ILS Personal Development and Employment Specialists
Goal Achievement Assistance/ Life Skills Development/Resume & Interview Skills/Navigating Workplace Dynamics/Balance Work , Life, Family/Earning The Money You Deserve/ Building the Life You Want/ BREAKING THROUGH BARRIERS
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Breaking Barriers strives to be a local leader in the international Independent Living Services movement by providing a one-of-a-kind service design that offers two exclusive programs for adults living with a developmental or intellectual disability. We support our clients in working towards their individual life goals and entering the workforce with our Customized Employment and Personal Development Programs.
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Customized Employment Program
Career Support & Transitions
Personal Development Program
Skill Building for Independence
Living Independently vs. Independent Living
The difference between living independently and Independent Living.
According to the Independent Living Institute's "An American Definition of Independent Living", living independently means, "living on one's own, being employed in a job fitting one's capabilities and interests, or having an active social life;" whereas, Independent Living, "is having the right and opportunity to pursue a course of action," and "having the freedom to fail - and to learn from one's failures, just as nondisabled people do." It is human nature to learn through failure; a right that, until the inception of the Independent Living movement, individuals who have disabilities weren't always afforded the luxury of having. With Independent Living Services, like Breaking Barriers, individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities are taught the importance of failure and how to learn through it without dismantling their life.
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The Importance of Independent Living.
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The Independent Living movement puts the power back in the hands of individuals who live with disabilities. The philosophy behind the movement is that there is no better judge of what supports an individual living with a disability needs than the individual themself. Independent Living Services, like Breaking Barriers, allow the individuals they serve to take charge of their own lives, dictate what supports they receive, and how or when they receive those supports.
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How Independent Living Works.
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As an ILS Program, Breaking Barriers provides:
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Information on other support agencies in the area
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One-on-one life skills training
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Peer Counseling
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Individualized Client Advocacy
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Community-Based Client Advocacy
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Customized Employment Program
Breaking Barriers aims to make a difference in the lives of the individuals we serve by utilizing Griffin-Hammis Customized Employment methods to promote universal acceptance in the workforce and assist our clientele in achieving their unique career goals.
Customized Employment (CE) is a four-phase process of job placement assistance that was designed to put the person BEFORE a collaboratively created job; whereas, traditional job assistance attempts to fit applicants into the margins of existing jobs.
Those who live without a disability have a natural leg-up on the competition when using traditional hiring methods. The purpose of CE is to provide a necessary tool for adults living with a developmental or intellectual disability in leveling the employment search playing field.
Phases of Customized Employment
Phase 1: Discovering Personal Genius (DPG)
Everyone is good at something and has some sort of skill to offer potential employers. The purpose of DPG is to determine what those skills might be. During a client's individualized DPG process, their personal Breaking Barriers employment team (made up of an Employment Coordinator and a Job Coach) will spend time shadowing them in their daily lives and learning about their regular routines. Each participant’s DPG period will last for approximately 6-8 weeks. This assessment period was designed to establish who the participant is, what they are good at, and what they enjoy doing. Together these three ingredients create the recipe for success!
Phase 2: Job Planning Process (JPP)
During JPP, each participant's employment team will work with them individually to create a plan to achieve their career goals. Using information obtained through DPG, the employment team will help each participant select local businesses to correspond with that fit their unique employment profile. Accompanied by their Employment Coordinator, participants will attend workshops, internships, tours, or informational interviews at these local businesses. The goal of attending local businesses in this manner is to build a rapport with business owners, determine if the CE participant can be successful working for said employers, determining the existence of unmet needs at local businesses, or obtaining knowledge about the industry in which each business operates.
Phase 3: Job Carving Process (JCP)
Once a rapport has been established, Employment Coordinators work with local business owners in an attempt to modify or create a position for each CE client; therein, filling any unmet needs that may have been discovered during JPP. The goal of Job Carving is to allow opportunities for clients to accomplish their individual career goals AND increase the productivity of each participating business without greatly inhibiting the flow of their existing operations. This is known as “finding the job within the job.”
Phase 4: Job Support Period (JSP)
Before employment begins and a job has been agreed upon by both CE client and a potential employer, the employment team will work with the client and the employer to establish supports that are necessary for the client’s overall success at the company. The supports, such as modified break periods and/or essential equipment, for each client will be determined based on their individual employment profile and the job they will be doing. After employment begins, each client's Employment Coordinator will periodically check in with, and act as a liaison between, them and their employer to ensure the continued success and comfort of both parties.
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Personal Development Program
The Breaking Barriers Personal Development Program is an exciting new approach to Independent Living Services for individuals who live with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The program is designed to assist Breaking Barriers clients in setting personal life goals and developing the necessary skills to work towards achieving those goals. Each client works with their individual support team and Breaking Barriers intake team to build a program of support that is based on their chosen goals. With the Personal Development Program, each client makes their own decisions regarding the program goals they work towards, the types of activities they wish to participate in to build the skills they need to accomplish those goals, and the Personal Development Coach they want to help them be successful in the program. Breaking Barriers clients can receive support, through our Personal Development Program, to achieve almost any goal they choose to set.
We currently offer a wide variety of Personal Development Skills to our existing clients, such as: social skills, romantic relationship skills, assistance with obtaining CPR/First Aid certification, maintaining a healthy life style, fitness skills to lose weight, skills necessary for self-advocation, money management skills, and the list goes on.
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Individuals who are new to the program can choose to work on any of the aforementioned skills or work with their personal support team and Breaking Barriers intake staff to create their own Skill Development Plan. Once a new client has determined what goals they would like to work towards, they get to choose who their Personal Development Coach is going to be. Clients have a choice of working with an existing Breaking Barriers Coach, who possesses the necessary qualifications to assist them in achieving their goals, or having the Personal Development Program team screen qualified applicants that they can choose from. Once a client finds a Personal Development Coach they feel comfortable with, that person will be hired.
As added supports for both clients and coaches, the Personal Development Program frequently offers a wide variety of workshops, peer support groups, community resource referrals, and Breaking Barriers Advocates to further support clients in being successful at reaching their goals.
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Our main goal in serving our clients is to ensure that they receive all the supports they require to live happy, successful, and fulfilling lives.
