Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 29, 1994 TAG: 9403290122
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By LINDA JILK CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Goldstein,18, likes the job because he learns a lot. He feels important and needed there. And because, as a Marriott employee, "you get drinks and snacks free."
But the best part of working, he said, is signing for his paycheck and taking it to the bank.
"It feels really good," he said.
Approximately 35 special education students in Montgomery County high schools participate in the Community Based Instruction program, which prepares them for the transition from high school to employment by providing opportunities during the school day to work in the community.
Four of those students are getting paid minimum wage for their work - thanks to the ingenuity of Blacksburg High School special education teacher Wayne Zellers.
Zellers secured a grant two years ago from New River Valley Human Resources and this year developed partnerships with the Marriott and Virginia Tech so that four of his Blacksburg High students can receive paychecks and a boost to their self-esteem.
The paid student workers - Eric Greenberg, Randall Linkous, Anthony Wilburn and Goldstein - get a lot more than spending money out of the program, Zellers said.
The students - who work three mornings a week at Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center, the Blacksburg branch of the regional library, the Blacksburg Aquatic Center and the Marriott - have learned valuable skills for life.
They've opened bank accounts. They regularly complete bank transactions and make choices as to how to spend their money. In the classroom, they've learned about filling out job applications, searching and interviewing for jobs, keeping a job, paying bills and budgeting.
"Their self-worth and self respect have improved," Zellers said. "They're learning skills that will help them get jobs in the future. They're earning their own money and they just feel good about it."
Parents of participating students give the program high marks.
"Getting a paycheck did more in just a few minutes than any book-learning could have ever done," said Bob Goldstein, Abe's father. "He was just thrilled. He came home with his head way up."
"When you get paid for work, it's completely different. It added a lot of worth, and he has a much better concept of what money buys and is."
Abe Goldstein, who will graduate and seek permanent employment in June, is now familiar enough with the working world to take on part-time jobs mowing lawns. He received a weekend job offer from the Marriott as a result of his outstanding work in the hotel's food service division.
"The unemployment rate among special education students is outrageous - it's horrifying - and I believe this program will really make a difference," said Bob Goldstein.
According to a 1993 state Board of Education report, 40 percent of students with multiple disabilities or severe mental retardation and 48 percent of students with mild or moderate mental retardation were employed two years after exiting high school. For students with serious emotional disturbances or with a specific learning disability, the percentage is higher.
But those who found jobs tended to be working part time for minimum wage or less. About half of those working had changed jobs more than three times since leaving high school two years earlier.
Susan Asselin, a Virginia Tech associate professor of vocational special education who conducted the study, found that special education students who were in vocational education and work experience programs were more likely to be employed two years after leaving high school.
Since the Community Based Instruction Program was introduced in the county seven years ago, there has been a marked increase in the number of graduating special education students who enter jobs in the community, said Chris Gilley, Montgomery County Director of Special Education.
"We've seen great success with our students involved in it," Gilley said.
Businesses supporting the program by employing special education students are also pleased with the initiative and with their workers.
"They're doing a fine job," said Beth Ifju, director of sales and marketing at the Marriott. "They are very easy to work with, very diligent, eager to please and especially good natured. They really put their heart into what they do."
Folding linens, maintaining the pool and parking lots, and cleaning the food service areas are among the students' Marriott job tasks. At Donaldson Brown, they are employed in the custodial department and complete work such as vacuuming and dusting. The students are supervised by a school "job coach" who assists them in mastering the job skills.
"They're dependable and very thorough. You just have to explain the job to them one time and they go ahead and do it," said Lena Meredith Hite, executive housekeeper and maintenance manager at Donaldson Brown.
While the students are learning skills for future employment, the employers are learning they are more than satisfied with the work they do, and that individuals with disabilities do have work skills, said Zellers, a county educator for 18 years.
"If we can integrate special education students into regular classrooms, why not include and accept them in the workplace?" asked William Greenberg, father of student Eric.
Ifju, also president of the Blacksburg Area Chamber of Commerce, said many area businesses are all for helping schools prepare students for employment.
"It's good for the community and the business, and good for the school and the students," she said.
Zellers would like to see the initiative expanded countywide so special education students from all four Montgomery high schools would have the opportunity to receive pay for work.
The county supports the program by funding transportation and several staff positions, but last year turned down a request, presented by parents Goldstein and Greenberg and backed by the county special education advisory committee, for an additional $25,000.
The committee will submit the request again this year, Gilley said. "We will also continue to look to find grant funds and provide incentives for business participation. We would like businesses to show a commitment to an individual and possibly keep them on if they perform the job adequately."
by CNB