Jobs for people with disabilities

[Brandon's Mom]

Where have you seen adults with disabilities working in your communities?

Brandon's high school job coach and case worker can't seem to be able to do their jobs and have asked that I come up with places where Brandon can work.

Brandon takes part in his high school's Work Exploration/Experience Program with his Community Based class. He worked at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) last year, but had to go from working 2 days a week, down to one day a week, because there wasn't anyone there on Monday's who spoke English well enough to help him. Silly me, I thought he might be discriminated against because he's got disabilities and didn't think that speaking English in America was a handicap. :rolleyes: This year, they have him at another restaurant rolling silverware into napkins which is one of the things he did at IHOP last year so he isn't getting the opportunity to learn new skills or experiece something new (that IS the purpose of the program).

Since the program is Work Exploration, at his end of the year IEP I told the job coach that having one job all school year was NOT acceptable and I wanted him to have a new job each semester, at the very least. He didn't like his IHOP job but she kept him there because it was easier for HER than finding another placement. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!! That will NOT happen this year and we are meeting next week with the teacher, job coach and the director of Special Education for the district because I want the job coach to do her job (yes, I know... I am so demanding).

I need some ideas on where he might be able to work. The following information should help determine what might be appropriate:

Likes: sports, kids, music, movies & cars

Abilities: he's able to stand and walk, understands most verbal communication, aims to please, is friendly, follows instructions well

Problem areas: cannot handle prolonged heat exposure (we live in HOT AZ so most outside jobs are out of the question), cannot read or write, uses his left hand only as an assist (non-functional), has mental retardation and poor vision

I would like some ideas to take to the meeting next week and if the job coach won't "run with the ball" and try and find local employment opportunites for him then dang it, I will! They only have the kids work 1-2 hours a couple of days a week, although I'm sure he would like to do more hours if he enjoyed the job. His district does NOT usually find them jobs which will pay them, but that is a whole other can of worms.

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it.

[lorilou]

Our local small town grocery store has several people with disabilities working there. Most of them are "bag boys" so they help load groceries into carts and then take them to cars (yes, we still have people wheel your groceries to your car!). I think most of them started in high school and many remain after they graduate. I know one young gentleman works full time since graduating from high school two years ago.

WAY BACK when I was in high school, I worked at Wendys. At that time they had a program with the highschool for teens with disabilities to get job training.

Don't forget Sams Club or Costco...their greeters are often disabled. We have a Sams Club nearby who has a young gentleman in a wheelchair as the exit person. I'd say he's probably a quadraplegic...he marks the receipts with a pen strapped to his hand.

HTH --

[Tracy Sheppard]

At our local Meijer store, they have many people with various disabilites working as door greeters and baggers etc. It is so refreshing to see them when we go in the store.

[laurensmom]

Target in NC has a good program, Lauren's teacher assist. daughter works in the stockroom, tagging clothing for the sales floor. Also some grocery stores here hire bag boys with disabilities., greeter also came to mind~~

My brother who is now 54 works in a very upscale restaurant at Mystic Seaport back home in CT., he has worked there for years, he loves to peel potatoes and carrots and any other chores that they have him do, he is so proud of his paycheck!!!! Plus, he gets to pick what the cook makes him for lunch everyday, I think he eats cheeseburgers and fries most every day he works tho!!!

Good luck to Brandon and you in finding the perfect place for him.

Hugs,

Debi

[Carly'sMa]

The young man down the street works at the packing facility for a local coffee roaster. Another person I know worked for Yankee Candle (factory is here in our area). There are landscape jobs, supermarket jobs, stocking shelves, janitorial, video store, pet shop. Our local Arc has a jobs program and it is pretty big -- people work for a local herb farm as well.

Good luck.

