The Pennsylvania Employment Reform Resource Project

Sherrill Henry

Sherrill has been looking for a job since she graduated High School in 2006.  She briefly held a position at a supermarket handing out flyers and greeting customers, but this ended up not being a right fit for her because she was unable to see when people were walking in the door.  Her Employment Services Team from SPIN in Philadelphia felt that the Discovery process would be the right way to help Sherrill find a rewarding career.  During the discovery process, the team learned that Sherrill had a passion for music and loves listening to her CDs.  She spends most of her time listening to CDs and has knowledge about many artists.  Sherrill always knows the latest hits. 

Sherrill and her team began exploring self-employment options and the idea of Sherrill becoming a DJ was put into place.  After researching the DJ field and discussing it with Sherrill, it was decided that becoming a DJ that plays family friendly music would be a great career!  Sherrill and her business team began forming a business plan to put this dream job into action.  With the support of her team, Sherrill officially decided to open her own business, DJ RILLSTAR!

With funding from the Employment Reform Resource Project, Sherrill was able to purchase her own DJ equipment and music to start her own business.  After purchasing equipment, Sherrill was trained on how to use it. Sherrill has a visual impairment, so she learned to use her equipment by touch and sound.  To help market Sherrill, a webpage, Facebook, and Twitter were all created.  She also has her own logo and will be ordering business cards to help promote her family friendly DJ business. 

DJ RillStar had her first paying gig on February 15, 2013, and was also the DJ for a private birthday party held on March 2, 2013. She was extremlely excited to start making some money and is proud to say she is self-employed and successful! 

CHECK HER OUT AT

 WWW.DJRILLSTAR.COM 

 

Logistics Coordinator

 

Kim Noga was a job seeker we had been working with for a long time and did not have much luck with using traditional job development strategies. We had previously helped  Kim with a cleaning job that did not work out very well.  We began to take another look at Kim’s Ideal Conditions of Employment.

Kim is very organized, has great social skills and  enjoys working on computers  We had a need in our employment department for someone to keep track of trainings and create and maintain  website blogs. We created a  position for Kim by carving out what tasks we needed done and matching them with  Kim’s computer & clerical skills. Kim is now a highly important member of Via's employment team and keeps us all on track.

PASS Approved!

The  Social Security Administration has a number of work incentives designed to help people receiving benefits to be able to go to work, gain greater independence, and be less reliant on public benefits.

Clint along with the support of his family, our local Office of Vocational Rehabilitation staff, our local Social Security personnel, and Via staff have worked to help Clint attain a Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) to support the development of his business Clint’s Notary Services.  Under certain circumstances Social Security will provide short term funding to help someone go to work, go to college, start a business, etc..  The goal of the PASS is for the individual to attain higher levels of financial independence and either reduce or eliminate their need to receive social security benefits.

In Clint’s case  Social Security is helping with funding for adaptive equipment, office equipment, insurance, phone, accounting, and advertising. Among people with disabilities receiving services roughly 35% have the right combination of Social Security benefits to attain a PASS. PASS is a great resource to help people attain viable employment.

Tyesha S. Mackey (TyeshaDesigns@gmail.com)

Tyesha has had a number of service industry jobs that were not always a good fit. Her employment team at SPIN in Philadelphia thought that Tyesha might benefit from using the Discovery process to advance her career. During the Discovery process the team learned that Tyesha was very interested in caring for others, art, and sewing. The team found out that Tyesha likes to be creative and seems to be at her best when she is creating something. Tyesha has been taking sewing classes from a woman named Dahlia who has become her mentor. Dahlia has mentored Tyesha to become highly competent at sewing. Tyesha and her employment specialist did a number of informational interviews with sewing companies in the Philadelphia area. Tyesha and her employment team learned a great deal about the sewing and fabric industry. Tyesha began to make highly attractive top end bags and purses that sold well. Tyesha began to research self-employment as an option that really fits many of her ideal conditions of employment. Tyesha began to do market research and develop a business plan with the assistance of her employment team. With the support of her employment team and her mentor Tyesha has decided to open her own business, Tyesha Designs.

