Case Study - A Plan to Succeed
By Margaret Johns, AACC Member
When I met Ben in 2006 I was greeted by a confident, gently assertive and well spoken young man who had recently married and was working in his own gardening business.
I had first met Ben in 1995 in my role as Disability Coordinator with the Department of Education. Ben was a student in a small, geographically isolated school, and he was one of only two students with disability in the secondary school. My first impression of Ben was that he was a lonely, depressed and withdrawn young man who had difficulty communicating and interacting socially.
This is Ben’s story.
In 1995, Ben’s Student Support Officer at the school sought my help in developing a transition plan for Ben. Ben had identified a viable career goal, but a meeting was needed to clarify expectations and available support structures, and most importantly to begin the process of empowerment for Ben.
This is the initial step in the transition process and clarifies strengths and weaknesses, as well as highlighting some issues that could impede the achievement of a specific career goal, for example health issues, accommodation, travel etc. It should also be used to make an initial assessment of employment, life and social skills. With this information a discussion about future directions including the Work Experience Plan and the Education Plan can take place. These two plans support each other and focus on the development of specific skills, but are based on Ben’s interests.
For most of 1995 the goal for both plans was the improvement of Ben’s social and communication skills.
In the Education Plan we mostly used Community Studies subjects to get Ben functioning in the community, with people we knew he would feel comfortable with and who would value Ben.
The Work Experience plan began with one-on-one work with a variety of people. A number of placements were with grounds people at a variety of sites. These placements included two neighbouring schools, the local hospital and a golf club. After the first placement, it was left up to Ben to negotiate further placements, accommodation and travel arrangements. Ben knew that there was always help available if needed. He managed extremely well and his confidence grew in the process. Ben was highly thought of by the people he worked with and was nominated for Student of the Year in the disability category. This was a defining point for Ben. He reached the finals and was invited to the presentation night in Adelaide. Resplendent in his dinner suit, Ben exuded confidence. Ben was now ready for the final stage, the work readiness preparation and network establishment.
The Education Plan became the vehicle to develop Ben’s job search skills, written up as ‘Community studies, Work in the Community’.
One of the crucial parts of Ben being ready for work was helping him to develop networks in the wider community, and showing him how to access the services and support agencies available. My prime concern is that young people who leave school without developing these networks do not transition successfully.
Ben’s problem was that the networks he needed to access were over 100 km away.
Ben also needed to develop social networks, as well developed social skills are essential if a young person is to succeed in the world of work.
To address this need for Ben and many other young people in this district, we developed a programme where students were bussed to the main town from all the satellite schools. They then spent the day developing a variety of skills and an understanding of agencies and support services.
Lunch was particularly important as they were allowed their freedom to explore the town, particularly the fast food outlets. The value was not in the food but in the fact that the students were given a degree of control over their lives. They were able to make choices, enjoy the company of their peers in a socially acceptable environment, take responsibility for their behaviour, and nurture and protect the less able students in the group. We saw many things developing at this time, including:
- friendships and romantic attachments
- team skills and, for some, leadership skills
- money handling skills
- time management skills
- self confidence and self esteem
Ben left school at the end of 1996 and won an apprenticeship with the Botanic Gardens. Ben was highly thought of there and was given opportunities to manage small groups of workers.
The plan I used in this case study is extremely simple but has worked with a high success rate with a wide variety of students and disconnected young people.
What parts could be modified to assist in your situation?