1. Discovery, Customized Employment and Outcome Data
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2. Why may we need Discovery and Customized Employment?
Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) new requirements.
Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule integration requirements.
Pennsylvania is an ‘Employment First’ state, what does that mean?
A ‘foundation’ for Person-Centered Planning
To guide student teams as they plan for school to adult-life/work transitions
To guide teams (supporting students or later, in adult services) to what works and what can lead to successful employment
To guide teams to community integrated opportunities – Discovery is ‘no-fail’ – it presumes competence and the outcome of employment

3. What is Discovery Discovery is an alternative vocational assessment.
It provides the information needed to determine the strengths, conditions for success, and interests of any person.
The outcome of our Discovery is a customized profile of a person that represents the best qualities and qualifications of the person to help in the job seeking process.
It differs from “traditional” vocational assessments in that:
It uses positive, descriptive language
Shows relevant skills, conditions for success and interests that you would find on any resume
Is straightforward and easy to understand for employers and support agencies

4. Customized Employment
Discovery process
Step 1 Training
Step 2 Discovery
Step 3 Profiles
Step 4
Customized Employment

5. Training and Certification
In partnership with Marc Gold & Associates, certification is offered for Discovery, Customized Employment Job Development and Systematic Instruction
A three day face to face training is required for each certification
Consultants then complete approximately hours of guided fieldwork to complete certification requirements with mentoring throughout the process.
Consultants work with a learning partner to complete the activities of Discovery, job development, or systematic instruction – depending on which certification course they are completing.
In order to become certified, an individual must: attend all 3 days of the face to face training, complete the corresponding field work and documentation, and score a passing grade on a final test.

6. Discovery
Getting to know the participant
Discovery is the first step in the process of developing profiles.
Consultants meet the participant and his or her family and other individuals to learn as much as possible.
The consultant observe and interact with the participant from the classroom and internships to time in the community and at home.
In this stage of the process, consultants learn as much as they can about the individual to better express their strengths, conditions for success and interests in the profile.

7. Profiles The profile is the outcome of the initial Discovery process.
Consultants use the information gathered from Discovery to develop profiles.
Profiles serve as a tool to describe the individual’s strengths, conditions for success and interests to help in finding gainful employment.
The profiles are broken down in to three parts.
Each part serves to provide a complete story of the individual’s life, education, conditions for success, skills, job history, etc.
The profile clearly states the conditions for employment, interests for employment, effective coaching strategies, and contributions for employment so that employers and transitional services can easily understand the capabilities of the individual.
The profile differs from other assessments because it doesn’t focus on what the individual cannot do. Discovery already knows that the participant is capable and instead focuses on those qualities and how to effectively bring them out in a work environment.

8. The Customized Plan for Employment (CPE)
The Discovery Consultant will facilitate the CPE to develop the outline for customized employment job development. The CPE process:
Outlines the specific tasks which the individual can contribute to a potential employer.
Tasks are grouped into interest categories.
A list of at least 20 potential employers – based on tasks and individual interests are identified.
CPE meeting participants with a contact/connection to a potential employer are identified and listed within the CPE planning document.
The CPE is developed using the completed Discovery Profile Part 3, input of the individual and those closest to the individual.
The individual holds the ‘trump card’ at the meeting – she/he makes the final decisions about tasks, potential employers, and the structure of the meeting.

9. Visual Resume
Developed from Profile Part 3 and the Customized Plan for Employment.
Provides an alternative format for job seekers to present themselves to a prospective employer.
Includes high quality photographs of the job seeker engaged in activities that demonstrate skills .
Format may be visual (in a binder) or electronic – “swivel cards”.
Use PowerPoint formats that are not distracting and present the individual as a professional, just as a traditional resume would be created.

10. Customized Employment Job Development
Consultants are trained and certified using the skills and techniques from Marc Gold &Associates
The process is completely individualized using information from the Customized Plan for Employment and Discovery profile to match job seeker contributions to employer needs.
It is a business-focused model which truly considers both employer and job seeker needs. Most models look at adapting jobs to fit job seeker needs, or carving out parts of a job for a job seeker.
Consultants use a concept portfolio to describe and explain the process to prospective employers.
Employers are provided with a needs/benefit analysis to identify potential tasks and negotiate a customized job description for the job seeker. & Associates

11. CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT JOB DEVELOPMENT IS:
Individualized
Employer focused
Negotiated
Intended to result in community-integrated
employment
Video:

12. Outcomes – what we have learned about the Discovery timelines/process
The entire Discovery process takes approximately hours from start to finish.
The end result is a complete profile and customized plan for employment for the individual to be used by the participant, family, transition service providers, adult support service providers, and employers.
The profile is updated as the participant gains new job experience and skills, by creating an addendum or through expanded Discovery.
After completing the profile, consultants follow up by participating in planning meetings and customized employment planning to ensure that the profile is used effectively.
Several pilot participants are currently employed based on their interests, possible contributions and conditions for success, and doing very well in the customized employment model.
Several younger students in the Pilot (who are still attending high school) have IEP teams that will use information from the Discovery profile to build transition plans. Consultants have been trained to work with the student/family to create an electronic portfolio.portfolios for the students to share their interests/strengths at IEP and team planning meetings.
Steps of Discovery
Hours
Initial Discovery
20-30
Profiles Part 1, 2 and 3 10
Customized Employment Meeting 5
Resume Development
Total
40-50

13. What we are looking at in the Program Evaluation
Apricot and data collection.
Elements of the program evaluation include:
Pre- Post- perceptions surveys – for participants/families, teachers
Demographics and data
Outcomes – i.e. employment, transition plan, changed perceptions
Next steps moving forward with program evaluation – perceptions surveys pre- post training

14. THE PERCEPTIONS SURVEYS
Distributed to parent and teacher both at the beginning of Discovery and once the process (discovery, profile, CPE, and visual resume) are completed.
Consider knowledge/understanding of: the transition process, views about employment possibilities, self-advocacy and self-determination
The surveys also consider the extent to which the student, parent, teacher are informed about and participate in the Discovery process
The initial sets of surveys have been distributed and are being returned to IUP program evaluators. Surveys are ‘anonymous’ – they include only a number, to provide anonymity for respondents

15. SOME INITIAL FINDINGS/THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED
The more robust the Discovery and Discovery profile, the more likely successful, sustainable the outcome in job development.
It is critical to address not only interests and skills/potential tasks, equal, emphasis must be placed on conditions for success.
The better the ‘match’ to the individual’s interests, skills, conditions for success, the less ongoing support needed (examples from MG&A partnership/Pathways)
While still in the initial stages of survey collection, it is anticipated that participation in the Discovery process will increase perceptions regarding presumed competency, employment opportunities, and general understanding of the transition process.
How is this different? From other assessments? From past initiatives?

16. WRAPPING IT UP
QUESTIONS?

17. For more information contact Program Manager: Nicole Turman at or Program Specialist: Anthony Chan att