School-to-Work Outreach Project 1995 Exemplary Model/Practice/Strategy

Minnesota Milestones Rise, Inc. & Anoka-Hennepin ISD #11 Minnesota

Mission

Rise supports people with disabilities in attaining their personal measure of vocational achievement, self-sufficiency, and belonging in their communities. Rise is dedicated to building a community which is more accepting of all of its citizens and we support the development of creative partnerships with businesses, governmental agencies, and the general public to meet this objective.

Organization/Program Context

Minnesota Milestones is a three year national demonstration project supported by a Federal grant from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. The Project is a collaborative effort which includes Anoka-Hennepin Independent School District #11 and Rise, Inc., an adult service provider that is the fiscal agent and the organization responsible for staffing. Transition Plus and Bell Center, both alternative education programs of the Anoka-Hennepin school district, are partners in Minnesota Milestones, providing additional services and supports to the students.

Community Setting

Large City. Minnesota Milestones is located in a suburb of a large metropolitan area. The Anoka-Hennepin School District is the second largest district in the state.

Population Served

Program/Organization
Rise, Inc. serves over 1,500 individuals from the ages of 16 to 65 years old. Rise is a private, nonprofit organization that provides a variety of employment, day training and habilitation and housing services for individuals with disabilities, individuals who are economically disadvantaged and persons without disabilities in affirmative industry. Anoka-Hennepin School District includes 4 high schools.

Model/Practice/Strategy
Minnesota Milestones serves approximately 55 students per year. The majority of the students are of the ages 18 - 22, with some students from 16 - 18. Minnesota Milestones serves students with serious emotional disorders, emotional/behavioral disturbances, and cognitive disabilities.

Model/Practice/Strategy Description

Minnesota Milestones provides services to students with serious emotional disorders, emotional/behavior disturbances and cognitive disabilities who are currently enrolled in the school district's partner programs: Transition Plus and Bell Center. Most students have not earned enough credits to get their high school diplomas, but are working towards their diplomas in the Transition Plus program. Time-limited job services that are available from Minnesota Milestones include: job assessment/career exploration, on-site job training, natural supports, post-secondary supported education and competitive job placement. Supported employment services are offered to students, both at individual and group job sites. Students are referred to the project by Individual Education Plan (IEP) case managers and work coordinators.

Upon referral to Minnesota Milestones each student meets with the project staff to discuss his/her needs and to determine if counseling services are needed. The student then begins to develop his/her career plan. The career plan is a comprehensive document which asks for a student's interests, likes, dislikes, work history, living situation, financial needs, etc. The plan also includes information collected from relevant people in each student's life (i.e. family, friends, school personnel, rehabilitation counselors, social workers). Each career plan contains the student's goals for employment and education. The career plan is used by project staff to assist the student in meeting his/her goals. IEP case managers aid students who wish to access post-secondary education.

Minnesota Milestones utilizes a natural job supports model. The idea of natural supports is to utilize people that are already available in a business or the community to support individuals at their job. This includes the use of supervisors, co-workers, family members, neighbors and friends who can support the student in their employment and assist in the areas of supervision, transportation and leisure activities. Project staff also consult with each employer and provide strategies for training and supervision of persons with disabilities.

Exemplary School-to-Work Components

Career Plan - School-based Learning
Each student develops a career plan which considers personal information, interests and goals. The student is responsible for working toward the goals that he/she writes in the career plan. Checks and balances are built into the plan to deal with unrealistic expectations and the student can change or amend any part of the plan. For example, if a student finds his/her employment situation to be inappropriate, he/she will change the plan to focus on another area of employment.

Effective Support Systems - Connecting Activity
Collaboration between project staff and the school district administration has contributed to the effective support systems of this program. To help students in their pursuit of productive employment and community living, Minnesota Milestones also works in partnership with local agencies such as the state Division of Rehabilitation Services, county community health and social services and employers associations. The result is a support system that extends beyond high school and youth services and into adult services.

Natural Supports Model - Connecting Activity
Students are encouraged to use people involved in their everyday life (such as family members, neighbors and co-workers) for support in areas such as work, transportation and recreation/leisure activities.

What Makes it Work?

Location of Services
Project Staff are located in the same building as Transition Plus, an alternative education program that refers students to Minnesota Milestones. This allows staff easy access to students and facilitates collaboration between project staff and teachers in the provision and coordination of services. In addition, the location of the project is accessible by the public bus service.

Flexible Schedule
Minnesota Milestones provides services beyond the school calendar and school hours; this includes school holidays and summer hours. As a result, students can access services even if they work or go to school during the day.

Staff
The project staff are dedicated and professional. They go above and beyond the call of duty. This commitment is necessary for providing effective services to students.

Staff

• Service Team Leader
  1 full-time
  * Coordinates the program
  * Oversees collaborative activities with Anoka-Hennepin schools and other agencies
  * Schedules and facilitates Interagency Advisory Council Meetings
  * Provides staff support to Parent Advisory Council

• Job Placement Specialists
  2 full-time
  * Coordinates job placement services including job training
  * Works with students and others involved to develop and implement individual student career plans and to access resources
  * Performs job/task analysis to match jobs with candidates
  * Provides training, support and information to employers working with students with disabilities

• Student Support Specialist
  1 full-time
  * Meets with school staff to identify students in need of services
  * Meets each student and his/her family to discuss the student's needs
  * Aids student in accessing adult services
  * Provides independent living services to students
  * Integrates the student's many plans (i.e., IEP, Career Plan and Transition Plan)

• Chief Operating Officer
  1 full-time
  * General project management

When David returned to high school in the Fall of 1994 his planning team determined that he needed assistance in career planning, school-to-work transition services and job development. David was referred to the Minnesota Milestones program. The group also felt that the traditional high school setting was not meeting David's particular needs and that he would probably benefit more from the school district's Transition Plus Program. David met with Milestones staff to discuss the program as well as his interests and goals. He then began to develop his career plan which included collecting information on his interests, strengths and work history. Given this information, the staff suggested that David gain more work experience and they began to look for an appropriate position for him. Sara, a Placement Specialist, took the lead and eventually found a job that would capitalize on David's ability to work well with others. At a local restaurant David was paired with another student from Transition Plus. Together they did the morning set-up work at the restaurant. David was responsible for overseeing the work of his co-worker, and for completing the tasks his partner was unable to do. He also worked the lunch rush as a bus person. This arrangement went extremely well. However, after a few months at this job David decided that he needed to make more money. He also wanted to be more independent in terms of transportation. Milestones staff helped him study for and pass his driver license test. Because he was able to drive to work, more job options were available to David. He found a new job at an engineering firm in a nearby city. David has been an assembly worker at Hoffman Engineering since August 1995. He really enjoys his work and he has been able to try a variety of jobs because he has shown the interest, desire and ability to learn new tasks. His supervisor has had only praise for his excellent work!

David decided to pursue a different job with the encouragement and support of project staff.

This profile was generated by the School-to-Work Outreach Project at the Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota. The development and dissemination of these profiles was supported in part by grant #H029B30142 from the U.S. Department of Education.

For further information, contact the School-to-Work Outreach Project, Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota, 101D Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

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