RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

August 9, 2005

Shruti L. Mathur

Like most graduating high schoolers, Patrick Lane wants to find a job.

So Lane, 19, went with several of his friends to a career camp to find out more about what kind of job he might want, how to fill out job applications, and how to have a successful interview.

Lane also learned how to ask employers about accommodating his disability.

Lane, who is from Victoria, has a form of autism spectrum disorder and some cognitive disabilities. The career camp he was attending was run through Opportunity Partners, a Minnetonka nonprofit group that specializes in job placement and residential programs for people with disabilities.

The camp was started after Julie McGinley, manager of transition services for Opportunity Partners, heard concerns from several parents about a lack of options for their children during the summer and school breaks.

McGinley said that bridging the gap between the end of the school year in June and back-to-school time in August is even more important for those with disabilities, who need constant reinforcement of skills.

“We want to reinforce what schools are teaching them and in an environment different than the schools,” she said. Besides learning skills in a classroom, the students go on field trips to workplaces, including a visit to the Golden Valley Humane Society last week.

McGinley said the camp took the students to the Humane Society so they could see that volunteering is part of an adult work life as well.

As the students played with the kittens and dogs in kennels, several asked questions about jobs working with animals.

Katie Hutchins, from Loretto, played with the dogs from her wheelchair and thought about what she wanted to do for a job. She has a job cleaning at a McDonald’s but a career assessment test she took a day earlier indicated sales as a good match.

“I was thinking of being a Limited Too salesperson,” said Hutchins, who is temporarily in a wheelchair after knee surgery. Hutchins, 18, has cerebral palsy, and the knee surgery is to help stabilize her legs.

So far, the camp has been successful in getting the students to start thinking about careers, McGinley said.

The camp already has launched a few careers. Two students in camps earlier this summer applied at companies they were visiting and got jobs just before the end of camp.

What: Career training for high school students with disabilities. Students ages 16-21 explore careers , including training for interviews, filling out job applications, relating to co-workers, dressing appropriately.
Where: Opportunity Partners, 5500 Opportunity Court, Minnetonka.
When: Aug. 15-18 and Aug. 22-25
Cost: $400-$600 per session, depending on staff support necessary. Financial assistance may be available.
Contact: Julie McGinley, manager of transition services. Call 952-930-4277 or e-mail jmcginley@opportunities.org.

Source: (c) 2004 Star Tribune. All Rights Reserved.