[queen]

My Mom works at a hotel and she has a few DD adults come in to help her do the continental breakfast, vaccuum etc. The veterinarian I worked for had a girl come in to help feed, clean and play with the animals.
Where would your son like to work? I am sure you could find a way for him to work at any business he has an interest in.
Good Luck!!
Michelle

[Austinsmom]

Hi Joy!!!:p
It is so nice to see your post, I have a million questions for you but I wanted to write you about this question
I am still on disability and not working right now…. but I am a job coach ( support staff ) for Adults with developmental disabilities
We have many places we go, we work within the vocational school itself, we have paid jobs, from putting away dishes from the dishwasher, Light office work, filling, cleaning, and gardening. We have some folks working part time at grocery stores, volunteering at the hospital elder care unit, there we bring in small groups for playing bingo each week 2 times a week, we go to volunteer at the senior thrift store, from gathering empty hangers to hanging clothes, stocking books, we work at a year round camp for disabled adults,many jobs are at the camp, yard pool, sorting, office cleaning, one small market allows us to have some of our clients fill stock on to shelves many of our clients end up working part time for extra money at many of these jobs, we do yard work around the bowling alley and one of our clients takes all the empties, cases of beer bottles from the bowling alley bar to recycle, he get one dollar a case and often he gets 20 cases in one day each week, we do many recycling programs, maintain and collect recycles from motel lodges, we work at the library too from dusting, stocking pamplets in the cases for local actiities and local info, to book placement, we have people work at the fish store, feeding, and glass cleaning of the tanks, we volunteer at the Zoo we clean glass, rake, sweep, stock supplies. We work for the forestry, we make necklaces with magnifying glasses at the end of yard for a kids program they offer at our discovery center, this makes money to provide free programs for the public all year long, we replanted pine trees one year, and any other help the forestry might want from us. We are looking into helping a few stands at the farmers market, one sells clothing one veggies.
What would you like Brandon to do, or to help with, make a list of what you think he would like, what would you like him to learn, see if they will accommodate him, we try to work anywhere we can or anywhere our clients want to work. We meet with clients and their families 4 times a year or more often if needed to see how jobs are going and if we want or need changes family suggestions are always encouraged where I work. Same old push, Mom's do the foot work then push . I hope this way to long of a post helps
Glad to see You
Love to you and your wonderful family
Deborah

[momtoeva]

At the federal governement agency where I work now, adults with disabilities work in the mailroom and deliver mail.

In Michigan, adults with disablities collected the recycling at the county prosecutor's office where I worked. My husband was a job coach for adults with developmental disabilities when we lived in MI and his clients enjoyed working at the Residence Inn cleaning rooms in a team much more than they enjoyed fast food jobs.

Where I grew up in NJ, one of the special ed students got a job taking tickets at the movie theatre. A lot of s.e. students worked at the grocery store as baggers or stock boys.

Good luck - it sounds like you and Brandon are on your way to finding him a job he really enjoys!

[taft]

Since they aren't getting paid anyway what about the humane society?? we adopted a cat a few days ago and there were at least 3 disabled people working or volunteering. My dh used to work with the disabled and one of his clients rounded up carts at walmart in the mornings for them. She really liked her job.

[Jennybean]

Here are a few ideas I had (some may have already been mentioned):

1. assembly line
2. breaking down boxes for recycling or assembling them for use
3. styrofoam peanut package filler at a parcil service like UPS
4. animal shelter
5. YMCA
6. door greeter
7. assistant at a flower shop
8. local diner bus-boy
9. arts & crafts at a local day care service

Well, I tried to come up with at least ten. Maybe you could speak with a local occupational therapist for more ideas. Hope everything works out for the best! Good luck to both you and Brandon.

[elle]

Just thought I would throw a couple ideas out there. You said he likes movies- what about ticket-taking at a movie theatre? I know if you work at a theatre, you get to see movies for free. Also, what about a car wash? You said he had some heat intolerance, but I know of one here (in NC) where most of the washing is done indoors. They do a full detail/wash, but there is always someone who's job it is to wipe down the wet cars. A car dealership might also give him a job wiping down the cars inside the display. You might also inquire your local parks and rec- they need people to run the hotdog-drink stands and to "gopher" work at registrations.

Good luck finding him something new he enjoys!

[jennifer]

Hi My name is Jennifer and I have a VP shunt and mild mental disability and I work at a grocery store as a cashier. If I can do it so can Brandon. You should file that Brandon has been discrimanated against because of his disability. Talk to his job coach or whomever and see what they can come up with.

