Charlie’s Story – A
Teacher’s View
Sue Furey, Transition Coordinator
Missoula Public Schools

When the school transition staff first met with Linda Thompson in the fall of 2002, we felt like we already knew her son Charlie. Linda and Tori, Charlie’s Comprehensive Developmental Center (CDC) Family Support Specialist, had collaborated the previous spring to produce his Vocational Profile. Charlie’s vocational team had already identified a number of businesses we could contact for job development. Team members were involved in the discovery process and Profile writing from beginning to end, offering those of us who were new to the customized employment process excellent real-world training.

One of the businesses identified where Charlie could make a contribution was the University of Montana College of Technology bookstore. Our first step was to schedule a tour to complete a Job Match Index. This tool helps job developers determine whether the conditions of the workplace match the needs (identified during discovery) of the student. We found the bookstore to be a welcoming, friendly place to work. Employees appeared to enjoy working with the public and socializing, and they were expected to complete a variety of tasks. All of these workplace attributes met with Charlie’s ideal conditions.

Next we set up a meeting with the bookstore manager, Debie Leitzke. She was receptive and interested in learning more about Charlie’s potential contributions. We brought Charlie’s Portfolio, a picture resume that includes tasks the employee can perform, to present to Debie. Since this was our first time developing a job using this tool, we weren’t sure how it would be received. We were pleased to see Debie following the presentation with obvious interest and thinking about how Charlie’s skills could benefit her business. When we finished reviewing the Portfolio, Debie immediately identified two critical needs Charlie could meet: price scanning new books at the beginning of each semester and vacuuming the stocking area and store floor each day. Since price scanning is only done four times per year and vacuuming is done daily, Debie told us that she’d like to hire Charlie to vacuum.

Charlie started a temporary job at the bookstore in December 2002. He earns $7.00 per hour. Charlie’s job coach, Sally, is also his school paraeducator. Sally gained job coaching skills by attending Systematic Instruction training hosted by the University of Montana Rural Institute on Disabilities. During this training, she learned how to break down job tasks so they could be taught quickly, efficiently and well to workers with all levels of disabilities. Before Charlie started, Sally spent several days at the bookstore learning the job duties and the way Debie wanted them performed. Sally then broke the duties down step-by-step in order to teach Charlie. This helped ensure he would be competent and able to meet his employer’s expectations.

Now after he arrives at school each morning, Charlie and Sally walk to the bookstore and Charlie goes to work. Sally monitors his performance daily and is available to provide supports as needed. Charlie has seized the job challenge and performs his duties systematically and well. He is enthusiastic about going to work and enjoys his bookstore coworkers. Charlie plans to take vacation time this summer during the bookstore’s quiet season. Then he hopes to return just in time for fall semester and its requisite book purchases!

This job placement could never have happened without the collaboration between Charlie, his mom, his CDC Support Specialist, school and Rural Institute on Disabilities staff, and the manager of the bookstore. It is truly a model in how working together and customizing employment can lead to exciting opportunities for students with disabilities.

Home Page | Customized Employment | SSA | Self-Employment
Collaborative Funding | Articles & Products | Training Calendar
Completed Projects | Staff | Other Links | The Rural Institute