Tyesha has been busy getting her business up and running. To date she has over 20 items in stock and many others in the works. She is designing new products to add to her line and is experimenting with new techniques to add to her unique flair to her
products. Tyesha has also been busy developing all her needed branding
including; business cards, comment cards, receipts, and custom order forms. She
recently had her first selling event in November and sold products to over 100
people.

With funding from the Employment Reform Resource Project Tyesha has recently purchased a new sewing machine, thread, scissors, zippers, and other supplies to aide her in the growth of her business.  She recently received a generous donation of fabric to help get her business off the ground. Tyesha is continuing to taking sewing lessons with her mentor, to improve her sewing skills, increase inventory, and design new products.  Tyesha is working on projects to be sold at her next selling event.  She is excited and motivated to make her business a success and loves working for herself!

 

 

 

Jimmy Cinque—Beekeeper

 

We are pleased to announce the start of a new business opportunity for consumer Jimmy Cinque, who is beginning a career in beekeeping. Mr. Cinque is obtaining several beehives, which he will set up on local farms and at a community garden at Holy Redeemer.  Mr. Cinque looks forward to gaining experience as a beekeeper and plans to sell his honey when it is produced.

We began developing this opportunity in response to struggles that Mr. Cinque experienced in his employment as a table cleaner at Temple University’s Cafeteria.  We noticed that when Mr. Cinque worked with animals, he was able to demonstrate much more independence than elsewhere.  Mr. Cinque expressed repeated interest in beekeeping, so we tried a beekeeping assessment at which he did amazingly well. Mr. Cinque also was surprisingly knowledgeable about the bees.

With the help of a grant from the DD council, we were able to set Mr. Cinque up with some hives and help him get started.  We look forward to working with Mr. Cinqueas as he develops his new business.

 

Customized Self Employment Process Chart

Feel free to use this flow chart to guide the development of a business.

 

APSE Connections Feature Article on PA Project & Transition

Click here to download Part One by Corey Smith...stay tuned for the next edition!

Download Apseconxnnovember12-1

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

 On April 28^th Clint held his grand opening at his office and has already worked with a number of customers. 

About three years ago Via staff were contacted by a local transition coordinator and vocational rehabilitation counselor about Clint.  Clint has always been motivated to work and for about six years worked weekends as a greeter at a local Kmart, until he was recently laid off because of the slow economy.  Via staff were asked to help Clint develop some type of career opportunity that meets his ideal conditions of employment.
Clint uses a chair, a support dog, and needs help with some personal supports.  Clint recently graduated from Pen Argyl high school and had over 300 people show up for his graduation party.   Because Clint lives in a rural community with limited opportunities for traditional wage employment we thought he would be an excellent candidate for customized employment.  
We quickly discovered that Clint has great people skills, has good sales skills, and is pretty comfortable on a computer. We also discovered that because of Clint’s mobility challenges that a home based business might be a preferable option for Clint and his family. Clint and his customized employment coordinator began to research developing a notary public/licensing business that he could run out of his home.  We began to research with people from Clint’s community if they would use Clint for Notary services and received a very positive response.  Clint and his employment coordinator have developed a highly involved business plan that was reviewed and give positive marks by the Lehigh University Small Business Development Center. Clint has now finished notary training and passed his state notary exam. He has also completed the training for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, passed the exam, and can issue vehicle registrations and titles. Clint will also be highly involved with his own “gorilla marketing,” strategies.
With the assistance of his vocational rehabilitation counselor the business plan was improved and a Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) was written to support the start up costs for Clint’s business. With the help of our local Social Security administration Clint has recently applied for a Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) to cover his start up costs. Clint is receiving a lot of support provided by grant funding from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council Employment Reform Resource Project.  Clint is receiving technical support, and job coach funding from the local Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and will receive follow along support funded by the local county office for Intellectual disabilities.
Clint’s highly supportive family has funded necessary home modifications to add an office to their home.  Clint is hoping to be OPEN for business by April 15th!!! 

