762
00:50:30,466 --> 00:50:37,433
Montgomery County Intermediate
Unit, I was able to volunteer at

763
00:50:37,433 --> 00:50:42,600
a nursing home, talking and
interacting with the residents.

764
00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:53,700
And through the Arc Alliance, I
was able to write a blog for a

765
00:50:53,700 --> 00:51:00,266
disability advocacy
organization.

766
00:51:00,266 --> 00:51:03,366
Tracy Lapreziosa: Can you tell
us a little bit about what your

767
00:51:03,366 --> 00:51:06,966
job responsibilities were at
each of those at that... Let’s

768
00:51:06,966 --> 00:51:09,766
start out with the nursing home.
What were your job

769
00:51:09,766 --> 00:51:15,600
responsibilities there? And did
you need any accommodations?

770
00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:18,800
Chandler Balch: The job
responsibilities there was

771
00:51:18,800 --> 00:51:23,433
talking to the residents and
making sure they had

772
00:51:23,433 --> 00:51:29,833
companionship. And the other
job... And the accommodation for

773
00:51:29,833 --> 00:51:35,566
that is I did have my one-on-one
instructional assistant, who

774
00:51:35,566 --> 00:51:43,366
would shadow me and make sure I
was safely moving around. Okay.

775
00:51:43,366 --> 00:51:45,966
Tracy Lapreziosa: And then your
other job exploration was at the

776
00:51:45,966 --> 00:51:48,733
Arc and you did mention a blog.
Can you tell us a little bit

777
00:51:48,733 --> 00:51:52,966
about the blog and and how you
were able to go about writing

778
00:51:52,966 --> 00:51:57,833
that, what technology you used?
What was what was the goal of

779
00:51:57,833 --> 00:51:59,066
the blog?

780
00:51:59,066 --> 00:52:07,266
Chandler Balch: I was able to go
on writing a blog by using at

781
00:52:07,266 --> 00:52:14,766
first a tower computer, then a
laptop and Dragon

782
00:52:14,766 --> 00:52:20,566
NaturallySpeaking which is a
text to speech software, where

783
00:52:20,566 --> 00:52:26,600
if you dictate something it will
if you dictate something it will

784
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:33,800
type it into a document which I
was then able to send off to my

785
00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:41,233
head teacher to be edited.

786
00:52:41,233 --> 00:52:43,766
Tracy Lapreziosa: And after your
teacher edited it, who was

787
00:52:43,766 --> 00:52:46,766
responsible for posting it, were
you able to post it or did it go

788
00:52:46,766 --> 00:52:50,533
to your supervisor at the Arc?

789
00:52:50,533 --> 00:52:53,933
Chandler Balch: It went to my
supervisor at the Arc.

790
00:52:53,933 --> 00:52:59,166
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay. What
other projects or

791
00:52:59,166 --> 00:53:02,666
responsibilities did you have at
the Arc?

792
00:53:02,666 --> 00:53:09,733
Chandler Balch: I was also able
to advocate on behalf of direct

793
00:53:09,733 --> 00:53:16,866
support workers for minimum wage
in places like Harrisburg and

794
00:53:16,866 --> 00:53:27,766
Washington. I did that for four
years. I had a I had a visuals

795
00:53:27,766 --> 00:53:33,866
that I would bring along with me
that would uh, would explain the

796
00:53:33,866 --> 00:53:37,600
story I was talking about.

797
00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:40,900
Tracy Lapreziosa: Now, did you
actually travel to Harrisburg

798
00:53:40,900 --> 00:53:44,466
and Washington or was it done
virtually?

799
00:53:44,466 --> 00:53:47,666
Chandler Balch: I did actually
travel to Harrisburg and

800
00:53:47,666 --> 00:53:56,200
Washington. How I got
transported there was mainly a

801
00:53:56,200 --> 00:54:03,233
family member but sometimes the
school would provide transport,

802
00:54:03,233 --> 00:54:09,600
mainly my grandparents would
provide on that transport. So I

803
00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:18,366
would be transported via... I
would be transported via my

804
00:54:18,366 --> 00:54:26,266
grandparents. And they would
they would pick me up in my

805
00:54:26,266 --> 00:54:34,366
handicap-accessible van and then
I would do and then I would be

806
00:54:34,366 --> 00:54:38,033
transported back to school.

807
00:54:38,033 --> 00:54:40,566
Tracy Lapreziosa: So your job
experiences through the high

808
00:54:40,566 --> 00:54:44,366
school they gave you some
experience with blogging and

809
00:54:44,366 --> 00:54:48,900
self advocacy and advocating for
others as well. Now when you

810
00:54:48,900 --> 00:54:51,700
finished high school, what was
the next step for you? What was

811
00:54:51,700 --> 00:54:54,766
the next thing that you did to
gain employment?

