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Over the years, Parents Alliance Employment Project has successfully
placed individuals with disabilities into meaningful employment settings,
which has benefited many of our stakeholders including individuals with
disabilities, their parents, high school transition programs and local
employers.
Gem at
Diamond Marketing
Next time you get “junk mail”, think twice
about where it came from.
A lot of work goes into those latest
retail promotions. Some of that work is done at Diamond Marketing
Solutions (DMS) in Bloomingdale, IL. DMS prints, addresses and distributes
that mail in large quantities before it arrives at your door.
DMS hired Paris Carter in August 2005 to
be a machine feeder, a critical position within the company. His main
responsibility was, on one end, to feed the unlabeled promotional materials
into a complicated 2-person machine, where, on the other end, a second person
sorted the pieces by zip code.
Management had high hopes that Mr. Carter
would learn how to run both ends of that machine and more. Mr. Carter has
successfully fulfilled those high hopes.
Now, Mr. Carter is responsible for a
temporary addition on the existing warehouse where he sorts out recyclable
from unrecyclable material. This duty of Mr. Carter’s has significantly
reduced costs for DMS.
Additionally, other employees in the main
part of the warehouse assemble boxes for merchandise to be mailed and Mr.
Carter is also responsible for keeping their areas stocked with work to do.
“My favorite part of the job is driving
the forklift,” said Mr. Carter. “I’m very happy with what I do at Diamond
Marketing Solutions. This is the first job I’ve had for longer than a few
months and I like coming to work everyday.”
Mr. Carter and his Employment Specialist,
Ami Sedan, first heard of DMS through an advertisement for a job fair they
were having in July 2005. Of all the people interviewed that day, Mr. Carter
was the only one this employer felt encouraged to hire.
“Mr. Carter is very respectful,” said Ms.
Sedan. “He is ambitious and eager to learn. I’m sure that came out 100% in
his interview.”
Mr. Carter works full-time at DMS. When he
first began working there, he also worked at Old Country Buffet in
Lombard as a dishwasher, which was the first position Ms. Sedan found for
him. He liked the work, but he was able to receive overtime hours at DMS, so
he left Old Country Buffet.
Tom Buttaccio, Vice President of
Production at DMS, thinks this is a success story because “Paris keeps me
informed of what’s going on,” Mr. Buttaccio said. “He is the only permanent
employee working in the warehouse addition. All the other workers are
temporary, so it’s nice to have the stability of a good employee. We found a
valuable employee and it’s a blessing for sure.”
To this, Ms. Sedan added, “I think Paris
is finally in a job where he can grow and his boss, Tom, knows that Paris can
be trusted with new responsibilities.”
An added bonus is that since receiving
employment at DMS, Mr. Carter no longer requires Social Security Disability
Insurance. He makes enough money to pay all of his bills without the extra
income, a benefit to the larger economy and community since Mr. Carter now
contributes to tax revenue. This self-sufficiency was one of his goals when
he first came to Parents Alliance Employment Project.
Partnerships at Work
Jason Plutz, Manager of Ruby Tuesday in Downers
Grove, was once not aware of the many incentives available to a business when
it hires a person with a disability. This lack of awareness is not unusual
for many businesses. For example, if somebody had asked Jason if he knew
about the federally funded On the Job Training (OJT)/On the Job Evaluation
(OJE) grant, he probably would have said, “No.”
Piedad Arias-Hutchison, Rehabilitation Counselor Senior., QMHP, for Illinois’
Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), knows about the OJT/OJE grant and
decided to present information about it, and other incentives, to Jason.
Mathew Thomas was glad she did. As a result of Arias-Hutchison’s legwork,
Jason hired him for the position of silverware roller at Ruby Tuesday.
The OJT/OJE grant may be used either to train a new employee with a
disability, if the employer intends to hire, or to evaluate whether a
prospective employee can perform a job. The employer is reimbursed from the
grant a portion of the wages paid during a predetermined amount of time.
Unaware of the incentive, many employers are reluctant to hire a person with
a disability because their budget cannot alone afford the wages for an
employee whose training period might require more money than the budget
allows or who is not a good match for the job. To address this reluctance,
Arias-Hutchison explained not only the OJT/OJE grant to Jason, but also DRS
services and awareness tools on disability, such as the “Employer Packet of
Information,” which defines employer and employer rights.
“I appreciate an employer like Jason who welcomes the opportunity to work in
partnership with DRS, Parents Alliance Employment Project (PAEP), and people
with disabilities,” said Piedad.
“The information that was provided by Ms. Arias-Hutchison was very helpful.
The disability awareness video and literature were easy to understand,” said
Jason.
After Jason chose to partner with DRS, Arias-Hutchison informed supported
employment service providers of the opening for silverware roller at Ruby
Tuesday. When Jason met Mathew for the interview, he was impressed by
Mathew’s abilities and hired him instantly under the OJT incentive.
