Daisy’s Story
A Group Journey of Discovery
By Kim Brown and Don Dubuque,
Transition Project Coordinators

Background - The Team Gets Stuck
Daisy is an 18-year-old 2003 graduate of St. Ignatius High School in the Mission Valley. While she was still in school, Daisy was busy with her classes, friends and family, cheerleading, church, and several work experiences. Although she was nearing her last year, little emphasis was placed on developing a plan for what her day would look like after she exited school. She assisted her mom, Agnes, at her Tribal Health job on several occasions; she worked in the school office delivering items to teachers, answering the phone and helping people with various needs; she had two brief job shadow experiences at St. Luke’s Hospital in Ronan; and she folded towels and cleaned brushes and combs at the Town and Country Beauty Salon. Daisy was selected to participate in the WISER Transition Project (a U.S. Department of Education Grant directed by the Rural Institute on Disabilities) through her school. A transition planning team was formed, consisting of Daisy, her parents, her Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Counselor, her teacher and paraeducator, and the WISER Project Coordinator. Team members completed the Discovery process and, using what they had learned about Daisy, developed a Vocational Profile and Employment Portfolio. In May 2002, the team held an Employment Planning Meeting to further identify Daisy’s preferences, contributions, and ideal working conditions. This information would be used to develop her first paid job and help guide what her employment would resemble after she graduated. They also specified local business that most closely matched Daisy’s employment desires and needs.

Due to circumstances beyond Daisy’s control, not much happened over the next year with respect to her transition planning. Staff responsibilities were shifted, and in May 2003, members of Daisy’s new transition team panicked. She was due to graduate in three short weeks and was nowhere near having paid employment secured nor were the necessary supports for after school in place. Team members were all new to the WISER process and confused about who should be doing what. Don Dubuque (the new Rural Institute Project Coordinator) realized that it didn’t really matter who took the lead, but Daisy needed someone to focus on her transition and quickly! All of the team’s activities had to be focused on creating the outcome of transition- a real paid job in the community, with the supports in place that Daisy needed to maintain the job. Daisy’s team met the next day and, as the first order of business, addressed the question, “Who’s in charge?” To move forward, someone needed to facilitate and break the standstill. Jason Sargent, St. Ignatius High School Principal, accepted the challenge and the responsibility by saying, “Just tell me what you want me to do.” He recognized the urgency of the situation, supported transition as a priority, and was excited to play an active role in implementing the Customized Employment Model.

Team members agreed on basic principles, such as that the goals were as much independence as possible for Daisy and having Daisy contribute as fully as she was able. Honesty was critical, as was the fact that Daisy was eager for the challenge and her job coach, Kelly Glover, was ready as well. (Kelly hadn’t previously worked with Daisy but knew her from school.) Only by functioning as a team and drawing on one another’s strengths would it be possible to accomplish all that needed to be done in the few short weeks before graduation.

New Work Opportunities - On the Road Again
In order to give Kelly and Daisy some experience working together, and to revisit employment for Daisy, the team of Kelly, Don and Jason went to see Caroline, the supervisor of the school cafeteria. Caroline knew and liked Daisy so she started brainstorming options of job tasks. She suggested having Daisy serve children their ketchup to prevent them from taking too much and being wasteful. Daisy could also draw on her previous beauty salon experience by folding line towels, kitchen towels and aprons. The team agreed and Daisy started work on May 20th for 1½ hours per day. Kelly provided job coaching. Daisy had been used to a one-to-one aide in school and had come to greatly rely on the aide. Consequently, Kelly had to continually gently remind Daisy, “It’s not my job---it’s your job.” Daisy learned quickly and did her job well. Caroline said, “She saved us a gallon of ketchup in two days!”