Mary and Green Pad Living

Green Pad Living is a family business that is owned and operated by Jackie Giordano. The company manufactures and retails a line of environmentally conscious body care products. All of their products are natural and include chemical, gluten, and dairy free body salts, shampoo bars, body soaps, shea butters, and shaving bars. Because of the approach that Jackie uses to manufacture her body care products, they have been very popular among her community and wholesalers and Jackie has had to move her business out of her home and into a shop in Kimberton, PA. Green Pad Living products are now frequently sold at Whole Foods, Wegman’s and local specialty shops.

When Mary, a student in transition at a local high school, and Community Integrated Services, approached Jackie about employment for Mary, she was welcomed with open arms. As a new business, Mary’s hours were initially limited.  Mary started off doing one specific task at work, labeling salt and soap bags but owner Jackie focused on Mary’s abilities to help her become successful at Green Pad Living. Using grant money provided through the DD Council PA Employment Reform Project and other resources, CIS was able to purchase resources for Green Pad Living on Mary’s behalf, and in turn increase Mary’s employment potential with Green Pad Living. These resources include a Point of Sale System, hot water heater, and the computer tablet, I-Pad, which will allow Mary to learn new skills, work more hours, and become more independent in her job.These new resources will also allow Green Pad Living to expand their product distribution and customer base.  During interest based negotiations with Jackie, it was revealed that the hot water heater in their retail spaced only provided about 5 minutes of hot water. This limited production, as hot water is crucial in producing the product. Now with a larger hot water heater, Green Pad Livings production, profits, and Mary’s hours and skills are able to increase.

The business is currently in the process of opening a retail site and the point of sale system is a greatly needed resource. This new system will provide more opportunities for Green Pad Living and more hours and customer service  experience for Mary. The I-Pad computer tablet will allow Mary to do inventory, take pictures of displays, and run credit cards at local Farmer’s Markets where Green Living products are sold. Mary’s success at Green Pad Living can be attributed to her own hard work and Jackie’s willingness to think outside the box. We are very excited to see Mary’s transition from high school to a valued member of Green Pad Living!    

 

 

How Strong Relationships Can Cultivate Economic Growth

Michael is a current Havertown resident, who in the summer of 2010, was a high school student looking to make the transition to work.  While still attending Haverford School District, Community Integrated Services (CIS) began the discovery process led by Michael and his job coach.  As part of discovery Michael did an informational interview at Havertown Health and Fitness where they met the owner, Mark Rodney. After a few meetings, Michael was able to land an internship at the gym for the upcoming school year.  During the internship, Michael was able to develop great relationships with Mark and the rest of the staff members.  Everyone loved his cheerful personality and his wonderful sense of humor.  Michael was able to perform several tasks such as vacuuming the floor, cleaning the fitness equipment, sweeping the outside area, and wiping the mirrors.  Mark considered hiring Michael right away but could not because he had a full staff and limited budget. Even though Mark did not have any positions available, he met with us several times to brainstorm ways we could create a customized position for Michael. During one meeting, we came up with a creative idea while discussing the cost of the gym’s towel service. At the time, Havertown Health and Fitness paid a laundry service company to wash the towels.  The laundry service company would only wash the standard white towels, not the higher quality towels with the Havertown Health and Fitness logo. The laundry service did not want the risk of possibly losing the quality towels and having to pay to get them replaced. During the meeting, Mark revealed that the gym would benefit if it were able to clean its own towels because they would have more flexibility and they could use the higher quality towels which the members preferred. Mark stated that if he were able to get a washing machine and a dryer, he would hire Michael to wash the towels instead of paying a company to do it.  Over the next few months, we used a resource ownership model to provide Michael with a washing machine and dryer.  The appliances were paid for by Michael’s parents and grant money provided by the PA Developmental Disabilities Council, Employment Reform Resource Project. Michael is responsible for washing, drying and folding all the towels in the gym as well as some of his old responsibilities such as cleaning the glass mirrors and the shelves, and sweeping outside.  Initial job coaching supports are being funded by the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and follow along supports are funded by the Office of Intellectual Disabilities of Delaware County, PA. Through the use of resource ownership, and partnering with several funding sources, we were able to create a job for Michael and give Havertown Health and Fitness members a better product that will enhance there workout experience.