Hello friends!
Thank you for checking out the Full Life blog. This is Rob, Full Life’s Program Director, tuning in today to chat about Discovery. For those of you who don’t know, Discovery is an awesome service that Full Life offers to help folks with developmental disabilities explore the many job opportunities available to them in the community. When going through the Discovery process, an individual spends time with one of our certified Discovery Specialists to explore their wildest employment dreams with a goal of creating a document called a Discovery profile. The completed Discovery profile can be used by employment agencies and job developers to get a better idea of how to help an individual be successful, where to find them a job and how best to support them.
Discovery is a government funded program designed to help each individual explore their own potential in employment fields related to their specific interests and support needs. It was designed to find out “who a person is”, to learn their interests and abilities which often evolves through the Discovery process. Our Discovery specialists explore possibilities and discuss options and limitations, not only with the individual but also the people who are closest to them: their team, staff, friends and family. We believe that our friends with disabilities have the right to pursue their dream jobs, and we are here to support them along the way as they make their dreams come true.
I’ve asked our Discovery Specialists a few questions below. If you have questions of your own (about Discovery or anything else about Full Life), please do not hesitate to e-mail me at robgray@fulllife.com
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
1) What is your favorite part of the Discovery process?
My favorite part of the Discovery Process is learning about the client and being able to watch them come out of their shell. Usually, they are very shy in the first few meetings. By the end of the process, they’ve become more comfortable and their personalities become wonderfully apparent.
2) What are some successes you have enjoyed this year?
It was great to bring a client to a small guitar shop and give her the opportunity to play an electric guitar. Having the hands on experience with an instrument she loves but rarely gets to play was special. She also had the opportunity to talk with staff members at this shop who are musicians themselves to hear firsthand what it is like to be a musician in Portland. She was so excited about it!
3) What’s the coolest job you’ve helped someone discover?
I’ve had the opportunity to take clients to a few different types of amazing jobs. One client, who had prior woodworking experience, had the opportunity to meet a business owner who creates handmade pens from resin and wood. The client was given the opportunity to create his own pen and was able to choose the wood he wanted, bore the hole, shape it on a lathe, and complete the pen on 2 separate meetings. Another client was interested in learning about glass blowing. The client was shown the process of how to create a glass pendant using heat and different colored glass. The business owner then let our client create one himself and take it home the same day.
4) How can an individual sign up?
If you’re interested more in the Discovery Process, please contact our Full Life Discovery Recruitment Specialist at recruitment@fulllife.com.
