Dr June Alexander presented sessions 4 and 5 of the Let's Get To Work Virtual Conference in July 2020.
What is Customised Employment?
Customised Employment (CE) is a US system to support employees with disabilities to gain and maintain employment.
It has two fundamental underlying principles
- Everyone can work in Open Employment
- Those with complex disabilities are disadvantaged by traditional job-seeking practices.
Customised Employment matches a person with disability to the needs of an employer, creating a customised job. It identifies the strengths of a person with a disability through a process called ‘Discovery.’
Additionally, CE includes a job development process and ongoing job training and supports.
CE considers the unique person: their age, type of disability, interests and talents. It also identifies the geographical location of the work, support systems and resources.
Good job matching leads to both individuals and companies enjoying the benefits of CE. which results in employee retention.
Resources
Demonstration of Systematic Instruction
This video demonstrates how to use systematic instruction to teach a new task to a person with disability. It is important that the coach
- has done a task analysis and
- has set the task up for the person to complete before teaching the person.
The only verbal prompting used is ‘Try Another Way’ or “Sorry my mistake”. Verbal prompting can be very distracting and the word ‘no’ is never used. This is a potent method of teaching a task to a person with disability.
Links mentioned in June’s presentations
- Customised Employment: Interviewing
- Discovery Resources – Marc Gold & Associates
- Developing Vocational Themes: Workbook
- NDIS New Price Guide 1st July 2020
- Q&A on Customised Employment: Informational Interviews
- Available Support
- Job Carving – Griffin Hammis
- Download Job Analysis Record Example – Griffin Hammis
- Community Living Project – Microenterprise and Employment
- Valued Lives’ Microenterprise Website
- Self-guided discovery facilitator’s guide helping people to discover their own path to employment
Organisations
Training
Other Resources
- The Job Developer’s Handbook: Practical Tactics for Customized Employment – By Cary Griffin, David Hammis, Tammara Geary, Steve Hall
- Workplace culture reference: Ellenkamp, J. J. H., Brouwers, E. P. M., Embregts, P. J. C. M., Joosen, M. C. W., &; van Weeghel, J. (2016). Work Environment-Related Factors in Obtaining and Maintaining Work in a Competitive Employment Setting for Employees with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 26(1), 56-69.doi:10.1007/s10926-015-9586-1
Customised Employment Video Resumes
Meet Dr June Alexander
Meet Dr June Alexander
Dr June Alexander PhD, MDisSt, BAppSc(DD),
- DipCommServ (FSW), CertIV (AWT)
- Lecturer at Flinders University
- Academic Director Learning Programs at Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice (CDERP)