Employment First: The Role of Informed Choice

Employment First: The Role of Informed Choice Dr. Joan Kester George Washington University Mid-Atlantic Technical Assistance & Continuing Education Center

INFORMED Choice • Today we’re going to explore the important role of informed choice… • What does it mean? • How do we apply it in everyday practice? • How do we turn challenges into opportunities?

Activity: How Does INFORMED Choice Feel in your Life? • Instructions: • Pair up with another person you don’t know well. Take several minutes to share stories about 2 kinds of situations you may have experienced in your life. • When you did not feel “informed” when making a choice or decision…What happened, how did you feel, and what information did you need? • When you felt “informed” in making a choice or decision…What happened, how did you feel, and what information did you have?

INFORMED Choice What does it mean?

INFORMED Choice • There is a great deal of conversation about INFORMED choice in the Employment First initiative across the country. Today we are going to delve deeper into the meaning. While we focus on the definition in the Rehabilitation Act, it aligns with the philosophy of Employment First. As we explore the meaning, you will find it is impossible to argue with what is stated in the law.

What IS INFORMED Choice? …an ongoing process where the individual and professional work together to gather and evaluate information that will be utilized by the individual to make informed choices about goals and services that will lead to an employment outcome. (Rehab Act)

Guiding Principles of Informed Choice in the Law • All of these principles act as the foundation of INFORMED choice: • Respect for individual dignity • Personal responsibility • Self-determination • Pursuit of meaningful careers

Getting on the Same Page: Shared Meaning • As the VA Employment First efforts move forward, it is important for us to get on the same page and develop a shared meaning of these principles. • Our next activity provides an opportunity to do just that!

Activity: Shared Meaning of Principles of INFORMED Choice • Instructions: • You will work as groups at your tables. Take 10 minutes to discuss the meaning of these principles in your work, noting similarities and differences. • Respect for individual dignity • Personal responsibility • Self-determination • Pursuit of meaningful careers • Short full group debrief

Beyond our SHARED Meaning • Let’s take a look at the national trends and perspectives…

National Trends & Perspectives: Advocacy, Individual, & Systems The Focus on Employment First, Competitive Integrated Employment, and Informed Choice

An ADVOCACY Perspective: “Segregated & Exploited: A Call to Action” The failure of the Disability Service System to Provide Quality Work 2011 Report by the National Disability Rights Network http://www.napas.org/images/Documents/Resources/Publications/Reports/Segregated-and-Exploited.pdf

From an ADVOCACY Perspective… • “Historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate individuals with disabilities, and, despite some improvements, such forms of discrimination against individuals with disabilities continue to be a serious and pervasive social problem” (p. 10)

People with Disabilities CAN Work! • The truth is that people with disabilities can—and do—work in all areas of the American workforce. They thrive when they fully participate in their communities, and in turn, the nation thrives.

Findings of the NDRN • Segregated work, sheltered environments, and sub-minimum wage directly contradict National policy • Work segregation of people with disabilities is damaging • Sub-minimum wages reinforce a life of poverty for people with disabilities

An INDIVIDUAL Perspective: The Quest for Ordinary Lives The Integrated Post-School Vocational Functioning of 50 Workers with Disabilities Brown, L. Shiraga, P. & Keessler, K., (2006)

Purpose of the Study • Affirm validity and feasibility of integrated vocational functioning – what was and is operational, opportunities for and improvements in integrated settings

From an INDIVIDUAL Perspective… • If You are an Individual with a Significant Disability… • Where should you be? With whom should they be with? What should they be doing? • “Individuals without disabilities doing what they do because an integrated life is inherently better than one that is segregated. We must do all that is reasonable to prevent anyone from experiencing lives that are segregated, nonproductive, sterile, unnecessarily dependent, and costly. Conversely, we must do alt that is reasonable to prepare and arrange for all citizens to live, work, and play enjoyably and productively in a safe, stimulating, and diverse integrated society” (p. 120).

A SYSTEMS Perspective: Initiatives to Advance Integrated Employment National, State & Local Efforts

From a SYSTEMS Perspective…Integrated, Competitive Employment: A Priority • Advocates & advocacy organizations • Vocational Rehabilitation • APSE • National Employment First Initiative • Shifts in values, principles, legislation, policy & funding priorities.

INFORMED Choice How do we apply it in everyday practice?

A Few Words are NOT Enough… • The appropriate mode of communication should be used to ensure each individual receives information concerning the availability and scope of informed choice, the manner in which it may be exercised, and the availability of support services for individuals with cognitive or other disabilities who require assistance in exercising informed choice. (Rehab Act)

Importance of KNOWING how EACH Consumer Learns • As with every one of us, we learn best through different modes of communication. This requires us to discover many factors, such as learning styles. • Can you share a few examples of how you ensured your consumers learned about choices and options?

