Sherr & Jon: Week 26

Sherr is still waiting to hear from JSSA about employment services for Jon. She is going to call them again tomorrow to see if they have received the referral from DORS.

She spoke with her electrician friend who encouraged Jon to call the union to ask why he was never granted an interview. Unfortunately, Jon hasn’t made the call yet. Sherr is struggling with Jon’s lack of motivation and is unsure of what to do at this point. He’s gotten very comfortable with the status quo and doesn’t seem to be interested in stepping out of his comfort zone. He still hasn’t completed his resume, and at this point she is considering just doing it herself…  Hopefully they should be receiving assistance from JSSA soon, and they also have an appointment with the transition counselor coming up next week.

So, what does a parent do when their disabled child doesn’t follow through with the steps that are necessary to find employment?  With a neurotypical child, the answer is a lot more straight-forward. You just send them packing! But what does one do in a case like this? It’s a tricky situation. Any thoughts?

First year living on campus: lessons learned

Last week Buster finished his finals and moved back home for the summer. He made it through an entire year of living on campus. What an accomplishment!

While it’s still fresh in my mind, I thought I’d share a little recap of his year: what went well, what didn’t go so well, and some things we might change next year….

As I’ve shared in previous posts, while Buster was away at school, Jeff and I called him daily for a five minute check-in. We referred to these check-ins as our daily SCRUM calls. Basically, the purpose was to get a report from him about what he had accomplished, what he was planning to do, and any roadblocks he had encountered. We called at exactly the same time each morning (10:25 am), and tried to keep the conversation to five minutes or less. Late morning was a good time to call. His classes were in the afternoons, so this insured that he was up and had time to prepare for the day. And yes, some mornings our calls woke him up, but to his credit, he always answered (eventually)! We heard lots of yawning, but at least he was awake! The daily check-ins were definitely a help.

Thankfully, he passed all his classes, and managed to pull C’s in his three engineering courses.  This was a huge relief, since at one point he was concerned he might not pass any of his classes!  So, at this point it’s looking like Buster is planning to go back in the fall and will continue to live on campus.

Based on the successes and challenges of this year, here are some things we are considering for next year (any additional advice from the “pros” out there would be welcomed!):

1. Continue with the SCRUM calls. Buster is agreeable to the daily calls and it helps keep him on track.
2. Continue with one-on-one tutoring through the disability support services. These services are offered to all students with disabilities at no extra charge, and it was a huge benefit to him. Although it wasn’t part of their job descriptions, some of the tutors helped him with keeping track of assignments and deadlines. One tutor even helped him set up his Google calendar.
3. Continue with the single room accommodation.  He doesn’t need the added drama of a roommate!
4. Hire an executive functioning coach.  Buster would definitely benefit from working with someone weekly to help him keep track of assignments and develop better time management skills. Now all we have to do is find someone!
5. Continue with the agreement that he pays for any classes he fails. This seemed to be a good motivator, and it kept him accountable.

Overall, it was a very good year. Buster seemed to enjoy living on campus. He joined a Christian group where he met some nice “kids”, and a few of them were also in his engineering classes. There were some conflicts with professors, but over time he is learning to be less reactive when things don’t go his way. He continues to grow and mature each year. He’s out there living his life and learning from his mistakes. Can’t ask for more than that!

 

 

ESL Update

As I mentioned a few days ago, Buster and I decided to try volunteering in the ESL program at our church (since he has a love for foreign languages).  We volunteered in the program this past Saturday and it actually went very well!

We ended up helping with the preschool children, and he had a great time practicing his Spanish with them. The lady who taught the class was from Bolivia. At the end of class, she and Buster had a fascinating conversation about how to translate the word “hamburger bun” into Spanish. Apparently, there is no direct translation. Who knew?

Buster said he wants to go back, so it looks like my Saturday mornings are now booked, at least for the summer. I must admit I’d rather be sleeping in on Saturday mornings than doing art & crafts with a dozen preschoolers. But on the bright side, I get to spend one-on-one time with Buster and the little kids are adorable! I’m glad he’s found an outlet for his interest in languages, and it’s a nice opportunity for us to serve together.

 

Saturday’s Quote

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

~Thomas Jefferson

Channeling Interests

Buster is fascinated by foreign languages (Spanish and French in particular — but he loves them all).  His curiosity about other languages and cultures is admirable, but he can be overly-enthusiastic at times, and this has gotten him into trouble.  A few months ago Buster was reprimanded at work because he was spending too much time talking with his Spanish-speaking coworkers about their native language and not enough time tuning pianos!  In order to keep his job, Buster can no longer engage in any conversation with his coworkers about other languages. This has been a challenge for him, but so far he’s been able to comply with the new rule.

I’ve been thinking about ways Buster might be able to channel this interest in a way that benefits everyone. Our church runs an ESL (English as a second language) program on Saturday mornings, so Buster and I are going to begin volunteering there tomorrow. We will be helping out with the preschool children, most of whom speak Spanish.  Buster enjoys working with children, so I’m hoping it will be a good fit.  We’ll see how it goes!

 

Maryland Tax Credit

I did a small amount of research on tax breaks for Maryland employers who hire people with disabilities. It appears they receive a tax credit of up to $1800 during the first year of employment and up to $1200 during the second year. There’s also an additional credit if the employer pays for the employee’s childcare or transportation expenses (not likely in our cases, but good to know).

Here’s a link for more information about these Maryland tax credits. I think it’s good for us to know about these things when dealing with potential employers. I plan to continue researching how employers are being incentivized to hire people with disabilities. If you have any additional info, please let me know!