Building Capacity Through Fading

By Sue Sherman and Winifred West, Employment Specialists
Billings Training Industries

Billings Training Industries (BTI) has been assisting people with developmental disabilities to find community employment for about twelve years. BTI serves people with intensive medical or behavioral challenges. Our employment specialists had successfully placed several of the people we serve in community jobs, but because of the staff time involved in these placements, the BTI employment specialists felt that we did not have enough staff time available for additional individual placements. Thanks to the Rural Institute's Montana Consumer Controlled Careers Project, BTI was able to build its capacity to place more individuals in community jobs. Rural Institute trainers helped us find more staff time by fading the supports we provided the people who were already working in the community.

Anna

Anna is one example of a person whose supports we were able to fade as a result of our Rural Institute training. Anna had been employed at Goodwill Industries for approximately two years. The work setting proved to be very compatible for Anna. Her peers were friendly and Anna was included in social functions. She received all benefits that other workers received. Yet Anna had behavior problems at times and was not successfully meeting her work quota. Because of these problems, an employment specialist worked by her side her 100% of the time.

Dave Hammis of the Rural Institute explained the concept of fading Anna's supports to BTI staff. The employment specialist would begin fading away, gradually reducing the amount of time spent with Anna, and simultaneously reducing the support Anna received. It seemed like a good time to implement this idea because the Goodwill store was moving to a new location and the change in Anna's work location could parallel the change in her supports. After discussing Anna's situation and sharing a plan to fade Anna's supports with her Goodwill work supervisor, the employment specialists began leaving Anna at her workstation with "natural" assistance for short periods. The periods were gradually increased in length and Anna's support was faded until 100% fading was achieved. With the fading and the work environment change, Anna's behaviors decreased significantly.

With the idea of fading in mind, BTI's support for several other people in community jobs was reevaluated. Employment specialists were able to fade 100% of some people's BTI supports, while others had their supports restructured to allow them a greater degree of unassisted work time. Restructuring supports meant Daisy could deliver her newspapers without one-on-one supervision. Lorenzo now goes to work on the city bus without any staff present during his shift.

Not all of the people we serve can have 100% of their BTI supports faded, but many can rely on the supports other workers utilize. Because of their intensive challenges, some supports may always be necessary. But good job matches, our commitment to maximum service to our consumers, and approaching each new work situation with minimum assistance in mind, has helped us increase the capacity of our supported employment program to help more individuals succeed in community jobs.