Re: Self-advocacy skills and self-employment

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

**Thanks for the kind words and all the good work that you do.

In a message dated 11/9/2006 9:00:28 PM Pacific Standard Time, transprogcoach@... writes:

Hello ,Thank you very much for your insight and information duringthis week. As a job coach with a school transitionprogram, I have found your responses immediately applicable to my work with students. I am interested in your thoughts about self-advocacy skills in the workplace. Are thereimportant factors about appropriately usingthese skills that you think young adults entering the workforce should know about?

** I think basic self-advocacy skills are so VERY critical to job & career success. What we know from practice & research, is that most people with disabilities lose their jobs not because they can't do their jobs, but because they have trouble with social and communication issues on the job. As I had stated, I think the foundation of self-advocacy in the workplace is being able to request help, say "I don't understand", and request a break. These sometimes may seem "too basic", but I have seen so many individuals leave high school before they could fluently do 1 or all 3 of these. Mastering these 3 will also allow movement to the next level of self-advocacy (expressing your rights, understanding your responsibilities, etc.).

Also, can you relate anything you know of aboutopportunities for self-employment for people withdevelopmental disabilities?

** Self-employment can be awesome as a training ground or long-term employment. My advice here is clearly you want to match the person's skills & interests to the self-employment opportunity, but that opportunity has to be viable from a business standpoint as well. For example, a lot of people seem to be setting up "paper shredding" businesses, but this is a harder & harder market to break into with many companies now developing this service. On the other hand, the pet & personal service industries are booming - dog walkers, pet groomers, personal concierge = all seem to be in high demand and can be great self-employment opportunities.

Thank you again. Engman