812
00:54:54,766 --> 00:54:59,666
Chandler Balch: Well, when I
finished, when I finished high

813
00:54:59,666 --> 00:55:08,700
school, I was able to get get a
job through a company called

814
00:55:08,700 --> 00:55:19,266
Ken's crew and Home Depot.
They're there, Ken’s crew’s

815
00:55:19,266 --> 00:55:25,000
whole mission is to help you
successfully succeed  in the

816
00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:32,233
job. One of the one of the most
interesting days, and give me

817
00:55:32,233 --> 00:56:06,933
give me a second I have a
picture of it, was when I

818
00:56:06,933 --> 00:56:18,200
actually got to hold a bird at
when I came into work one day.

819
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:19,800
Tracy Lapreziosa: Very
interesting. How did the bird

820
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:24,433
come to be in Home Depot? Did it
come in with a customer?

821
00:56:24,433 --> 00:56:29,666
Chandler Balch: He came in with
a customer, yes.

822
00:56:29,666 --> 00:56:33,800
Tracy Lapreziosa: Very cool.
Now, I see that you're in your

823
00:56:33,800 --> 00:56:36,800
computer and you have looks like
you have your iPad in front of

824
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:39,566
you on the computer Like what?
What were your job

825
00:56:39,566 --> 00:56:43,400
responsibilities? It looks like
you were traveling around the

826
00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:45,900
store, what was your job
responsibility?

827
00:56:45,900 --> 00:56:52,200
Chandler Balch: I was traveling
around the store doing helping

828
00:56:52,200 --> 00:57:02,366
customers find what they need
using using my iPad.

829
00:57:02,366 --> 00:57:06,866
Tracy Lapreziosa: So you would
look up the inventory to see if

830
00:57:06,866 --> 00:57:09,366
it was there or where it was
located. Is that what you're

831
00:57:09,366 --> 00:57:10,000
doing?

832
00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:10,766
Chandler Balch: Yes.

833
00:57:10,766 --> 00:57:14,500
Tracy Lapreziosa: Okay. Very
cool. Did you have any other job

834
00:57:14,500 --> 00:57:18,633
responsibilities or other
adaptations that you used,

835
00:57:18,633 --> 00:57:21,533
besides the iPad on the job?

836
00:57:21,533 --> 00:57:27,600
Chandler Balch: No. No, I did
not.

837
00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:30,666
Tracy Lapreziosa: I think that I
mean, that's a great job. I know

838
00:57:30,666 --> 00:57:32,900
whenever I go into Home Depot,
it's always great to have

839
00:57:32,900 --> 00:57:35,266
somebody who can like answer
those questions for you when

840
00:57:35,266 --> 00:57:39,566
you’re to trying to look for
things. Was that a job that you

841
00:57:39,566 --> 00:57:42,533
really enjoyed?

842
00:57:42,533 --> 00:57:48,566
Chandler Balch: Yes, but
unfortunately, COVID-19 and a

843
00:57:48,566 --> 00:57:57,533
few other things, caused me to
have to leave the job.

844
00:57:57,533 --> 00:58:01,166
Tracy Lapreziosa: So what's next
on horizon for you you have

845
00:58:01,166 --> 00:58:07,433
anything in the works or
aspirations for the future and

846
00:58:07,433 --> 00:58:10,100
for future employment?

847
00:58:10,100 --> 00:58:13,366
Chandler Balch: Give me one
second. And I'll get back to

848
00:58:13,366 --> 00:58:27,900
you. And then I will answer the
question.

849
00:58:27,900 --> 00:58:32,666
There we go. Sorry I had to get
back to you. So I can see your

850
00:58:32,666 --> 00:58:40,166
face when I'm talking to you.
But my aspirations for future

851
00:58:40,166 --> 00:58:50,266
employment is I'm writing a book
with my cousin, Kathleen Brown.

852
00:58:50,266 --> 00:58:56,633
And we are writing a book on how
to how to interact with a person

853
00:58:56,633 --> 00:59:10,733
in a wheelchair. This person in
a this person teaching children

854
00:59:10,733 --> 00:59:17,766
how to interact with a person in
a wheelchair. So the message of

855
00:59:17,766 --> 00:59:22,966
the whole book is basically
we're all the same inside, no

856
00:59:22,966 --> 00:59:28,766
matter how we get around. And
how I got to that was a lot of

857
00:59:28,766 --> 00:59:33,900
the times kids come up to me and
they say, “what's wrong with

858
00:59:33,900 --> 00:59:40,966
you?” Well, I wanted to answer
that question in many different

859
00:59:40,966 --> 00:59:45,033
forms, enough many different
formats that they can

860
00:59:45,033 --> 00:59:51,300
understand, including a
multimedia presentation that I

861
00:59:51,300 --> 00:59:57,166
would eventually travel around
the schools and give.