Realizing this work experience was just one of many concurrent steps Daisy could be taking toward a successful transition, and since paid community employment was the goal, her team also approached the manager of Rod’s Harvest Foods, Jim Fargher. (Rod’s was one of the top businesses on the prioritized list developed at Daisy’s Employment Planning Meeting.) Jason made the initial contact and set up an appointment to meet with Jim on May 21st. Jason began the meeting by making the purpose clear. (He now says, “It was nice to be able to sit down and visit about Daisy without telling the employer we needed him to hire her. It was more about negotiating an arrangement to benefit both Daisy and Rod’s.”) Next, Don presented the Portfolio to mentor Kelly for next time (so she could see which parts to emphasize). During the course of the presentation, Jim shared that two years earlier, Daisy had told him she was going to work for him. He had kept this in the back of his head but was never quite sure how he’d make it work. The Portfolio showed him how she could contribute to his store and reassured him that with supports, Daisy could do everything his other employees were expected to do. Jim was so impressed with Daisy’s potential contributions that he hired her on the spot and he asked if she could start on June 2nd. Although they were excited about the offer, Daisy’s team asked that the date be held open so they could interview and present Daisy’s Portfolio at a couple other places. They wanted Daisy to be able to choose which job opportunity to accept.

Jason moved to the next employer identified during Daisy’s planning meeting, S and K Electronics. He set up the meeting, during which he provided the introductory remarks and Kelly presented the Portfolio. They toured the building with manager Stacy Keene and discussed several small jobs the business needed to have done. However, based upon what they knew about her from Discovery, Jason and Kelly recognized the tasks didn’t meet Daisy’s conditions. Although it wasn’t a good job match for Daisy, the business might just be a perfect fit for a future student so it was a worthwhile contact.

The third employer Daisy wanted her team to approach was St. Luke’s Hospital. Jason scheduled a meeting with Theresa Jones in Personnel. On June 29th, Jason gave the introduction, Don explained WISER more fully, and Kelly presented Daisy’s portfolio. (Don later provided private feedback to Kelly on her presentation, a crucial step in his mentoring process with her.) Team members shared with Theresa that St. Luke’s was Daisy’s dream job. In fact, she’d been wearing a St. Luke’s smock for years! The hospital didn’t currently have any openings, but Theresa asked that they leave Daisy’s Portfolio so she could share it with Betty Sieges, the Activities Director at St. Luke’s Nursing Home.

A Real Job - Things Are Rolling Right Along!
Daisy decided to accept the job offer with Rod’s Harvest Foods. Kelly picked up a regular take-out employment application and the I9 and W4 forms from Jim. Agnes completed the paperwork for Daisy and Daisy started working two hours each day Monday through Friday. The school paid Kelly to be Daisy’s job coach until July 1st, then VR provided funding for Montana Works (a local community rehabilitation provider) to continue job coaching. Montana Works contracted with Kelly to continue Daisy’s support.

Initially, Kelly was with Daisy every second at work, teaching and troubleshooting. From reading Daisy’s Vocational Profile, though, Kelly knew Daisy could quickly become dependent on having a high level of support. Kelly kept reminding herself and Daisy of whose job it really was, and she started the work of fading job coaching almost immediately. Now she stays just out of sight but Daisy knows she’s there. “I’m here for you if you need me, but let’s see what you can do.” Kelly checks in with Daisy every ½ hour. She watches how Daisy handles crises and problems and provides assistance only when absolutely necessary. In Kelly’s words, “Job coaching is about observing for problems, pinning them down, then helping the person to resolve them.” Kelly has seen Daisy become better and better at problem solving. For example, when Daisy used to drop something or need help picking something up which was beyond her reach, she wouldn’t ask for assistance. Then her confidence increased to the point where she was willing to ask a few select people to help. Now if she drops something, she’ll ask any coworker to lend a hand.

When Daisy started at Rod’s, she was used to having 10-15 minute breaks every 10-15 minutes (based on her school experiences). For the first two days at Rod’s, she asked for these frequent breaks at work. Kelly explained that most employees only take breaks every couple/few hours, but left the choice up to Daisy. Daisy chose to keep working. Now she doesn’t even ask about her breaks. The key is that it was her choice and that the expectations placed on her were like those placed on all other employees.

