mg&a marc gold & associates discovery: finding the passion to facilitate successful...

MG&A

Marc Gold & Associates

Discovery: Finding the Passion to Facilitate Successful Employment

The touchstone of customizatio

n: Who is this

person?

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Marc Gold & Associates4101 Gautier-Vancleave Rd. Ste. 102, Gautier, MS 39553 (228) 497-6999

People’s lives are complex, so let’s discover

Discovery: to gain insight or knowledge of something previously unseen or unknown; to notice or realize; to make known, reveal, disclose

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What we usually know about the people we try to assist

We need to know much more

The Iceberg Analogy of Discovery

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The role of discovery

Discovery provides, in a non-traditional, common-sense form, the information needed to determine the strengths, needs, and interests of any person with complex life issues.

This is accomplished by simply

addressing the question, “Who is this person?”

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Discovery and Customization

These are compatible concepts that are used sequentially to facilitate employment for individuals who might otherwise not achieve employment.

Discovery provides the foundation information for individuals that is then used to customize a position with an employer.

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Need for Discovery

Too often, approaches to person-centered planning presume that having the right people participate in a plan is sufficient to “know” the individual.

Discovery is often assumed, we think “what we see is what they’ve got.”

Information on an individual is often disjointed, different people have different parts of the “puzzle.”

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Discovery allows us to determine who the applicant is, their complexities, and potential contributions to employers.

Discovery Process

Responsibilities

Challenges

Transportation

Complexities

Hobbies

Skills

Interest Areas

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Discovery and Traditional Assessment

Discovery seeks to identify already-existing information rather than developing information solely for the purposes of evaluation.

Identifying a direction for employment is based on information obtained from the person's entire life and not from an instance of performance.

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The discovery process focuses more on ecological validity than predictive validity. It is more important that the direction to employment makes sense in relation to a person's life than to attempt to predict success based on test performance.

The information of discovery is used only as a guide for matching and customization and may not used to systematically exclude a person from employment.

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The use of discovery frees the individual from the necessity of taking standardized or norm-referenced tests to prove their readiness. Readiness to begin work is assumed for all applicants.

The profile strategy seeks to empower and involve applicants, their families and friends rather than to exclude them. Natural, common sense approaches to employment are given priority over strategies which rely solely on professional judgment and service.

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Approaches to Discovery

Discovery can either be: 1. Facilitated by someone else,

typically an employment professional

Who is he?

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2. Part of a group experience

These guys will

help me

discover

myself

It’s a two way street

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3. Accomplished through “self-discovery”

Individuals can “paint” their own picture of who they are.

Who am I?

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Who is Marci?

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The assistance she needs for mobility

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Transportation assistance

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Family supports

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How we know what she doesn’t like

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Picking up her medicine

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Applying for a debit card

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Meeting the Starbucks manager

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When is Marci “present?”

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The tools of Facilitated Discovery

The tools of facilitated discovery can be intuitive and informal, but they are also the time-honored tools of qualitative researchers: interview and conversation, observation and time together, review of existing information and organization of newly discovered information.

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Strategies for Facilitated Discovery

Conversation

Interview

Time together

Observation

Participation with the applicant in activities both familiar and novel

Finally, Review of records

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Additional Strategies for Facilitated Discovery

When above strategies are not sufficient:

Structured situational assessments or discrepancy analyses

Targeted evaluations to answer specific questions

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The “Who” of Discovery

The person of concern

Their family and loved ones

Close and trusted friends

Neighbors with good relationships

Professionals who care Counselors Teachers Doctors Service providers

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The “Where” of Discovery

Home: Discovery starts where relationships start – at home

Neighborhood Local Community

Places where the person is “most who they are”

School One-stop center Outdoors/

Recreation

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The “What” of Discovery

Routines Relationships Responsibilities Challenges Associations Friendships Possible employers Shops and Services

Tasks Solutions Connections Education Location Life performance The best aspects

of the person

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Discovery strategies…The individual’s home:

1. Set a time to visit the individual’s home with parents and family available.

2. Before or after the meeting, drive throughout the immediate neighborhood for a radius of about 1/4 to ½ mile noting relevant dimensions.

3. Meet with the individual and his/her parents or representatives at their home. The meeting should last from ½ hour to 1½ hours. Permission should be obtained, first, before visiting.

4. Return to the individual’s home (2 -4 times) for additional information, unstructured conversation, observation and interviews.

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Discovery strategies…

Interviews with family, staff and others:

1. Interview selected staff who have provided the person of concern with instruction and support.

2. Contact advocates, neighbors and close friends of the individual to gain information concerning the person’s social life, skills, preferences and connections.

3. Have both structured and informal conversations with the individual, as appropriate, to determine their perspectives.

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1. Focus on the individual of concern for observation as he/she participants in routine aspects of classroom activities.

2. Hold a group sharing experience with peers that generates positive comments

3. Implement a “unit” approach on discovery for students in the classroom

4. Enlist the assistance of fellow staff and administrators to offer perspective on the individual.

Discovery in school and human service programs

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Observations and participation in the neighborhood and community:

1. Observe the person in a sample of the activities – school, home & community -- that comprise the majority of his/her day.

2. Accompany the person on planned community activities, both familiar and novel.

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For Jenni’s job, we were led by her enjoyment of helping her dad stuff envelopes

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We learned that Sal enjoyed people and made them comfortable, even with his technology and his significant disability

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We learned that Marci was “present” when her body was still and that she was still when hearing music

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We learned that Glen and Otto insisted on working together. We also learned that Glen was “attached” to afternoon Soap Operas and that Otto rarely awoke before 11:00 AM.

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We discovered Larry waited for the mailman every day at three o’clock…

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We discovered Katherine made and served coffee at all family gatherings…

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We discovered the men in Robert’s family were all woodworkers…

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We discovered that Kevin had always dreamed of being a club DJ…

mg&a marc gold & associates discovery: finding the passion to facilitate successful...

Documents

information of discovery

role of discovery discovery

foundation information

existing information

successful employment

persons life

different people

persons entire life