Earlier this month we caught up again with two eVero employees, Receptionist and Outreach Coordinator Joe Malebranche and Support Triage Technician Patrick Clare, as they wrapped up the final year of their two-year Self-Direction Transition Program with Nassau-Suffolk Services for Autism’s (NSSA). A previous blog post outlined their successes from year one.
Through small group instruction, their class of seven learned hard and soft skills to help them gain independence and contribute to their community. The curriculum covered everything from Career Development and Money Management to Health and Wellness. During the second half of the course, they focused on workplace dynamics, communication and learned how to direct the ebb and flow of a conversation.
Since this part of the course went over workplace skills, Joe was able to share a “Hire Me!” presentation that he uses in our eVero Outreach sessions! His presentation was aimed at helping individuals to enter the workforce by giving them an overview of the interview process, what to expect, and how to respond to common interview questions. Along with insight into how to prepare, what to wear, transportation, and what they can anticipate on the day of the interview.
RIGHT: Joe M. presents the “Hire Me!” presentation at Nassau BOCES
Patrick found that the communications lessons helped him to get a better understanding of the different ways to communicate, and helped him focus his conversational skills by being mindful of three key points:
1) What do we know?
2) What do we want to know?
3) What did we learn?
He also is now able to identify how questions can quickly become too personal and how to refrain from pressuring people to share and do things they may not want to.
Hands-on activities helped them to better understand the dynamics of a conversation. While standing at a pool table one person could ask a question and roll a ball to another to signify their turn to talk or respond. They learned while a conversation itself may have some structure, topics could change without warning and they needed to be prepared to adjust their train of thought and to be confident in trusting their instincts.
Patrick mentioned the skills he has learned have had a direct impact on him since he began living on his own in 2022. Specifically cooking, laundry, and money management have been able to contribute to a more independent lifestyle. They also have both become more comfortable with money management, the efficiencies of mobile banking and even investing as they begin to start saving for retirement.
Joe and Patrick were proud to be part of the inaugural class and they look forward to expanding their skillsets independently. Joe is excited to explore public transportation in New York by becoming more familiar with trains, the bus, and subways. Patrick is excited to use the tools he has learned to explore friendships and relationships and he continues living on his own.
Please visit https://www.nssa.net/ to learn more about NSSA.
Details on the Self-Direction Transition Program can be found at https://www.nssa.net/transition-program/.
