On Saturday, March 24th 2018, the Customized Employment Grant Staff held a job Fair to benefit individuals who are high school seniors attending the Work Exploration Program or individuals who have graduated from the Work Exploration Program. Individuals having a diagnosis of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, including Autism and/or Traumatic Brain Injury are eligible for free services to assist in gaining competitive wage employment.
The panel included representatives from EPTA, Best Buy, ROC’s, Cracker Barrel, Fed Ex, Home Depot, The Martinsburg Civitan Club, and Megan Pigott, advocate from Disability Rights of WV. The panel discussion included topics of what was expected from potential employees, restriction of cell phones in the workplace, personal appearance, arriving on time for work, the different types of employment positions that are open at this time, training provided, and the employment/hiring process. Information was shared on our successes of collaborative support and the mutual benefits of customized employment.
Our guest panelist enjoyed meeting and discussing employment opportunities with parents and potential applicants. the guest panel also enjoyed meeting other businesses in the community and interacting with our customized employment staff.
Individuals and parent found this Job Fair to be very informational and enjoyed speaking with the representatives about the interviewing process. One parent shared “it was a gold mine of information”.
DCI would like to express our gratitude to all participants in the panel discussion. Flyers were posted in businesses, on DCI website and on Facebook.
Unfortunately Berkeley County Schools were unable to share the information about the Job Fair with any parents or students.