School To Work Program

The King County School-to-Work Project (S2W) aims to help students with developmental disabilities leave school with a job and a seamless transition to adult life and support services.

S2W takes a team approach to offering direct services to students. Students work with an Employment Specialist who will partner with the student's team of educators and collaborate with parents and the adult service system to help the student find a good job match before they leave school. S2W offers case management and training, benefits planning and resource coordination for students and families enrolled in the program.

Students must be turning 21 years of age and in their last year of eligibility for school services.

• Students enrolled in S2W for the 2008 - 2009 school year must be born between: September 1, 1987 and August 31, 1988.
• Students who wish to apply for the 2009 - 2010 school year must be born between September 1, 1988 and August 31, 1989.

Students must be connected with the key funding agencies listed below.

• WA State Division of Developmental Disabilities http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/ddd/
• WA State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/dvr/
• Enrolled in a participating school district
• Students are highly encouraged to apply for benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) www.ssa.gov

Students must have a desire to have their own job in the community.

S2W accepts students regardless of 'level of disability.' The key ingredients to successful job placement are the individuals' desire to work and a strong support team with a belief in and vision for community based individual employment.

S2W supports all students to create a vision of community-based employment In accordance with the Working Age Adult Policy implemented by WA State's Division of Developmental Disabilities in 2006.

Students should apply to the program in the winter or spring prior to their last year of school. Ask your teacher about the program and see if there are any scheduled S2W orientation and enrollment meetings scheduled in your district.

S2W case managers offer orientation and enrollment events through each partnering school district. These group meetings are typically hosted by the school district between January and March, and the meetings last about one hour. The orientation meetings provide students and families with:

• An overview of S2W
• A chance to ask questions
• Time to complete the brief application process.

Applications should be completed and returned to the case manager as soon as possible, preferably by the end of March. Students will receive a letter from their S2W case manager confirming their enrollment.

If your teacher has not heard of the program, please have him or her contact the S2W Program Manager, Kelley Faulkner.

Attend a Transition Resource Fair:

KCDDD coordinates Transition Resource Fairs in the late winter/ early spring. Students and families are highly encouraged to attend these fairs to meet the supported employment agencies and attend workshops with important information about the adult service system and community resources. Ask your teacher, or check our Web site early in the year for details about these events.

Choose a Supported Employment Agency:

Students and families are given the opportunity to choose to work with a Employment Specialist from one of KCDDD's supported employment agencies who are contracted to provide S2W services.

S2W provides a list of questions for students and families to use when interviewing their provider. Students are encouraged to interview several agencies to make a thoughtful choice and find the right fit.

Most agencies work with a limited number of students. Students are encouraged to apply to the program early and choose their employment agency as soon as possible, preferably by June.

Summer Work Experiences:

If students are interested in summer work experiences they should indicate this on their application to the program. S2W Case Managers will notify students and families of opportunities if they are available.

Working with the Supported Employment Agency:

Students can begin working with an Employment Specialist in July of the summer before their last year of school begins. Ask your supported employment agency about the services they are able to provide over the summer.

Inter-Agency Planning Meeting and Collaboration Throughout the Year:

S2W uses a team approach to planning and individualizes services for each student. Once school begins, each student will have a planning meeting with an inter-agency team including parents, teachers, employment specialists, S2W case managers, DVR counselors, and other key people the student wishes to include.

This meeting is required so that everyone has a chance to share their ideas and set clear expectations for communication and shared responsibilities for the individuals plan for employment. Good communication has proven to be critical to success in S2W.

It is impossible for S2W to guarantee or predict when a student will get a job. However, the goal is that students will begin working as soon as possible in their last year of school. A few students may find a good job match the summer before school begins, while others may find jobs later in the school year. Despite the best efforts of the team, some students do not find jobs before leaving school. Even if students do not leave school with a job, they will have taken important first steps on their pathway to employment by connecting with the key adult agencies.