Challenges - Every Road Has Bumps
As with any new job, there were minor issues to resolve when Daisy started. For example, Daisy has days when her concentration is less focused because of her disability. Don reminded everyone that the fewer exceptions made for Daisy, the more likely she’d make a positive contribution and the longer she’d probably stay employed. Don also reminded team members that during the Portfolio presentation, they had promised Jim they’d do things in the same way he had other employees do them. They wanted to honor this commitment. Also, they didn’t want to erode Daisy’s pride by having her treated differently than the rest of the staff. To refrain from asking Jim to make lots of exceptions, while still respecting Daisy and her unique needs, Don asked Kelly to document the occurrence of these days so the team could determine Daisy’s support needs and build in natural supports where necessary.

Transportation has also proven to be a challenge. The family van has no wheelchair lift and Daisy’s electric chair is quite heavy. Consequently, the chair was loaded once, taken to Rod’s Harvest Foods, and now it stays there all the time. This means Daisy loses the use of her electric wheelchair except when she’s at work. Tribal Health gave her a ramp, but it makes her sit too high in the van and creates a danger. Collaboration will provide the solution to this problem. VR will authorize Montana Works to write a PASS plan, the purpose of which is to shelter wages to buy a van wheelchair lift. WISER Project Student Support Funds may also contribute $500 toward the cost. The family will also look to CDC (the family support program) for funds.

Recently, Don talked with both Agnes and Kelly about “letting Daisy go” (i.e., further fading the job coach support). “What does she need to do so that you don’t have to be there? How can you work yourself out of a job?” Daisy is ready for her job coach to leave the picture because she can do her job independently and well. With input from the team, Kelly designed a phase-out plan that should take 2-4 weeks.

Rewards - Is the Journey Worth It?
As a result of her employment experiences, Daisy has blossomed. She takes new steps toward independence every day. For example, for weeks Daisy relied on her mother to bring her money for snacks. Then, at Kelly’s suggestion, Daisy bought a fanny pack and now she carries money, lip balm, and other necessities with her on her wheelchair. Sometimes Daisy invites Kelly or other friends to lunch. Together they decide where they’ll eat, and Daisy pays for her own meal with her earnings. Daisy says she “likes to help people and to get paid.” Agnes recently purchased a signature stamp, which will allow Daisy to sign and cash her own paychecks. Daisy troubleshoots for herself at work, and is becoming more and more adept at creating solutions. Agnes is pleased to see Daisy “getting out, being independent, and being treated like the rest of the employees.” As Kelly and Don both emphasize, “Daisy shows increased competence in large part because her team expected competence. Expectations are key.”

The Future - Where Do We Go from Here?
Rod’s is a good job match with Daisy’s ideal conditions of employment, but St. Luke’s is her dream job. It might allow an opportunity for even more contribution on Daisy’s part.

After reviewing her Portfolio, Betty Sieges offered Daisy a customized work experience as Assistant Activities Director at St. Luke’s Nursing Home. She’ll work 2-5 hours per week starting August 20th. VR will fund Montana Works (who will hire Kelly) to provide job coaching; Daisy’s wages will be paid by VR for the trial period; and Agnes will receive reimbursement for fuel to transport Daisy to and from Ronan for the experience. The goal is for Daisy to learn the ropes and increase her chances of being hired for a customized job. She still loves working at Rod’s, and if her wishes come true, Daisy will be a paid employee at both Rod’s Harvest Foods and St. Luke’s. She thanks her parents and the school staff for helping her obtain and retain work she enjoys and finds rewarding.

The Journey of Discovery - Words of Wisdom

• The team approach is vital, and agencies need to be invited players because of the resources they can bring.
  
• Possess and project a sense of confidence in the tools, the people, and the process. Draw on past successes. Be passionate. Share your excitement. Believe it will work.
  
• Keep the communication doors wide open. Be trustworthy.
  
• Remember that parents are important team members…make this apparent.
  
• Attend relevant training sessions and always be open to new ideas.
  
• Never take away an individual’s independence. Allow people to experience responsibility and success.
  
• Expect maturity and capability. As Don says, “How do you know someone is capable if they’re never given the chance?”
  
• Agnes cautions, “Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare for transition. Make sure families are educated early on about other available resources.”
  
• “Quick fixes” don’t work; the customized employment process does.
  
• Make the most of a student’s time in school; reinforce work ethics and competencies that reflect the expectations of adult work environments.

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