INFORMED Choice: An Ongoing Process The Act requires that applicants and eligible individuals and their representatives, are provided information and support services to assist them in exercising informed choice throughout the employment process (section 101(a)(19) of the Act)

According to the law, this includes… • During assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs • During the selection of employment outcomes • During selection of services needed to achieve • the outcomes

Information about Services & Service Providers Information about services and service providers that must be provided to include: • Accessibility • Duration • Cost • Types • Degree of service integration • Qualifications of providers • Information about consumer satisfaction with those services (to the extent information is available) (Rehab Act)

Activity: Applying INFORMED Choice through Information about Services & Service Providers • Instructions: • Pair up with 2 other people you don’t know well. • For the next several minutes, discuss this question: • In your current practice, how do you current provide information about service and service providers on an ongoing basis. If you are not currently providing this information, how can you overcome barriers to carrying out this important part of informed choice? • Full group discussion

Throughout the Employment Process • Should facilitate the decision making process that allows the consumer to analyze relevant information in order to select the following: 1. Vocational Goal 2. Intermediate Objectives 3. Employment Services 4. Employment Service Providers

After Employment Plans are Developed, INFORMED Choice calls for… • Coordinate • Review • Monitor • Evaluate

Activity: How do you Manage Agency Biases? • Instructions: • At your tables, discuss the following scenario for the next several minutes: • You work for an Employment Service Organization. You want to ensure you provide every opportunity for consumers to exercise INFORMED choice. However, you are torn because your organization’s funding may be jeopardized if the consumer selects options outside your program. How might you handle this situation. • Full group discussion.

Informed Choice Ensures Individuals… • Owns decisions related to the employment outcome, services, providers, & procurement methods • Has access to or develops information enough to weigh the possible values & consequences of various choices • Has a range of options from which to choose or appropriate new options are created

INFORMED Choice ensures the individual… • Learns decision making skills (how to gather and evaluate information; ways of making decisions) • Makes decisions that are important for the individual • Takes personal responsibility for implementing choices • Has decision making power and personal control leading to responsibility and accountability

Promoting Self-Understanding & Awareness • Strengths • Interests • Capabilities • Priorities • Abilities • Resources

If I tell you I am interested in running for President, what would you do?? How would you help me develop self-understanding & awareness?

It Happens in the Context of the Career Development Process 35 • Lifelong process • Addresses all aspects of life within career contexts • People come to understand themselves • Cyclic Process: • Career Awareness • Career Exploration • Career Preparation • Career Assimilation

Assess within a Career Development Context Career Journey 36

Career Development as a Context for Assessment 37 Career Development checklists may assist you with providing a starting point for ascertaining what phase consumers are in and the types of discovery that may assist a them development.

Career Awareness • Can say why people work. • Can say why they want to work. • Can say what work means. • Can identify other family members’ and friends’ jobs and what they do. • Can name and describe different occupations. • Can discuss what happens if adults cannot or do not work. • Can identify why people have to get along with each other at work.

Career Exploration • Can state preferences for indoor vs. outdoor work, solitary work vs. working with others, and working with their hands and tools/machines versus working strictly with their minds. • Can identify their strengths, abilities, skills, learning styles, and special needs regarding work or specific jobs. • Can state what they want in a job. • Can identify the steps in finding a job. • Can identify at least three careers they want to explore.

Career Preparation • Can describe the educational and work requirements of specific career and jobs. • Can identify where education and training can be obtained. • Can explain steps in acquiring the skills necessary to enter a chosen field or job. • Can describe entry level skills, course or job requirements, and exit level competencies to succeed in courses.

Career Assimilation • Can identify steps to take if they want to advance in their place of employment. • Can identify educational benefits and ways of gaining additional training through their employment. • Can explain fields that are related to their current work in which they could transfer. • Can identify ways to change jobs without losing benefits or salary.

Triangulation of Methods and Information: Just because a consumers says he/she is interested is not enough…. Expressed Tested Current Relevant Valid Demonstrated

Environment Observations Interviews LMI Task Analysis Training Analysis Community Resource Survey Community Mapping Individual Observations Background Information Interviews Psychometric Testing Work Samples Work Tasks Transferable Skill Assessment Screening Congruence Behavioral Observation Assistive Technology Situational Assessment OJE OJT Vocational Profiling Follow-up Generalized Skill Assessment

Who Can Provide this Data? Rehabilitation counselors & professionals Employment service organizations Employers or service learning supervisors Employment specialists Vocational Evaluators/Assessment Specialists Parents and family members Consumer: Person with a disability Others who have relevant experience, vested interest in the consumer, and have received some type of orientation or training.

INFORMED Choice How do we turn challenges into opportunities?

Activity: Overcoming Challenges to Applying INFORMED Choice • Instructions: • At your tables use flipchart paper, creating 2 columns: • BARRIERS ----- OPPORTUNITIES • Identify barriers you may face in applying INFORMED Choice in your Employment First efforts. • For every barrier – identify opportunities to overcome the barriers. • Group report-outs.

In Summary: What IS INFORMED Choice? …an ongoing process where the individual and the counselor work together to gather and evaluate information that will be utilized by the individual to make informed choices about goals and services that will lead to an employment outcome. (Rehab Act)

Informed Choice Questions & Answers

Contact Information Joan Kester, Ed.D, CRC The George Washington University Mid-Atlantic Technical Assistance & Continuing Education Center 202-489-7112 jkester@gwu.edu www.gwcrcre.org

Employment First: The Role of Informed Choice