Students should remain enrolled in school even if they begin working full time. While the team works to find a good match, students often lose their first jobs. If a student stays enrolled in school, they will have a safety net of services while looking for another job. However, if they choose to leave school, they may not be able to return.

Students are highly encouraged to meet with a benefits planner within a month of starting to work. Many students and families are confused about how working will impact their social security benefits. King County DDD and state DVR offer benefits planning services to help people understand their responsibilities in reporting income to the Social Security Administration and the rules around their benefits.

Many students require follow-along support to maintain success in their job. Employment agencies will try to train students to become as independent as possible on the job by developing natural supports and accommodations in the workplace. However, many individuals with developmental disabilities benefit from ongoing services to help them keep their job when changes occur- such as the need to learn new tasks, or deal with a change in schedule, management or co-workers. This service is provided through the end of the school year with S2W funds, however it is not guaranteed after school. It is very important that students and families learn about the funding options for long-term or follow-along employment support.

Most students choose to continue to work with their supported employment agency after S2W. Once a student leaves school, there is no guarantee that they will have funding to provide ongoing employment support services.

Funding for adult services is not an entitlement in Washington State. This often comes as a surprise as people transition from school services, where all students are entitled to a "Free and Appropriate Public Education" per law.

Washington State Division of Developmental Disabilities relies on funding from the State Legislature to be able to provide funding for services for each new group of students who leaves school at the age of 21. This funding is referred to as Transition Proviso Funding, and is intended to pay for the long-term supported employment services.

It is important that students and families learn about their eligibility for long-term funding by talking with their DDD case manager and S2W staff.

King County Developmental Disabilities Division (KCDDD) spear-headed S2W in 2005 by meeting with school districts and government agencies and encouraging all partners to pool resources and work together for a shared outcome: students leaving school with jobs.

King County DDD has formed partnerships and worked with students from most of the school districts in King County. Each participating school district has signed a Memorandum of Agreement where they agree to participate in trainings related to supported employment, partner with adult employment service providers and direct school resources to support students to leave school with jobs and become as independent and safe as possible in their communities.

KCDDD contracts with Supported Employment Providers to partner with educators to provide necessary services to students to help them leave school with a job. These services may include: person-centered planning with a career focus; an assessment of a student's vocational skills, interests and support needs; job development or job carving by working with local employers to find a good job match for a student and make reasonable accommodations in the work place so that the student can be successful; intensive job coaching or training to help the student learn the job; and follow-along services to help students keep their jobs.

King County DDD negotiated a contract with the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to streamline processes and earlier access to employment services for students with developmental disabilities. DVR counselors oversee the employment planning process and contribute to funding services for students who reach their employment goal.

King County DDD works closely with the Washington State Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).

• State DDD Case/Resource Managers are invited to be part of the employment planning process and authorize state funding for employment supports after school. They are key team members in planning for other aspects of adult life, such as residential and personal care.
• KCDDD has been awarded funding from Washington State's Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) Partnership Project for both the 2007 - 2008 and 2008 - 2009 school years. These funds support KCDDD to make services available to a larger number of students, improve access for students with more significant disabilities, and share data and practices with other counties in Washington who may wish to create and implement similar programs.

King County DDD employs two case managers through the King County Work Training Program to provide targeted and intensive case management services to students enrolled in the program and to act as a liaison with educators in school districts to coordinate enrollment and student participation throughout the county. As funds permit, the case managers also coordinate summer work experiences for a limited number of students.

King County DDD works with the Washington Initiative for Supported Employment (WiSe), O'Neill and Associates, and the ARC of King County to offer training and technical assistance on Best Practices in Transition Services to educators, students and families.

King County DDD has two Employment Resource Coordinators on staff who provide trainings on Social Security Benefits and Work, and Navigating the Adult Service System. KCDDD Employment Resource Coordinators and and DVR Benefits Planners offer individualized benefits planning and assistance for individuals who receive benefits from the Social Security Administration.