2.01 - Getting Ready To Start Working With the Model:
During the first meeting, the facilitator will want to discuss the process of working through the model and its purpose. The following three topics need to be considered and reviewed:
- The Facilitator role: The facilitator role is that of a non-judgmental support, instructor, and advocate. The facilitator will support the person with a disability to learn problem-solving skills and to identify the things he or she needs to know to get a desired job and career. The facilitator will support the person with the disability in setting and achieving goals, and encourage the person with the disability to self-direct this process as much as possible.
- Problem solving: Some people with disabilities may not be familiar with what is meant by a problem solving process. The facilitator should explain that a problem is a barrier or obstacle to getting the desired job or career. Problem-solving provides a strategy to move from the current situation to the desired location. There are different ways to solve problems and not all problems are “bad things.” The person with the disability will learn more about problem-solving as he or she works through the model.
- Goal-Setting: A goal is something you set out to do, something you work to make happen. The facilitator should talk with the person with the disability about goals that have been set. Emphasize that goals are something he or she wants to achieve, such as a desired job or career.
Phase 1:
After reviewing some of the basic model concepts, it is time to start using the model. The initial problem to solve will be “What are my career and job goals?” Initial efforts to solve the first problem can be quite broad. Part of the learning process includes learning to narrow job and career focus, setting more realistic goals, and creating more ambitious or focused action plans. The following materials provide a review of the questions for Phase 1 and facilitator Objectives for each of the four consumer questions.
Question 1: The first question to answer in Phase 1 is “What career and job do I want?” The facilitator should encourage the person with the disability to explore desired outcomes, identify current skills, determine what needs to be done to achieve the outcome, and to develop a goal to achieve the outcome.
There are three facilitator objectives under Question 1. The first facilitator objective encourages the person to examine his or her interests, preferences, values, and beliefs. Spend enough time on this so that the person with the disability can identify their own strengths and abilities. This focus on strengths can be empowering. The information obtained from identifying strengths and abilities can be used across all aspects of the model from developing a goal to evaluating the outcome. The second facilitator objective supports the person with the disability to identity what he or she has already learned about the job and career. This provides an assessment of strengths upon which the facilitator can build. The third objective is to prioritize career and job options based upon preferences and what has been learned about their strengths. The person with the disability may need support in prioritizing job or career options. Resources such as time, money, or materials may influence this order as well.
Question 1: What career and job do I want?
- Objective 1 - Enable person to communicate career and job related preferences, interests, beliefs, and values.
- Sample Responses
- I want to work in an office at a desk.
- I can do janitorial work.
- I like to help people
- Objective 2 -
Enable person to identify and communicate strengths and needs as they relate to specific jobs and related careers
- Sample Responses
- I like people but I am shy. I never know what to say.
- I use the city bus for transportation.
- I am legally blind but I can see with large print and good lighting.
- I can type but don’t know how to use a computer.
- Sample Responses
- Objective 3
- Enable and support person to prioritize career and jobs options and select preferred option(s).
- Sample Responses
- I wouldn’t need training if I went to work as a janitor.
- I would rather be an office assistant or receptionist
- Sample Responses
Page updated 11/1/06
All instructional content © Copyright 2006 by Michael L. Wehmeyer, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
Website developed and hosted by Disability Policy and Studies (DPS) and the Curators of the University of Missouri.
If you have difficulty with or questions about this website, contact DPS at 573 882-3807 or the webmaster at standifers[at]missouri.edu