[wheeliebird]

Joy, I have swore to myself that I would NEVER EVER work here because I'd be bored to tears but what about a "Walmart Greeter" (but that's just me), I see myself doing more then just saying "Hi, welcome to Walmart, can I help you"?? If he was a woman and enjoyed shopping you could look into him being a "Secret Shopper". Do a Google search on it, I did, it looks interesting! :D Getting paid to shop, who would have thunk it!!! LOL Wish I had more ideas for you. I myself will soon be going down this road, a "job search" after getting established in the community. I dread going down that road as there aren't many jobs for people in wheelchairs that only have the use of thier left arm. I might check out online to see what I can find. UCP told me today to get a hold of my OVR counselor and see what they can find. I've dealt with them in the past and it was a loooonnnnngggg dragged out thing. I think I wanna try myself first before going that route again! Good Luck to Brandon I hope he finds just the right job for him! :) Let us know how he makes out!

[Brandon's Mom]

Store greeter is one of the positions I am trying to avoid because right now we are looking for job experiences which will teach him new skills and allow him to try things he hasn't done. He likes to be physically doing something and standing there saying hi to people would undoubtedly be boring for him. I would only have considered his being a greeter if I felt he needed improvement in his social skills.

[~Pansy~]

In CA, our state government hires under the "LEAP" program (limited examination and appointment program). Under this program, persons with disabilities receive extra "probation" time. For example, if a person were hired and given a 90-day probation, a person who held a LEAP certificate would be given a 180-day probation periord to learn and perform their job to expectation.

There are other benefits to holding a LEAP certificate and only disabled Americans can hold such a certificate.

I believe there are federal benefits to hiring a LEAP certificate holder, so I imagine all states have such programs available.

Check with your state's "personnel board".

p.s. if Brandon enjoys food service, he could possibly get a LEAP job with your state working in one of the cafeteria's that cater to state employees. He would not only reap the benefits of payroll, but all other benefits available to state employees (medical/dental/retirement etc.).

[Lin145]

Hope you and Brandon were able to find a job for him... am not quite sure from the posts whether you got referred to Clear Path Phoenix? Wonder how they could not help you and your son more in his job search. Think these are all very good suggestions :) . Here is the website of ClearPath Phoenix http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/clearpth.html . If they cannot help you, I hope that they can refer you to a job that would be suitable for Brandon.

All the best to you and your son,

Linda

[KathiDG]

That might be a good idea, but I was let go from McDonald's (my 1st job EVER) because of being too slow - I couldn't keep up with it.

[Adrianne]

Have any of you tried home based work. I am bipolar and unable to work a regular 9 to 5. I needed a job that would not stress me. My writing keeps me busy and I am a published poet with a book on the market and a feature page of poetry in a magazine. But this isn't enough to pay the bills.

Recently I became a USANA Health Science distributor. They produce the #1 rated Nutritional Supplements in North America, pharmacuetical grade, listed in your dr's PDR. This company provides you with all the tools you need, wonderful spiritual support, and confidence building. You don't have to stock product or worry about collecting money and delivering it to customers.

I can work from home on my computer or telephone and have a team of other distributors who can go to presentations and such. My family and I take the supplements and have never felt better. So to me it's the best job. I can help other people become healthy and become financially free from my home.

Please visit my website www.gentilegroup.usana.com for more information.

I can also have residual income and leave the business to my children. My granddaughter was born with Down syndrome. When she becomes a little older she can work the business with me and make her own money.

[davidmic61]

I am glad to see you being so supportive to Brandan. In the mid 80's I was an assistant housekeeping supervisor at a Day's Inn in Scottsdale, and had a couple staff members working for me who had disabilities. They were great. They each had thier responsibilities, and took an admirable amount of pride in ensuring the the job was done well. Hotels have a variety of positions, and we are in the the prime season right now. "Ataboys" went a long way with them, and they were truly appreciated. The State of Arizona has a Voc Re-hab program through the Dept. of Economic Security, and they should be able to offer some assistance and guidance. I have been with my current employer for 12 years, and have been contracted at the Arizona Biltmore (now named Biltmore Astoria) for 7 of those years.

