The Western Mass. Training Consortium is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting people with developmental disabilities for over 29 years. The Options and Opportunities mission is to:
assist individuals to create options and opportunities that
enable them to realize their potential, share their gifts,
and achieve their dreams while assuming valued roles in our society.

Through our Supported Employment and Community Day Supports Program, we support people in a manner congruent with our mission. In an endeavor to facilitate the optimal realization of each person's dreams, we assist people in defining their own goals through continuous individualized support, augmented by a solid agency support network.

What We Believe: Strongly committed to community integration and inclusion, we capitalize on every opportunity to engage the people we support in a myriad of employment and community activities that are personally meaningful to them. In this way, we believe each individual can better recognize his or her gifts as well as the unique contributions he or she can make to society. Moreover, the community at large is gifted with each person's presence, thereby fostering mutual inclusiveness.

The Process: It is our desire and intent to provide a niche for people who could optimally benefit from such an individualized program. We embark on a journey with each person that leads to a successful career path, encompassing his or her unique talents, gifts and abilities.

1. Career Interests We begin by first learning about the person through talking with him and his extended family and friends. We help the person discover what his interests and talents are. It is our fundamental belief that all people have gifts, abilities and talents and it is our role to help them discover or articulate them. Sometimes this discovery happens through a job, but often there are pre-indicators that tell us what a person might be especially good at. The pre-indicators often come from roles the person has played in his home life, activities he liked to engage in as a child, or dreams he has had about who he would be when he grew up. We have several interest inventory tools in house to aid us in assisting an individual to determine her career interests.

2. Skills and Abilities Assessment While we are discovering the unique gifts of a person, we are simultaneously getting to know his skills and abilities. We do this by firsthand interaction with the person, conducting assessments using various tools we have in-house, as well as talking with extended family, friends, service providers, and school personnel (where appropriate). We may also request medical records if such information would be helpful.

3. Determine Motivational Factors Once we get a sense of the person's dreams and skills/abilities, we then help them determine a job and/or community activity match that would best suit their dreams, skills and abilities. We also discuss with the person what motivates them i.e. social interaction, money, keeping busy, being challenged to learn and grow, independence, etc. Often we find that it is some combination of motivating factors that has led a person to us.

4. Job Development The amount of involvement a person has in attaining a job highly varies, depending upon his skills and abilities. The Job Developer may contact potential employers first and then bring the candidate to an interview, or she may include the person from the very beginning, having him fill out an application and speak to the person in charge of hiring directly. This part of the job search process is highly individualized, which is why it is so important to have an established relationship with each individual. Trust is a big part of the job search process. The individual has to believe in the Job Developer's ability to speak positively about them and that she has their best intentions in mind. If this trust is not established prior to job search, the individual might subconsciously sabotage his chances of getting a job.

5. Job Training Once an individual is hired, the Job Developer then works with the individual to learn his job duties. A co-worker may be involved in the training process, or another support person. The Job Developer's main function at this point is to ensure that the person effectively learns his job duties, a positive rapport is established between the individual and his supervisor, and social inclusion occurs within the workplace. Occasionally, education might be necessary for coworkers to understand the person's unique needs; the Job Developer would provide this in conjunction with the individual, if such review were deemed necessary.

6. Ongoing Support Once a person has learned his job duties and has established a base of support and comfort level at his job, the Job Developer will then determine, over a period of time, what ongoing support level, if any, is needed. This phase of the job support process is, again, highly individualized. The ideal situation is when a person can perform his job independently, so the Job Developer works toward this end.

Fading out of direct on-the-job support occurs over time and great attention is paid to the person's relationship with his supervisor and coworkers. These connections are fundamental to a person's success at his job. Sometimes a coworker's assistance and/or support can allow for the Job Developer to fade sooner than would otherwise occur. Natural support in the workplace is sought out and identified as the ideal type of support offered for an individual's success and overall job satisfaction. The Job Developer ensures ongoing communication with the person's support team during all phases, but especially at this time, as communication is critical to successfully holding a job long-term.

We have a demonstrated commitment of assisting individuals to be fully included in their work and social life. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of this process and our greatest satisfaction comes from hearing a person say, "I love my job!" We strive to learn new ways of creating supports for people that best meet each person's needs and we endeavor to offer optimal supports for each person we serve.

Our funding primarily comes through the Department of Mental Retardation, but we also have experience in subcontracting with service providers and schools. If you would like more information about this creative and highly individualized program, please contact:

Kristel Applebee, Director of Employment and Community Day Support Services
413-536-2401, ext. 3012
Kristel Applebee