Work Opportunities offers a wide range of vocational services to meet the needs of the participants we serve
Employability Assessment Services - Designed to determine the vocational strengths and needs of participants.
Employability Evaluation services are designed to determine
the vocational strengths and needs of participants in relation to various types of work
and work situations. Each person's vocational evaluation plan is highly
individualized and input and feedback from the person served is encouraged throughout the
assessment period. Prior to entering evaluation, certain questions will be asked
that will be answered during evaluation.
Work Opportunities offers several types of evaluation
services, each designed to answer questions about a person's ability in a broad sense,
looking at a variety of skills required on numerous types of jobs and identifying those
skills which are areas of strengths. Support needs may also be identified and an
introduction to career exploration is provided.
Community-Based Assessments are also an option which offer
short-term, on-the-job experiences which identify one's suitability for a specific type of
job and verify one's interest in a particular field. Twenty-day assessments are also
offered within the Work Center. These are particularly useful for participants who
lack work experience, may not have been successfully employed in the past, and/or may be
interested in hands-on, assembly, or bench-work types of occupations.
The evaluation provides persons with disabilities with an
opportunity to learn new information regarding their skills and interests for performing a
variety of work. This information is helpful for determining the most appropriate
program as well as providing persons with factual information regarding their
participation in the world of work. This is particularly helpful for persons who
have not yet sampled work or have not yet determined what type of work they would like as
a beginning vocation.
Employability Preparation - Designed to assist persons in strengthening employability skills.
A time-limited progam, generally no longer than six
months, that usually occurs after the evaluation period. The program is designed to
assist persons in overcoming vocational related barriers that limit the person in reaching
their highest vocational potential. The program addresses such areas as
productivity, quality of work, work habits, work tolerance, etc. Persons usually
participate six hours a day, although schedules can be tailored for individual
needs. Training may take place in the work center, enclave, or in the community.
Extended Support Service - A long-term training program that provides services for persons in a supported setting.
Extended Support Services is a long-term training program
that provides services for persons in a sheltered setting. Goals for the program are
increased wages and eventual movement into supported or competitive community employment.
This program is designed for persons who although fairly productive, still need an
extended period of time to address areas that may interfere with the achievement of their
vocational goals.
Job Placement Services - Designed to assist persons in obtaining and maintaining competitive community employment.
Patrick sorting mail at his job at the Division of Developmental Disabilities.
Job Placement Services are designed to assist persons in
obtaining and maintaining competitive community employment. Work Opportunities
assists persons in finding employment by helping prepare resumes, refining job
interviewing skills, job development techniques, and job follow-up to assure success.
This program is designed for persons who have demonstrated the skills, behaviors,
and motivation to work competitively in the community.
Supported Job Placement - Program consists of job development, job coaching, establishing "supports", and long-term follow-up to assure ongoing success.
A long-term program for persons with more severe disabilities that is designed to assist
persons in obtaining and maintaining individual supported community employment. The
program consists of job development, job coaching, establishing "supports" to
help the person to be successful and intensive long-term follow-up to assure ongoing
maintenance in community employment. The program is designed for persons who have
the potential to work in individual competitive employment, but will need ongoing support
services for an extended period of time to assure vocational success.
Off-site Enclaves - Participants work in an integrated community setting where they learn valuable skills, but still receive necessary supports from on-site Work Opportunities staff.
Enclave participant, Patty, at the Snohomish County Courthouse
Work Opportunities has seven enclave sites in
Snohomish County. An enclave is a training program where persons with disabilities
work in a community business site while supported and supervised by Work Opportunities
staff. These trainees remain employees of Work Opportunities, but have the benefit
of working in an integrated community setting with full-time support by staff.
Enclaves can be used as short-term skill building sites before a community job placement is
found. They also provide long-term employment for individuals with more severe
disabilities who benefit from the ongoing support provided by Work Opportunities.
Mountlake Terrace Center - A long-term work program that serves individuals with more severe disabilities.
Services at the Mountlake Terrace Center are designed to assist individuals with disabilities in
improving their work habits, behaviors, and skills necessary to work in an integrated
community setting. Services are driven by individualized planning that is developed
by the participant and their support team. Particular emphasis is placed on blending
community work experiences with the traditional work sample model.
Contact Janet Bruckshen at (425) 778-5051 for more
information about this program.
Welfare to Work - A work experience program (WEX) that matches your interests and abilities to a volunteer position to prepare you for your return to work.
Work Opportunities is a partner
agency providing staff on site at the WorkSource Centers in Everett and Lynnwood.
Each WorkSource site provides job seekers information on employment opportunities that are
available throughout the community. In addition, job seekers can improve their job
seeking skills by attending free training that covers topics such as resume preparation
and interviewing skills. WorkSource provides additional information and assistance
in connecting individuals to resource within their community that meet the needs they may
have whether it be child care or educational assistance.
Person to Person Services - With this service relationships, rather than wages and career opportunities, are most important.
What happens when paid work is just not in the
cards for an individual due to the severity of their disability or to other
barriers? Person to Person services offers a unique and individualized approach to
meaningful community participation, based on the person’s interests, through
volunteer work or involvment in organizations. The emphasis is different than employment
in that relationships, rather than wages or career opportunities, are most important.
Participation in the community as a volunteer
opens a world of possibilities. A wide range of Snohomish County organizations, non-profit
businesses, schools, churches, hospitals, and social service agencies accept voluntary
help. For the participant in Person to Person services, initial activities may focus on
finding a "spot" in which he or she enjoys contributing, then working to build
support from those at the site. Over time the person may gradually increase the number of
hours spent in the volunteer position, develop valued relationships, and decrease the
support provided by Work Opportunities staff.
A nice characteristic of Person to Person
services is that the participant has a great deal of control over activities and a
relatively broad range of choices. Work Opportunities staff will work to insure that the
person continues to feel "in control". Voluntary positions can be tailored to
allow the participant to become very competent at their responsibilities, which sometimes
is not so easily achieved in a paid job. Safety also is a primary consideration.
Person to Person Services are funded through the
Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). For more information, call Tess Hernandez at 425-778-2156 or your
DDD case manager.
Disability Awareness - More Alike than Different is a slide presentation narrated by individuals with disabilities. It is available for viewing by the general public.
The "More Alike than Different" slide presentation is narrated by persons with disabilities and
provides an excellent opportunity for the general public to witness the challenges and
victories of persons with disabilities.
For the past four years, Work Opportunities participants have been educating the public through slides
and oral presentations. Their message has been informing members of the community
that the hopes, dreams, and values of persons with disabilities are no different than
their own.
The program has been made possible through a generous donation from the ELIZABETH A. LYNN
FOUNDATION. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation please call us at
(425)778-2156.
