Presented by Sandra Montoya, NM LEND Parent Leader Trainee

Employment Options for

Individuals with I/DD

Identifying the Problem

• Inconsistent information about employment for

individuals with intellectual and developmental

disabilities (I/DD)

• Families often do not know or understand:

• That people with significant disabilities CAN work

• What help is available

• The options for employment

• The process for getting a job and keeping that job

Initial Research About Employment

• School-to-Work Transition Guide

• Met with staff from Partners for Employment

• Suggested the product for my capstone be a video

• Didn’t feel I was knowledgeable or comfortable enough for video

• Referred to online job training modules

• Researched Supported Employment, Customized Employment,

Discovery, Self-Employment, Microenterprise, Microbusiness,

etc.

Gathering Information

• Observed an interview regarding the unmet needs of

the Library

• Different methods for finding and keeping a job, based on preferences and unmet needs of a employer/business

• Interviewed Transition Specialist from El Dorado

High School

• Informally ask other parent

friends what they knew about

employment

Online Research

• 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - 19.1% of those

with a disability are employed, compared to 65.7% of

those with no disability

• There are programs to help

people with disabilities find

and keep a job

• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

• Workforce Solutions

• School Transition Programs

• Waiver Employment Supports

• Not a lot of information that is easy for families to

understand

Systematic Instruction Workshop

Participated in 2-day workshop – My takeaways included:

• “If you can breathe, you can work”

• Just because someone has “behaviors” does not mean

they cannot work

• “Systematic” means breaking down the steps

• Learned about Task Design,

Task Analysis and Cues

• It’s all about individualizing the

teaching strategy

What Product Would Help?

• Easy to use and accessible to families and individuals

with I/DD

• Accessible online or on paper

• Easy to understand

• Teaches jargon and acronyms used by

professionals in the field

• Gives a starting point – who to contact

• Included LOTS of examples!

Developing the Product

• Worked with the CDD Information Network to develop

a tip sheet for families

• Website with over 65 tip sheets that are often accessed by families and community organizations

• Tip sheets are often taken in paper form to outreach events

• Tip sheets are available in paper form in the CDD Library

• Able to work with Faculty Mentor to develop tip sheets

Challenges in Developing the Product

• Format of tip sheet template

• Distilling the important information down to one page

• Teasing out the differences in employment approaches

• Deciding on what examples & videos to include

• Defining the jargon or language used by professionals

• Software – Apple, Open Word, Google Docs, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vhBSqnGDZU

Feedback & Dissemination

• Disseminated and got feedback from advocates at the

CDD’s Information and Referral (I&R) meeting

• CDD Programs such as Medically Fragile Case Management, Information Network, Autism Programs, etc.

• The Arc of NM, Partners for Employment

• Centennial Care MCOs

• Children’s Medical Services

• Advocacy organizations

• Ask for feedback from teachers, other family members,

other LEND trainees, Partners for Employment staff

Next Steps

• Plan to disseminate tip sheet to families at Ellen Reavis

Walk for Autism on 4/27/19

• Employment tip sheet will be included on the

Information Network website and disseminated at

outreach events and Transition Fairs

• Plan to personally share tip sheet with organizations

such as NM DDPC, The Arc of NM, and my school’s

transition specialist

What I Learned

• Employment for individuals with I/DD is complex

• Too many families are unaware of employment options,

supports and ways to keep benefits

• Words or terms I thought I knew what they meant, mean

something different in this field

• People with significant disabilities CAN work!

• Job tasks can be broken down into smaller tasks and taught

in a systematic manner that is very successful

• When someone works, they feel included and a part of their

community

References

• CDD Information Network website and tip sheets including Division of Vocational

Rehabilitation, Microenterprise, and Accessible Transportation.

http://www.cdd.unm.edu/infonet/tip-sheets.html

• School-to-Work Transition Guide, A Resource for Families of New Mexican Youth with

Disabilities Transitioning to Work and Adulthood. A collaboration Between UNM CDD

Partners for Development, Parents Reaching Out, and NM DVR.

http://www.cdd.unm.edu/pfe/pdfs/school-to-work-transition/school-to-work-transition-

guide.pdf

• Partners for Employment Training Modules http://www.cdd.unm.edu/pfe/college-

employment-services2.html

• Persons with a Disability 2018 Current Population Survey (CPS) (Division of Labor Force

Statistics). Retrieved from

https://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/DOL_ODEP_2018_Briefing_with_notes_ODEP.pdf

References Continued

• Cornell University 2012 Disability Status Report Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S.

(2014). 2012 Disability Status Report: New Mexico. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University

Employment and Disability Institute(EDI). Retrieved from

http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/StatusReports/2012-PDF/2012-StatusReport_NM.pdf

• Flexer, T. J. (2005,2002, pp.330-335, pp. 360-387). Transition Planning for Secondary

Students with Disabilities Second Edition . Sadle Rier: Person Prentice Hall.

• Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt image found

https://peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/March_1994_comic_strips

https://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/DOL_ODEP_2018_Briefing_with_notes_ODEP.pdf

Questions?

Thank you!