Customized Employment Success Story - Jason

Jason wanted to work. At 34 years old, he had a very limited work history - mostly non-competitive positions located in and supported by his residential day activity program. Additional work history includes non-paid clerical positions at his day activity program. So far, career development has not been a focus for him. Jason has epilepsy, mental illness, and receives SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Due to some challenging behaviors, Jason has a personal assistant with him at all times, and searching for employment was not a priority.

Jason heard about the Maryland Customized Employment Partnership through his service coordinator, and he called to schedule an appointment. Jason met with a career specialist at the One Stop career Center and an employment support team was identified; members were selected at Jason's request. The team used a discovery process rather than testing to determine Jason's strengths, needs, and interests.

By spending time with Jason and using the discovery process, the team was able to identify Jason's workplace and community accommodation needs, his contributions to the workplace, and the specific environments where Jason would succeed. Jason is now working as a part-time (his choice) project assistant in the fulfillment industry, earning $7.75 per hour. A "working interview" was arranged for him, since traditional interview methods were not very successful for him. His job tasks were negotiated based on his employer's needs and Jason's skills.