Transition in the Bitterroot Valley
By Wendy Holmes, Transition Project Coordinator
Bitterroot Valley Education Cooperative
A Montana Rural Employment Initiative
Demonstration Site
THE BITTERROOT VALLEY EDUCATION COOPERATIVE is one of four sites participating in the first year of the Montana Rural Employment Initiative (MREI). The Cooperative provides related services, such as speech and occupational therapy services, to students with disabilities in six school districts located in rural Ravalli County in western Montana. Each of the member districts is working to improve school-to-work transition outcomes for students with disabilities. Most of the high schools have programs to help students identify and participate in employment options as a component of their course work. However, creating employment options, supports and skills for students with severe disabilities in this rural area presents challenges to the teaching staff, families, and students alike. In response to this need, the project with the Cooperative focuses on enhancing the skills and abilities of schools to develop employment options for students with severe disabilities as a component of their transition plans.
Three school districts are participating in the project, Stevensville, Victor and Darby. A team of special education teachers and para-professionals from each district identified at least one high school student who wanted to develop opportunities to gain work experience or paid employment while in school. Ultimately four students were identified. Two of the students have previous experience with the world of work, either through a work internship for credit or informal summer work. The remaining two students have very limited experience with the idea or possibilities of the work world.
The teaching staff attended workshops during the spring of 1998 to prepare them with skills for their roles as job developers and employment consultants during the summer. Workshop topics included: techniques for job development, job coaching, job carving, and creating supports for persons at the place of employment. Summer was identified as the time to concentrate on developing work opportunities for the students. Unfortunately, as is often the case with a school year calendar, most of the teachers and para-professionals who participated in the training were not available over the summer months to work with the students. Consequently, late in the school year two para-professionals were trained to coordinate job services for the students during the summer and early fall. Only three of the four students received services over the summer. They live in Stevensville and Darby and required a diverse approach to their programs.
C.H. is a student who has autistic-like characteristics due to a neurological condition diagnosed after birth. He is now 17 years old and has been completing informal jobs at school with support through the resource room curriculum. He is essentially non-verbal and extremely limited in his practical communication with school staff and others in his environment. He is unable to write, use a communication board, or other augmentative communication devices. He does use Facilitated Communication techniques, but only with his mother and a family friend. Additionally, C.H. is often uncomfortable in different environments and sometimes attempts to leave or indicates his discomfort with loud noises and disruptive behavior.
With the exception of his school jobs, C.H.
and his family had not seriously considered employment as an option
after graduation. To begin the process, C.H.’s employment
interests and skills were identified through a series of meetings
using a person-centered planning approach. Through Facilitated
Communication at the meetings, C.H. indicated that he wanted to
work at a job where he could help other people. The team agreed
that a reasonable first step would be to set up a series of job
shadowing sites for C.H. over the summer to give him more experience
in the world of work outside of school. When potential employment
sites in the small town were mentioned, C.H. would indicate his
willingness to consider a visit to that business. Plans were developed
to establish a minimum of six job shadowing sites for C.H. to
visit for up to two hours each to observe the work being done.
The job coordinator arranges the visits with the employers, accompanies
C.H. on the visits and gathers information from him about his
observations and preferences. This information will guide the
school team in further job and curriculum development early in
the 1998-99 school year.
T.H. is a 17-year-old student with developmental delays. Previously,
he had a summer job moving irrigation pipes with his family. This
past school year he learned word processing skills and enjoys
using the computer. His resource room teacher determined he needs
the support of spelling and grammar software to realistically
use his word processing skills for employment. T.H. and his family
are interested in identifying employment that draws upon his new
computer skills or skills he can continue to use after graduation.
His job coordinator is identifying several job sites for potential
part-time employment. Additionally, she will provide job coaching
and train fellow employees to offer natural supports as needed.
J.H. is 16 years old and uses a power wheelchair for mobility.
She has very limited physical movement and voluntary speech. Additionally,
she has medical needs that require access to a nurse or trained
family members at all times. This past spring she received a new
communication system that includes a lap top computer, software,
and head laser pointer. When J.H. is proficient with this system,
it will be the first time she is fully able to communicate with
others at school and home. Of the three students, J.H. has the
least experience with the idea of work. In her planning meetings,
she indicated an interest in working with children or computers.
Her summer program will include job shadowing visits to employers
both within her interest areas and in new employment fields. Her
coordinator will help her identify the work being done at each
site and assess her interest in the various jobs. The job shadowing
will be completed during two-hour blocks when the school nurse
is available at the school. Throughout the summer, J.H. will be
using her new communication system to explore the world of work
with the support of the job coordinator and speech therapist.
All of these efforts will enhance not only the transition plans
of the individual students but also give the schools guided experience
in developing successful job experiences for students with special
needs.