2/11/2020 Topic: Token Economy System Heather Morath	Just catching up on this important thread. For sites that are using a token economy system, I'd love to get more info and learn from your experience!!! Some questions I have: 1) Why did you choose to implement a token economy system at your Project SEARCH site? 2) Do you use this system for interns based on identified individual needs or is it used for all interns? 3) Of the interns it is currently used for, did they previously participate in a similar system through their school (like through a PBIS program)? If so, did the school work on transitioning their support to be applicable to a work setting? Meaning, was there transition planning in relation to PBIS supports? If so, what did this look like? It not, did this cause any concerns for your student/s? 4) As the goal of a token economy is to teach appropriate behaviors that will generalize to use in the natural environment, how are you incorporating fading of the token economy when the behavior is learned so that they don't develop a dependence on it? 5) What will you do if you are unable to fade the system completely and successfully prior to the end of the program year? edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 2/11/2020
3/16/2020 Topic: Token Economy System Heather Morath	Thanks for the responses so far! Jessica and Carolyn, it sounds like your sites are using this for financial literacy purposes and not as a method to teach appropriate behaviors. I know this can be confusing in school PBIS programs when this type of system is used for multiple purposes, and that it can lead to future challenges. Are you just doing this for a specified period of time to teach a financial literacy lesson, and then ending the system when they've demonstrated understanding? Is anyone else out there using a token economy system? If so, I'd love to get your answers to my questions above. edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/16/2020
3/16/2020 Topic: Disability Awareness Heather Morath	Hi Sam, Thanks for putting this out here to get ideas from other teams I see ODEP, DOL, and JAN mentioned above- all great resources! You may have already done this, but also wondering if it would be helpful for your team to connect to the DOW Project SEARCH site in Midland MI? Perhaps a call to share learnings from both sites on this topic would be helpful. Would be great if you could incorporate learnings into current trainings for new hires and existing employees. Please reach out if I can assist in this! Thanks for all you are doing! Heather edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/16/2020
3/16/2020 Topic: Off-Site Internships Heather Morath	Heather and I talked, but I wanted to share the below questions with anyone else that may be interested and following this thread on 3rd rotation externships Here are some important questions for Steering Committees to address when considering an externship: Need: Do they really need the externship? We would really only recommend looking at this option if they either need it to learn a very specific skillset needed for a job and/or if they had a very strong potential of being hired by that business. Staffing: Is there enough staffing for an externship? This can be tricky because a staff still has to go to the externship site for skills training and this can leave the main site short during these times. Is there a good understanding and plan of how much support they will need at the other site? What is the plan (including when they will visit, how they will connect, what to do if a problem arises, etc.)? Transportation: How will the intern get from the host business to the externship? How long is the commute, and will this eat into their time available to learn skills? How will they get home? Will additional travel training be needed? Liability: How will they be covered at the externship? Are other liability forms needed so that this site is included? edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/16/2020
3/16/2020 Topic: Good Choice/Bad Choice Heather Morath	Hi Kelly, Great question! I'm wondering if it would be helpful to reach out to someone in the hospital's HR department to get ideas. You could explain what you are trying to teach and inquire about some of the top reasons that employees are put on warnings or terminated in their organization. I bet they will have quite a few scenarios they could share that will help target some bad choices in the hospital setting, and then you could talk though what some good choices would be. Let me know if I can help with this in any way Thanks! Heather
3/16/2020 Topic: Using Your Social Filter Heather Morath	Hi Susan, Video modeling can be a really effective way to teach this. Do you have a Speech Language Pathologist that you could call from your school district to chat about this? I bet they could offer you some cool ideas on this topic! Thanks! Heather
3/16/2020 Topic: Intern Consequences Heather Morath	Thanks Stephanie for adding your comments above. I agree that an individualized checklist (written, audio, or visual) can be a very effective teaching tool based on the learner's needs. There are other interventions that may be helpful as well, such as setting a reminder alert on their phone or watch. Thanks for mentioning the importance of using interventions to teach and reinforce expected behaviors proactively, rather than reactively. Next comes the transition to independent use of the support and fading of any part of the intervention/support that is no longer needed as skills are learned and routine established. After this has taken place, then modeling the consequences established at the workplace is appropriate.
