coaching & natural supports employment services & innovations indiana vocational...

Coaching & Natural Supports

Employment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Hiring People with Disabilities

Makes Good Business Sense!

Good performance

Good safety record

No impact on medical & insurance costs

An ethical, socially responsible thing to do

Large, untapped labor pool

Lower turnover

Reduced recruiting costs

Fewer absences


Outreach to the Disability Community

Walgreens

Project SEARCH

Hyatt

Bottom-line Impact

Matching the Lowe’s Culture

Diversity Values


Business Benefits

Increased Diversity

New Customer Niche Group

Increased Brand Loyalty

Improved Community Relations

Risk Reduction/ADA Compliance

Reduced Recruiting Costs

Reduced Training Costs

Reduced Turnover

Tax Credits

Other Incentives


Disability Etiquette

Smile and be friendly

Use a normal tone of voice

Talk to the person with the disability—not to his aide, coach or sign language interpreter.

If talking with a person in a wheelchair, sit or kneel to be at eye level.


Disability Etiquette, cont.

Follow same first/last name convention you use for everyone else present

For people with cognitive disabilities:

Speak clearly.

Avoid excess words. Be specific and direct.

Ask only one question at a time.

Wait for a response.Employment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Theory of Mind

What if I don’t know that you have a mind separate and different from my own?

What if I don’t realize that you are a unique individual in your own right?

What if I don’t realize that you have my interests at heart and want to offer me the benefits of your own experiences and thinking and ability?

What if I don’t know that you experience things differently from me?


How to Aid Understanding

Visual supports

Social Stories

Talk Less

Allow for wait time (use silence)

Keep it concrete and straightforward

Do not use sarcasm or abstract

phrasesEmployment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Understanding the Differences

1. Receptive Language

2. Social Communication

3. Visual Learners


Understanding the Differences, cont.

4. May process world in a narrow, intense, detailed manner

5. Sensory processing

6. May be prompt-dependent


General Support Strategies

Determine communication message of behavior



Understanding the Purpose of the Behavior

Structure

Social Communication

Sensory

Behavior

General Support Strategies

Use visuals

Tell the employee what to do instead of what not to do


General Support Strategies, cont.

Provide models of what to say

Is there a way for the worker to ask for help/clarification/break?



Identify how task will be motivating for the worker

Slow down



Give time to respond

Keep directions brief



Use work/break routines

Be specific: clear beginning—middle—end

Teach it right the first time


Strategies for Organization

Daily individual schedule

Monthly or long-term schedule

Individual work system

Schedules within schedules

Lists


Strategies for Organization, cont.

Physical structure of work area

Teach “Length of Time”

Adjust the level of spoken language

Use shorter sentences for directions

Enhance oral directions with written information


Problem-Solving Strategies

Visuals

Coaching

Theory of Mind

Teachable Moments/Natural Experiences


Typical Supervisor Concerns

Additional supervision

Loss of productivity

What if it doesn’t work out?

Am I stuck forever paying a sub-standard employee?

How to effectively communicate with employees with disabilities


Supervision Strategies

Not required to lower quality or standards for any employee

Communicate your expectations with all employees

Workers with disabilities need feedback just like other employees

UPS 3-year study of employees with disabilities


Supporting a New Hire

Help the person learn about personalities

Provide pointers about information, such as breaks, dress, and coffee

Teach special work language

Check to make sure person understood; ask them to repeat instructions

Be yourselfEmployment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Supporting a New Hire, cont.

Introduce yourself and make the person feel welcome

Introduce the new employee to co-workers

Show the individual where things are located and review policies/procedures

Invite the person to join you and others for breaks and lunch


Emotions

Be consistent with your interactions

Help to discriminate between good-natured teasing and when someone is angry or upset

Explain expectations for jobs or routines


Emotions, cont.

Help the individual, and yourself, not to overreact to a situation

Give criticism privately

Ask person what you can to do help; suggest a break


Creating Mutual Respect

Encourage co-workers to respect the skills and abilities of all employees.

Remember that the new person was hired because he or she has the skills to do the job


Social Considerations

Work is also an important social enterprise

It is important to form valued relationships

Establish informal employee mentors

Theory of Mind


Learning & Remembering Act as a peer on an adult-to-adult level

Use straightforward and concrete language

Allow extra time to learn procedures

Teach multi-step tasks one step at a time

Provide reminders (checklists, symbols, color codes

Simplify task by modifying procedures or equipment


Communicating with Placement Agencies

Inform the employee

Be PROACTIVE

Take advantage of your resources

Keep the employee involved


Strategies

What has worked in the past

What hasn’t?

How are the same issues handled with other employees?


Common Concerns

Medications

Difficult to understand person

Harassment by other employees

When to seek help from Agency


Employees with Cognitive Disabilities

A cognitive disability is any disability affecting mental processes.

People with cognitive disabilities do not necessarily have decreased levels of skills, abilities, or intellectual functioning.

Continued…


Employees with Cognitive Disabilities, cont.

Possible Accommodations

Job coaching

Structured breaks

Checklists & time tables

Clear and concise directions/instructions


Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities

Psychiatric disabilities are disorders of the brain that may disrupt a person’s feelings, mood, and abilities to relate to others.


Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities, cont.

Possible Accommodations

Job coaching

Structured breaks

Checklists & time tables

Contingency plans to deal with stress


Natural Supports Websites

VCU Rehabilitation Training &

Support

www.worksupport.com

Job Accommodation Network

www.askjan.org

Griffin Hammis

www.griffinhammis.comEmployment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

http://www.worksupport.com/

http://www.askjan.org/

http://www.griffinhammis.com/

coaching & natural supports employment services & innovations indiana vocational...

Documents

friendly use

time use silence

training costs

medical insurance costs

disability etiquette

business benefits

good business sense

visual supports social