April is Autism Acceptance Month, and in honor of the launch of The Arc’s new initiative TalentScout, we at The Arc of Carroll County wanted to highlight some of the programs we are implementing to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the workforce.

Preparing for Success

For the past 16 years, The Arc of Carroll County has had several educational partnerships to provide support to high school students and students in the Post-Secondary Program. One of these is VOICE, which teaches how to work with others, understanding the role of a job coach, and employer expectations. Another, TCP, focuses on the school-to-work transition and consists of locating job leads, filling out applications, interviewing, and being independent on the job.

Over the summer, we offer the Summer Youth Employment program for eligible high school and post-secondary participants. Through the program, participants have the opportunity to work in community businesses over the summer with the support of a job coach. This is paid employment, and plans are person-centered to identify unique supports for each person served.

A service we offer specifically for adults on the spectrum is Job Hunters. Coursework covers developing job skills, cover letter and resume writing, dressing for success, and other abilities. While the class itself is 10 weeks, it doesn’t end there! After the course is done, we continue to work with you until you become successfully employed. Last year, we successfully helped a student named Conner develop his skills and secure a job at the Westminster Home Goods for the holiday season. Now, Conner has made huge strides (all the way across the world!) and is residing in Japan looking for work teaching English to Japanese students.

Continued Support

The services don’t stop once someone has found employment. If specialized skills are required, we provide customized training to meet individualized employer needs. Program Coordinators and Employment specialists continue to work with individuals to liaise between the employee and employer to optimize vocational success.

Our Vocational Program, which follows a Place-Train-Maintain model, provides support, instruction, training, and supervision if necessary to maximize independence in the workplace. Some of the ways we do this are through job sampling, shadowing, and enclaves. One of the most unique parts of this program is Supported Enterprise, which assists individuals who are interested in starting their own small business through developing business plans and identifying funding sources. Our hope is that these participants may one day end up at Entrepreneur Alley during The Arc’s National Convention.

We believe that everyone has a right to meaningful and gainful employment, and that community services through The Arc’s chapters are a paramount tool in achieving this.