VR successes on the job!

Recently four individuals who were receiving community employment services through Development Workshop Inc. have achieved their level of chosen level independence in the workplace. With agreement from their employers these four have chosen to discontinue job coaching service provided to them during their work week.

This is a big step towards independence as these individuals will now advocate for themselves and be fully integrated into the teams where they work, without a third-party supporter. The average length of time on the job for the four has been around five years.

Cliff, the General Manager at McDonald’s, where Sam works, stated that this is the first time one of his employees has “graduated” to this level of independence and is proud of Sam’s accomplishments.

A DWI job coaches’ primary responsibility is to assist the individual in understanding the job tasks and help them focus on the outcomes and know their supervisor’s expectations. At times, they are the intermediary between the employer and the client to help negotiate and communicate those expectations. Over time, as the individual gains confidence and understands the tasks, the need for job coaching diminishes, until, hopefully, the individual no longer requires or desires a job coach and becomes independent from the supports.

We congratulate and recognize these four successful employees, our job coaches, and their employers:

Sam Wells, McDonald’s

Charles Brunson, DWI

Ortencia Nelson, Chick-Fil-La

Danielle Robinson, Artic Circle