862
00:59:57,166 --> 01:00:02,233
Tracy Lapreziosa: So your future
it looks like it's promoting

863
01:00:02,233 --> 01:00:07,600
your book and by doing some
public speaking?

864
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:10,500
Chandler Balch: Yes.

865
01:00:10,500 --> 01:00:16,466
Tracy Lapreziosa: That sounds
great. Are there any other

866
01:00:16,466 --> 01:00:19,066
aspirations or things that you
would like to do in the future

867
01:00:19,066 --> 01:00:22,866
besides writing a children's
book is that something like more

868
01:00:22,866 --> 01:00:26,100
children's books or you have any
other goals or aspirations for

869
01:00:26,100 --> 01:00:27,700
the future.?

870
01:00:27,700 --> 01:00:35,700
Chandler Balch: Um, I like to
know pretty much running,

871
01:00:35,700 --> 01:00:40,533
writing a children's book and
running my own business, I’d

872
01:00:40,533 --> 01:00:45,800
like to turn, I'd like to turn
the public speaking into some,

873
01:00:45,800 --> 01:00:49,733
something I can do fulltime.

874
01:00:49,733 --> 01:00:52,166
Tracy Lapreziosa: Right. It's
always great to become an

875
01:00:52,166 --> 01:00:58,000
entrepreneur. So we’d like to
thank you very much for sharing

876
01:00:58,000 --> 01:01:04,366
your story today, of your your
travels or journeys through the

877
01:01:04,366 --> 01:01:08,100
job exploration program and into
employment and into your current

878
01:01:08,100 --> 01:01:11,500
pursuits with the book and
public speaking. So thank you

879
01:01:11,500 --> 01:01:15,100
again for joining us and sharing
your story.

880
01:01:15,100 --> 01:01:18,600
Chandler Balch: You're welcome.
And always remember, it only

881
01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:24,600
takes one person to change the
world.

882
01:01:24,600 --> 01:01:27,166
Tracy Lapreziosa: After we had
our interview, Chandler sent me

883
01:01:27,166 --> 01:01:31,233
a few photos that he wanted me
to include today. And the one

884
01:01:31,233 --> 01:01:34,500
photo is a picture of him and
his wheelchair reaching up at

885
01:01:34,500 --> 01:01:38,000
the time clock at Home Depot.
And the other picture is a

886
01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:42,066
picture of him with his cousin,
who is writing the book with

887
01:01:42,066 --> 01:01:47,800
him. So good luck to Chandler.
Good luck to Dane and thank them

888
01:01:47,800 --> 01:01:50,666
both, I thank them both for
sharing their stories with us

889
01:01:50,666 --> 01:01:54,700
today. I hope that you were able
to see how each of these young

890
01:01:54,700 --> 01:01:57,933
men and their employment
transitions fit into the

891
01:01:57,933 --> 01:02:01,900
frameworks that we talked about.
And to just keep those

892
01:02:01,900 --> 01:02:04,733
frameworks in mind whenever
you're supporting someone,

893
01:02:04,733 --> 01:02:06,833
whether it be on the job or
whether it be at home. So thanks

894
01:02:06,833 --> 01:02:08,400
whether it be on the job or
whether it be at home. So thanks

895
01:02:08,400 --> 01:02:11,133
again for joining us today for
today's presentation

896
01:02:11,133 --> 01:02:13,500
“Transitions to Employment” and
have a great day.

897
01:02:13,500 --> 01:02:17,500
So unfortunately, I don't think we're going to have enough time to go into breakout rooms,

898
01:02:17,500 --> 01:02:21,500
but I figured we could probably have this conversation for the next couple of minutes

899
01:02:21,500 --> 01:02:25,733
right here with everybody.

900
01:02:25,733 --> 01:02:31,933
So the questions posed to you guys before you got the interviews started - 

901
01:02:31,933 --> 01:02:32,100


902
01:02:32,100 --> 01:02:38,666
Did the experience of Dane and Chandler take in consideration who the students were - 

903
01:02:38,666 --> 01:02:40,666
what were their job tasks? 

904
01:02:40,666 --> 01:02:43,733
What accommodations were put in place for each student?

905
01:02:43,733 --> 01:02:47,733


906
01:02:47,733 --> 01:02:54,533
[reading chat] Jessica says people support support - soft AT.

907
01:02:54,533 --> 01:02:58,333
Wendy shares this was a great session.

908
01:02:58,333 --> 01:03:06,333
Cheryl shares "It only takes one person to change the world" - what a great quote!

