Step one. We started small. Ivy Tech's spring student career fair. FF actually got dressed up (shaved without me asking him!), took copies of his resume, and gathered up his courage. Anxiety was leaking out of his pores.
In his case, the anxiety presents itself in the form of venting at me. Rudeness, belligerence, intolerance. I'm not going to sugar coat it; this is tough on me. But I try to recognize it for what it is and give him some slack. Doesn't make it right; doesn't make it appropriate. I would love to have a therapist come along some day and help FF discover a more useful way to channel that anxiety.
I dropped him off at the door after he agreed that it would be okay for me to come in a little later to visit the WorkOne table. He just didn't want me there at the career fair while he was making the tour of the employer exhibits. Moms just don't shadow their children while they're talking to their potential HR managers. He's right: That IS inappropriate.
Ten minutes go by, while I park the car. As I'm coming up the walk, FF is exiting, now all smiles. Mission accomplished. He tells me he submitted his resume to four or five local employers and the city parks and rec department. Yea! He's pleased with himself, says he even tried hard to smile and shake hands. I know those employers won't appreciate the ordeal this was for him, but I do. They should hire him on that basis alone. But, okay, I'm his mom. I get it.
Step two. I visit with a kindly staffer at the WorkOne table to discuss "The Situation." Twenty-year-old part-time college student with high functioning autism needs summer job. Not on Medicaid so not eligible for waiver supports. Has a postsecondary goal (two classes a semester; no real career path) so no VR support for employment. As we've mentioned herein before, VR cannot support someone who wants to go to college AND have a job. It's considered double dipping. You have to choose. Also, VR supports individuals who are looking for permanent employment, not a part-time summer job.
I want to know if--by some long shot--FF actually lands the summer gig of his dreams, the employer can turn to someone within WorkOne or some other agency to help them include a worker with autism. The answer is essentially "not really." Usually a provider agency fills that role. But FF isn't working with a provider--remember: postsecondary goal, not an official employment goal, so therefore no VR and no provider support.
The kindly WorkOne staffer (boy! he should've ducked under the table when he saw me coming) diagnoses The Situation a little differently. What FF needs, he says, is a job developer who can both help find him a job and serve as a job coach for awhile. Okay, maybe, I reply. But let's review The Situation. No VR supports for employment, no provider supports, no Medicaid waiver supports.
Could I hire a freelance job developer, I ask? Out of pocket? (Financial ow! But what can I do??) Kindly WorkOne staffer appears perplexed but eventually gives me the number of a Person to Call.
Step three. Person to Call listens to The Situation via phone. He completely agrees that FF needs a summer job to increase his confidence and build his experience. This is a perfect time to look for summer employment.
Fabulous. But no, Person to Call works for--wait for it....a local provider agency. He doesn't freelance and doesn't know that a freelance job developer would be allowed. Allowed? I let that one go. Person to Call thinks he may have the solution! WorkOne! They have a summer jobs program for youth. Various local employers use the youth job corp for both office work and outdoor maintenance and groundskeeping services.
Person to Call tries to allay my concerns. FF can probably do this independently, without a job coach. It's very inclusive, he assures me. The supervisors are understanding; the employers would have supports through WorkOne. He thinks this may be just the answer.
Step four. I visit the local WorkOne office. A kindly front desk WorkOne staffer takes me back to a cubicle where I meet a kindly WorkOne staffer. No, they haven't run a summer jobs program for youth in quite few years. And no, they can't really help find jobs for young adults looking for summer jobs. Their mission is to help individuals find permanent employment. (Do I hear an echo?)
As a youth with a barrier to employment (a disability) he might be eligible to attend a workshop though, says kindly WorkOne staffer. Great. What do you do in a workshop? Would he get experience and be paid, I inquire hopefully? Oh no. In a workshop, we help people work on their resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills.
Uh huh, I say. Like the class he has now at Ivy Tech, where he's working on cover letters and resumes and participating in mock interviews? Like the voc ed class he had his senior year of high school? Oh, she says, I guess that's not really something he needs then. Truthfully, I tell her, he does need help practicing interviewing skills and talking on the phone to employers. But not through a workshop.
Kindly WorkOne cubicle worker needs to talk to her boss before he leaves for the day. She thanks me for coming in. I thank her for trying. Kindly WorkOne front desk staffer stops me on the way out and suggests that I try a local autism support group. Maybe they could help.
Buck passed and still making the rounds.
