By Kim Brown

When William was three, he used to spend hours playing with a turquoise Hot Wheels car. Because he had verbal/oral apraxia (a communication difficulty), he couldn’t make the “vroom vroom” noises little kids typically do as they pretend to drive. That didn’t stop him from racing his toy across the furniture and floors. He’d even prop the tiny vehicle up and “work” on its die cast engine.

In 2002, William joined the Graduate to Work project, a collaborative venture between the Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) and The University of Montana Rural Institute. Through this Montana Council on Developmental Disabilities-funded project, William and his team, led by MCPS Transition Coordinator Sue Furey, completed a Vocational Profile, held an Employment Planning Meeting, and created a picture Marketing Portfolio. This process helped him identify his many employment-related interests. He really liked working on cars, jeeps, and trucks and had experience helping maintain and repair family-owned vehicles. William also wanted to work in food service, specifically to run his own business.

He had past experience in the food service industry working with Dogs on the Run, a school-based business enterprise. William decided that this mobile hot dog and sausage cart needed a companion cotton candy machine. William and his job developers solicited and received donations from the Rural Institute, Griffin-Hammis Associates, Shadow’s Keep, and Dogs on the Run. He then used the donations to purchase his “Catch a Cloud” cotton candy machine. Big Sky Restaurant Supply, a local food product distributor, sold William necessary supplies at cost and even allowed William to pay his bills as he earned profits from the machine. Under the supervision of Dogs on the Run staff, William sold cotton candy on summer Wednesdays at Missoula’s Out to Lunch. He also sold cotton candy at local craft shows and special events. William’s parents and friends were a huge support system. His dad made a cart to hold the machine and its supplies and his dad’s co-worker fabricated a metal sign for Catch a Cloud. William’s mom transported the machine to Caras Park each week. She stayed to help for the first two weeks, but after that William informed her that her assistance was no longer needed.

When summer ended, Colleen Koch from MontanaWorks (an adult employment service provider) was funded by Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to develop and conduct a paid work assessment for William at Subway. Although he was able to perform the job duties, he wasn’t particularly interested in the work. This lack of interest made the job less than enjoyable and consequently William did not completely apply himself. However, the 40 hours he spent on the job provided valuable information to William and his team about his interests and contributions.

After William completed his assessment at Subway, Colleen contacted Karl Tyler Chevrolet (a business that was identified in his Employment Planning Meeting) and set up an appointment to discuss a second paid assessment opportunity. At this appointment, William presented his own picture Portfolio. Sandy Tyler, co-owner, was so impressed with what she saw that she agreed to allow William to join her team to help VR learn more about his job skills and support needs.

William’s duties involved preparing brand new vehicles for the showroom floor. This included removing protective plastic wraps, detail-cleaning the interiors and exteriors, and applying dealer name stickers to the rear bumpers. William excelled at his responsibilities. According to his supervisor, “He’s a natural. He knows what he’s doing.” He arrived at work on time every day, ready to perform the tasks assigned to him. William’s employer indicated that if he continued to perform as well as he had thus far, there was a very real possibility he’d be hired as a regular employee when his paid work assessment ended. On February 23, 2004, this came to fruition when Karl Tyler’s offered William a permanent position. He worked 10 hours per week until he graduated, and then asked for and received an increase to 20 hours per week.

As with any new endeavor, challenges arose but they were successfully handled as a team. For example, William needed Carhartts and other work clothes. His mother, Colleen, and VR staff ensured he was able to purchase the necessary items using VR funding. Because William doesn’t drive, transportation between work and school during the school year required lots of juggling and coordinating. Now that William has graduated, he can carpool with his mom, walk, or ride his bike to work from home.

The natural support from William’s Karl Tyler supervisors and co-workers has been amazing. He is trained for new tasks and treated just like any other employee. Because William learns quickly by watching others, his supervisor is able to expand his duties and rely on William to complete his tasks competently and well. William’s attitude toward his work is wonderfully positive. When his shift finishes each day, he tries to find excuses to avoid having to leave. He grins from ear to ear when asked about his job and can describe with expertise and confidence what his work entails. William recently used some of his earnings to purchase a Karl Tyler baseball cap, which he wears whenever he possibly can. Co-workers have invited William to barbecues and other social gatherings. William’s mom marvels at her son, the young man who once played with a tiny toy car and is now handling $56,000 top-of-the-line vehicles for a respected, long-time local business. “He’s steering his own future,” she says with tears of pride in her eyes.

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Collaborative Funding And Team Roles - Who Did What?

VR:

Family:

Information about the employment strategies (Vocational Profile, Employment Planning Meeting, and Picture Portfolio) can be found on the Rural Institute’s Transition Projects web site http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/transition/. A main objective of the Graduate to Work project has been to formalize agreements between schools and adult agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation and MontanaWorks to promote cross-agency funding and support of student transition from school to work. William’s story is a wonderful example of the outcomes we hope to achieve for students by blending resources and supports.