909
01:03:06,333 --> 01:03:12,566
[Joe nods head] I should point out he wanted to make that perfect,

910
01:03:12,566 --> 01:03:18,933
 we actually recorded that a couple of times. He recorded that a couple of times.

911
01:03:18,933 --> 01:03:26,333
He did a couple takes of that - he really wanted to make sure that was the key.

912
01:03:26,333 --> 01:03:33,733
Vanessa responds: You know, I would also - if I had the opportunity to speak with him - 

913
01:03:33,733 --> 01:03:40,566
encourage him as a budding author. You know, I wouldn't want that to go, um,

914
01:03:40,566 --> 01:03:45,200
by the wayside. It won't, because it's something that he's working on.

915
01:03:45,200 --> 01:03:50,333
But, that is another realm outside of - and within - becoming an entrepreneur.

916
01:03:50,333 --> 01:03:56,233
You know, we don't want to just scoop that into just entrepreneurship, because that

917
01:03:56,233 --> 01:04:01,933
could get kind of lost when you're talking who he is and how great he can become.

918
01:04:01,933 --> 01:04:06,700
You know, you definitely want to boost him up in that area also, as a budding author.

919
01:04:06,700 --> 01:04:10,800
You know, even though he's writing the book with his cousin, still - 

920
01:04:10,800 --> 01:04:14,400
it's from his first-person perspetive and experience.

921
01:04:14,400 --> 01:04:18,733
You know, it's a work that's coming from him - his mindset.

922
01:04:18,733 --> 01:04:24,966
so yeah, I would definitely hone in on that, and put that on his list as possibilities

923
01:04:24,966 --> 01:04:30,166
desired interests, and areas of greatness in the future.

924
01:04:30,166 --> 01:04:32,233
Joe: Thank you, Vanessa.

925
01:04:32,233 --> 01:04:36,666
Nancy Jo shares, "I want a copy of the book when it's finished."

926
01:04:36,666 --> 01:04:41,466
Kris Rhood says they took into account who the students were.

927
01:04:41,466 --> 01:04:47,333
Justin shares, "Great level of independence and life-quality value for both people.

928
01:04:47,333 --> 01:04:54,266
It was great to see the level of social interaction with each with others."

929
01:04:54,266 --> 01:05:00,266
I really like how the school took into account that he wants to write.

930
01:05:00,266 --> 01:05:05,200
It seems like that's a passion of his. I mean he's looking to writing a book now,

931
01:05:05,200 --> 01:05:08,866
but things he was looking into in high school - they made sure they put in technology, 

932
01:05:08,866 --> 01:05:12,500
with Dragon Naturally Speaking to be able to write that blog.

933
01:05:12,500 --> 01:05:17,533
And that's now allowing his to write a book with his cousin.

934
01:05:17,533 --> 01:05:25,500
It's pretty cool, to transition from little stuff to a bigger piece, and going where they're at.

935
01:05:25,500 --> 01:05:30,333
For me it struck me even when editing the video - this is Diane at Networks - 

936
01:05:30,333 --> 01:05:38,000
and I was like he really IS a public speaker - he is VERY MUCH a speaker!

937
01:05:38,000 --> 01:05:44,433
Anybody - any last comments anybody? Beth?

938
01:05:44,433 --> 01:05:46,433
What's it say Diane?

939
01:05:46,433 --> 01:05:50,400
It sounded as if Chandler continues to have many supports from iPad, 

940
01:05:50,400 --> 01:05:55,166
one-on-one assistant on the job, managers, Dragon software, 

941
01:05:55,166 --> 01:05:58,700
to family and school in his journey to success.

942
01:05:58,700 --> 01:06:05,366
I also liked for me how people honored Dane when he said, "I'm not a morning person."

943
01:06:05,366 --> 01:06:08,433
He said, "I don't want to work it." You know?

944
01:06:08,433 --> 01:06:12,433
I loved that he was able to say, "Not happening!"

945
01:06:12,433 --> 01:06:16,433
Joe: It's so key for people to realize that. Some little stuff like that - it's awesome!

946
01:06:16,433 --> 01:06:17,300


947
01:06:17,300 --> 01:06:20,600
I want to thank you guys for joining us today. 

948
01:06:20,600 --> 01:06:24,066
Again - have a fabulous Thanksgiving, and we'll see you next week.

949
01:06:24,066 --> 01:06:28,066
The Networks' team would like to thank you for attending this session.

950
01:06:28,066 --> 01:06:36,933
We hope you've enjoyed it. [musical interlude]

951
01:06:36,933 --> 01:06:40,066


952
01:06:40,066 --> 01:06:44,066


953
01:06:44,066 --> 01:06:48,066


954
01:06:48,066 --> 01:06:48,632