Beginning in June 2023, Shalom Austin piloted a supported employment program called WorkRight for six young adults and three job coaches. The position of WorkRight intern was created to hire and pay people who need support in their work skills. The interns were hired and paid through Shalom Austin, four of whom were working for hire for the first time. Half of the Interns hired attend 18+ programs in Austin as students with an Individualized Education Program, the other half have graduated, but have not had success in gaining and/or maintaining employment.

WorkRight provided meaningful work in various departments and support to interns for the eight-week pilot program so that they could be better prepared for competitive employment after the summer. Interns were additionally supported in their work skills and social skills through coursework provided by their instructors because each of them was a Texas Workforce Commission customer. The program was considered a success by many including the interns and family members who support them, Shalom Austin staff, JCamps attendees, donors, and others involved. This pilot demonstrated that with funding and continued partnerships with organizations in the community, Shalom Austin can provide supported vocational opportunities at the Dell JCC and meet a need identified in the community.

“Primarily this summer, job opportunities in WorkRight were as JCamps counselor, so hiring individuals who wanted to work with kids was the main consideration,” said Adam Hartmann, Shalom Austin disability & inclusion specialist. He adds, “from the beginning of planning WorkRight, JCamps was our biggest ally with the additional need for staff and a variety of work skills for interns to learn from: enrichment, recreation, social/emotional, safety, navigation, schedules/routines, and more.”

Interns’ work hours were mostly in the JCamps PK-6 grades setting at 20 hours per week, but some interns expanded to other departments including Aquatics, Athletics, Membership, and the Zeifman Family Early Childhood Program. One intern who was not initially experienced working with kids wrote in her exit-survey, “the best thing about this summer work experience program was working with the students and making sure they stay safe.” Another intern wrote that the best thing for him was “getting to learn each camper, being looked up to as an inspirational leader.”

Since Shalom Austin has youth opportunities year-round, the work skills that interns learned at JCamps were especially relevant to interns perusing ongoing work at Kids Connection or ECP. A future goal for WorkRight is expanding work opportunities outside JCamps if applicants have a preference to not work with kids – this will create partnerships with more departments and offer jobs to a wider array of people in the community.

The WorkRight pilot was a learning opportunity in addition to paid work, interns were supported by job coaches at a 1:1, 1:2, or 1:3 ratio, depending upon individual need for support. After each two-week session, support was reevaluated and placements in JCamps were modified to give interns varied experiences based on their skills. Some interns stayed with the same ages throughout the eight-week pilot program, but other interns preferred to try working with different ages during different sessions.

In addition to on-the-job support from coaches, interns were required to attend classes offered on-site in a classroom borrowed from ECP. Through a partnership with Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center, their staff taught work experience training classes three times per week after shifts ended to work on individual improvement, social skills, work readiness skills, etc.

One intern who also attends GNCC for social programs wrote in his exit-survey, “The support from the job coaches was second to none. They were supportive enough and not intrusive.” Another intern wrote that the best thing about WorkRight for him was, “getting info[rmation] on laws that are designed to help those who are Neuroatypical.” Another intern who had 1:1 support throughout the program did modified coursework with her job coach on-site and at her residential education program at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

The pilot program of WorkRight was supported by a grant from the Anderson Foundation and private donations. WorkRight will continue to be a goal moving forward into 2024 as sustainable funding is explored, continued partnership with Greenleaf NCC, and job-coach matching. Since the summer pilot, two interns have applied for employment at Shalom Austin, one of whom has been hired at Kids Connection after school program.

For more information on WorkRight, contact adam.hartmann@shalomaustin.org.