Hired!

This past Monday, son Fickle Fan put on his new khakis, his two-toned blue polo shirt, and his size 16 Sketchers, and headed off to work. Yes, work! Employment, labor, a job, the daily grind. The place from whence the bacon comes. 

With the help of his employment consultant at Stone Belt, FF interviewed at Hobby Lobby two weeks ago and landed a part-time position in the stock room. A week ago Thursday he attended a training session and signed all the necessary paperwork, and last week he worked a 4 hour and a 6 1/2 hour shift. He was one tired, but happy hombre.

The Pilgrims and Powhatans may have started the giving thanks tradition, but let me tell you, they got nothin' on us. Just days before Thanksgiving, we are so grateful to:

• Stone Belt, for its continued support;
• his Stone Belt employment consultant, Delyn, for slogging through all of the online applications,for knowing who to call, and for taking the time to get to know FF;
• Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, for making it possible for FF to work with Stone Belt;
• Hobby Lobby, for being the kind of company willing to take a chance;
• to Hobby Lobby's managers, for saying yes to Delyn, and for starting slowly and not throwing him to the wolves on Black Friday;
• to Bloomington Transit for putting a bus stop right in front of Hobby Lobby (we're still practicing bus riding);
• and to FF--for stepping up and making it happen.  

FF's days at Hobby Lobby will be spent unpacking boxes and stocking shelves. Initially, he'll be supported by Delyn, acting as his job coach, who will back him up as he learns new skills and know when to back away as he learns to stand on his own two feet. (Great little animated video here, by the way, on how job coaching works in supported employment.)

Why would Hobby Lobby want to take a chance, giving a first job to an 18-year-old with high functioning autism who is somewhat awkward (but eager), has some pretty limiting fine motor skills, and who gives away the ending to Skyfall to a co-worker on his first day on the job? Sure there's always the altruistic "It's the right thing to do" response, but I think there's probably a more multifaceted answer to that question. First, this probably isn't the first time Hobby Lobby has hired a person with disabilities and they've probably learned a few things along the way.  

• In general people with disabilities make pretty good employees, in that they're dependable, loyal, and productive. 
• There are a number of incentives available to companies who hire employees with disabilities, including tax credits and training programs.
• Hiring an entry level employee referred from VR or a local employment consultant means the company didn't have to spend as much money recruiting applicants for that position.
• The disability community is large when you add family members and friends, which means by hiring someone with a disability, you may have  just broadened your customer base. (Feel the need to go shopping?  Hobby Lobby has 525 stores in 42 states--or just click here. And, no, they're not paying me to put in the promo!)
• Employees with disabilities can be supported by job coaches and an agency of people with expertise in training, accommodating, communicating with and successfully including people with disabilities. In other words, FF comes backed up by a pretty deep bench. 

He also comes with a couple of skills of his own that could help Hobby Lobby. Need something off a top shelf? He's 6'5" and has quite the wingspan. Can't remember what item goes where?  Give him a few months and get him interested, and chances are FF will be able to recite stock numbers and shelf locations with ease. He's got one of those memories. 

I'm sure there are things that we'll have to work through. Rest assured, the Mom Alert System is not switched off; it remains at DEFCON Yellow. But for now I'll hold down the worries about the social stuff, how easily he could annoy a co-worker, his low tolerance for frustration, how quickly he becomes bored of mundane tasks. For now, I'll do the Scarlett O'Hara and think about those things tomorrow, because today I'm smiling and doing the happy dance.

He. Has. A. Job! 

Gracefully Leaving a Job: A New Skill to Learn

After a year at the cash register, Daughter Dearest is quitting her job at Kohl's. And it'll be okay. 

I haven't written about DD's exploits in awhile, mostly because she's doing fairly well. For the most part, no news is good news. But this IS Two in Transition, and though she's not always the squeakiest wheel, DD is wending her way through the chutes and ladders of her world too. For those of you who are just joining us, meet DD. All caught up now?

After getting an A in a summer early art history course that required a ridiculous amount of memorization ("Oh, I know that one! Tile with arabesque decoration, 15th century Ottoman, Anatolia, carved, glaze painted and guilded earthenware!), DD is now taking two academic courses and a science lab at Ivy Tech. Plus her job at Kohl's. She's learning to balance and spin the demands of multiple plates pretty well. Having a tutor for biology helps with her focus and preparation. All good. 

The problem is that she just can't face the loss of Thanksgiving with family up north and a holiday season with very long hours listening to carols from Taylor Swift (who seems to be the ambiance wizard's favorite songstress to pipe in over the PA) while she does her best to redeem Kohl's Cash coupons as fast as her scanner can beep, all while she's prepping for final exams. Too. Much. Stress. 

She's been looking (sort of) for a non-retail position, but it's been slim pickins. So rather than push her into another Black Friday (she survived, but barely), we're supporting her decision to leave Kohl's and get another job after winter break.  

As you can imagine, for a person with both Aspergers and OCD, there's been some strategizing involved with just how and when to give notice and leave gracefully. Yesterday, though, DD and her dad (he of the human resources persuasion) wrote a very nice letter of resignation thanking Kohl's for her first job, for the skills she's gained and for the boost to her confidence. In the letter, she gave them two week's notice, but said she could be flexible if they needed her to work another shift or two before the next schedule is posted.  

DD didn't give a reason for leaving. If anyone asked, we told her she could truthfully say it was because of school demands.

So like before when she needed to advocate for herself for shorter hours (you can read about that one here), DD sat in the parking lot, taking deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves for several minutes. And again, she said, it took all of five seconds. The manager took her letter, said she'd make sure it got to the scheduler and that was it. Employees come and go at Kohl's. Not a big surprise. And once again, the world began spinning on its axis. 

I'm a little concerned about too much free time, so I'm pushing the volunteering button, at least until she gets another job.  We'll see how that turns out. Meanwhile, Kohl's has been a very good first gig. They trained her and had her volunteering with other staffers her first month there. She learned how to respond in a variety of situations with customers. She got to laugh with other staff at the absurdity of life behind a cash register. We're grateful for all Kohl's has done for her, but it's time for DD to move on. Gracefully. No harm, no foul, no bridges burned.