[loric0719]

those of us that cant leave home telecommuting is a greate way to go if you can find a real job.:confused: :confused:

[timm90]

i have been classified as permanant partial dissabled, through workers comp, i cannot lift twist turn bend no more than 10 pounds , i have shoulder neck problems , question who is going to hire me i need a job so bad , i have no skills as i was always a blue collar worker, how do i go about getting a job with a dissability, is there any program or company that does help people find jobs , i dont have a certificate but i get a comp check saying i am permanant partial dissfurement on it , please some one help me find a organisation that can lead me to some kind of job i,m getting so depressed looking and looking , and to no avail i can work but only with these restrictions

[batafurai]

try vocational rehabilitation... it helps vets and disabled get work... they'll retrain if need be and will help you find and keep a job. its a government program so you have to like give them the documentation thy want and play by their rules, but they're a great place to go. just check your state website for info. that is, if you're in the usa... if you're not... this probably wont work :)

bata

[Corky]

Thanks to all of you that have previously posted on this thread. My husband is having difficulty finding work right now. He's 60, has hearing loss with aids in both ears, and is diabetic. In reading through them, I see many possibilities of areas that he could check into and apply for jobs. Either he takes it personal, that they don't want to hire him because of his age...or he doesn't hear everything over a phone interview and they never call him back. He is semi-retired (a buyout with a deferred pension plan) and his last temporary job in December involved very cold working environment to where his fingertips were cracked and wouldn't heal with him being diabetic. Health issues told him it was time to look for something else in a warmer, indoor, possibly sitting down at a desk type of work. Good luck to all seeking employment,

Corky

[Helperist]

What state are you in? There's an organization called Abilities. website:abilities.com They assist with affordable housing, job pacement and renention. Hope that's in your area.

[carolina]

I live in missouri

[81 cherries]

i think that's www.abilities.org. =) and i believe it's in Florida. check it out, you never know.

[abracadebra]

Hi Brandon's Mom!
I'm a career counselor and have been a job coach, my husband and I own a for-profit agency which provides a variety of services for adults with developmental disabilities. I love helping people look for jobs . I've been reading the responses on this thread and there's a lot of great ideas. The first thing I thought of was usher, janitor, or ticket taker at a movie house. If the town has an idependent theater all the better because there's a tendency for more flexibility in "indy" houses.
Light janitorial in the right place might work out. Daycare centers often hire elderly or others who need light duty to help set-up, clean-up, assist with lunches, and supervise children's activities. In California, the fast food rest., Carl's Junior, is set-up to accomodate people with disabilities. Even the cash registers are set-up with pictures and symbols for people who aren't able to read.
Food service or activity assistant in residental settings for the elderly is a possibility. Assistant in a "fluff and fold" laundry mat is pretty light duty.
Gardener's asst. or helper in the garden section of some place like Target or Home Depot.
"Office Runner" in a school setting could be fun.
Baker's Asst. has odd hours, but the customer service requirements are light.
Asst and skating rink or bowling alley (checking out equipment).
Anyway, the possiblities are vast for your son. If you want to discuss career options please reply or email me at [email]debjobs2@yahoo.com...
Debra

[lor]

Lott Industries in Toledo, Ohio employs many disabled people http://www.lottindustries.com/

[Keggy]

I would look into government employment, local, state and fed. In NY they will hire people with disabilties for state jobs, and they don't have to meet the same standards for being hired. There are all types of jobs and in my state, they have excellent benefits and job security.
Sorry if anyone said this... didn't read the replies

[JoD]

A new type of transition training program. We have our first go at the project at the 5th 3rd bank in Grand Rapids Michigan.
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/p/search/

http://www.greatoaks.com/pages/-5835-/default.aspx

To those who have children in middle school, don't wait till your kids get to HS to start
job skills. My son is in 7th grade. He has Spastic quad CP, FSH muscular dystrophy, visual impairment as well as mild cognitive impairment ( for school classification purposes) This is his second year of learning to us the local accessable transportation.
He is learning the number to call, how far in advance he needs to request the bus, tell time to make sure he is waiting in the pick up spot, have correct change etc. A nice side effect is the general ed students are also finding it a convienant way to get home if mom or dad are going to have a late day at work. Many electives like home ec teach life skills within the general education classroom. Make your child responsible for keeping tabs on their lunch account if they buy lunch or make their lunch if the bring lunch to school. If we treat the kids as competant they will will do their best to rise to the higher standard.
Joanne

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[dabhoi]

it depends on the disability