“Employment specialists from Parents Alliance Employment Project were very
helpful in supervising Mathew. He picked up duties very quickly,” added
Jason. This lead to successful employment for Mathew and to a reliable
employee for Jason.
Not everything went smoothly at first, but Ruby Tuesday and its staff have
done a great job of helping to remove challenges that Mathew needed support
to overcome. “This employment has helped Mathew develop and learn many skills
needed in a job,” said Mathai Thomas, Mathew’s father.
With consistent support and job coaching from PAEP’s staff, Mathew is
successfully employed at Ruby Tuesday. “It was very impressive how Jason and
his staff were very patient and gave enough support and time for Mathew to
get acquainted with the job,” said Nishat Aziz, the PAEP employment
specialist who has coached Mathew. This positive outcome has led Jason to
contact PAEP for additional candidates for employment.
For more information on Tax Incentives for Businesses, employers may contact
PAEP at 630-495-4345, ext. 211, or visit the U.S. Department of Labor website
at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek97/tax.htm.
PAEP and Glenbard Transition Program Partners with Chicago Tribune
This fall, the Parents Alliance Employment
Project (PAEP), the Chicago Tribune, and the Glenbard South Transition
Program partnered together to provide a vocational training site for
Transition Program students. The site was formed through an initial contact
made by Kristen Tribe, PAEP executive director, with John Parisi, manager of
the Tribune’s Distribution Center in Carol Stream.
At the Center, three students assist the Tribune two mornings a week in
tracking circulation numbers through separating and sorting front page
mastheads according to the days of the week and whether they are from a late
or early edition. Two other students perform light maintenance duties two
mornings a week, such as sweeping the 12,000 square-foot warehouse,
consolidating garbage into dumpsters, and cleaning the grounds of
litter.
“They’re doing a great job for us,” John Parisi said, “We’re very glad to
provide an opportunity for the kids.” The students in the Transition Program
are 18-21 years old who have developmental disabilities. PAEP has provided
employment and vocational training services to the Transition Program since
its inception seven years ago.
According to Lois Shoup, a Transition Program job coach, it is an invaluable
site for vocational development. “Because what the students do at the Tribune
requires them to work together, they’re learning teamwork skills,” Shoup
said, “ Also, in order to be productive, students are learning to stay on
task and follow supervision.”
A Spotless Success Story
As you enter Banana Republic in Oakbrook Center
Mall, you will notice friendly employees and hip clothing. Keep observing for
a bit longer and you will notice that the store is always sharp, fresh and
clean. Shelves are free of dust, mirrors are shining, the lights work well,
stainless steel sparkles, and the customer bathroom is spotless. Behind all
of this cleanliness, you will find the morning janitorial crew, Brad Bissett
and Stewart Bolden. Brad and Stewart work hard as a team to keep the store in
excellent condition.
Brad Bissett has been receiving services from Parents Alliance Employment
Project since November 2003. He received job development services under the
DuPage County Workforce Development Division Youth Grant that was awarded to
PAEP in October of 2003. Brad and his Employment Specialist, Matthew McNiel
worked together, searching through job leads and going to interviews. After
many weeks of searching, they were encouraged to find a job opportunity at
Banana Republic through the EmployAbility Job Developers Network, of which,
PAEP is an active member.
The Hiring Manager at Banana Republic worked professionally and efficiently
with Employment Specialist, Matthew to review qualified candidates from PAEP.
She interviewed Brad and ultimately offered him the position. After Brad
spent a day thinking about the opportunity he decided it was right for him
and accepted the job. Brad required support from his Employment Specialist
getting through the orientation booklets and paperwork. Brad then dove into
the tasks of his new job with a positive attitude. Demonstrating his
motivation, Brad gets up at 5:30am five times a week so that he can show up
to work on time at 7am.
Brad and his co-worker are responsible for ensuring Banana Republic opens
clean and presentable to the public. Some of the duties include mopping,
vacuuming, light bulb replacement, glass cleaning, trash removal, dusting,
and other tasks assigned by management. Brad especially enjoys garbage
removal, of which there is a lot on shipment days.
The Hiring Manager commented, “It’s been a positive experience for both of
us, and it’s been a learning experience for both of us. I think it is good
that we are able to help Brad gain some employment experience.”
Regarding his employment at Banana Republic, Brad said, “I have liked getting
to know the people I work with, especially the managers. I think it is a very
good work experience for me.” Brad also mentioned that he enjoys getting to
know the other places in Oakbrook Center Mall.
Parents Alliance Employment Project hopes to continue developing partnerships
with local businesses such as the one it has with Banana Republic Oakbrook.
These partnerships bring successful employment to individuals with
disabilities and provide a qualified and diverse workforce for employers they
serve.
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