3/16/2020 Topic: Cultural Awareness/Appropriateness Heather Morath	Hi Kia, This is a challenging one for interns that have not been exposed to people of different racial, ethnic, and/or cultural backgrounds. Social stories and role playing can be effective methods for teaching this. In addition to these teaching methods though, I would make sure you are explicitly clear on what the company policies are related to topics such as conduct, harassment, and workplace violence. These policies are typically pretty rigid. If an intern makes a racially motivated comment that is heard or reported they will likely be asked to leave without opportunity for a second chance or additional teaching. I would recommend asking your business liaison to share applicable company policies with you, and then you can explicitly teach things like, if you say or do.....then you will be fired, etc. edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/16/2020
3/16/2020 Topic: Calling/asking for more when task list is complete Heather Morath	Hi Natasha, Thanks for posing this question! Have you talked to the assigned mentor/manager in the department? Do they have suggestions on additional prompts that may be effective in the environment or ways to enhance use of natural supports? edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/16/2020
3/17/2020 Topic: Sharing info & education about Project SEARCH Heather Morath	What resources and tactics do you use to explain Project SEARCH to your community. What has been most effective? I'd love to hear stories from your site! edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 3/17/2020
3/19/2020 Topic: PS Skills Assement Substitute Heather Morath	I am hearing from sites in multiple states that are doing teleconference interviews for assessment, with a standardized set of questions and corresponding rubric for rating by steering committee members. When teleconferencing is not available, sites are sending a list of questions and having someone in the applicants home ask them the questions while video recording their answers on a phone and emailing the video via an approved file transfer service. Additional things people are doing is sending out forms for families, applicants, educators, counselors, and other providers to fill out and return, and also gathering info from IEP/ETRs, academic reports, info from any school or agency program completed prior, etc. This info is then summarized and shared with the steering committee ahead of time for use in a selection teleconference. Please continue to share ideas form your sites!!!
3/23/2020 Topic: COVID-19-Ways to Engage Interns Heather Morath	Nichole- thanks for sharing how you are teaching about teleconferencing expectations in the workplace. Great idea!!!
3/25/2020 Topic: Professional Development Heather Morath	CEC Offers Free Membership Through May 31, 2020 CEC is opening its doors to the special education community in need of resources. Nonmembers of CEC can receive a free basic membership from now through May 31 by using the promotional code "CECED60". This will provide access to all journal articles, member discounts on publications and events, and the online membership community where these new members can ask questions and receive support from special educators, administrators, and support personnel. https://cec.sped.org/Membership
3/25/2020 Topic: COVID-19-Ways to Engage Interns Heather Morath	Attaching info from the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition.
3/25/2020 Topic: Sharing info & education about Project SEARCH Heather Morath	Erin- Great idea to start sharing info with families earlier and getting them connected to resources. Thanks for sharing
3/25/2020 Topic: Keeping Skills Trainer Engaged Heather Morath	We have shared some info about this topic on our FAQs. This document is posted at https://www.projectsearch.us/ (click on the picture of the virus). Thanks for creating this thread to continue to share ideas!!
3/26/2020 Topic: COVID-19-Ways to Engage Interns Heather Morath	Way to go Stephanie! You've got this!!! We are here to support you as well, so please reach out if you need help
4/6/2020 Topic: Apps to Support Mental Health Heather Morath	Headspace is a great app as well https://www.headspace.com/ They have tools to help with movement, healthy living, stress, anxiety, sleep, meditation, etc. Here is the info on their free resources: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
4/8/2020 Topic: New Intern Interviews Heather Morath	Thanks so much for sharing this Laura! Your team has come up with some great ideas! I really appreciate that you are creating multiple options so that applicants with technology access or other challenges can participate in a way that will work for them. Thanks to your team for the creative problem solving and flexibility. Please keep us all posted on how things go
4/17/2020 Topic: PS Skills Assement Substitute Heather Morath	Here’s a summary of some virtual assessment ideas: Complete the VocFit assessment: You can create a profile for each applicant (as much info as you know) and then click on them. The first blue link that says “Email Student/Intern/Worker Assessment Request” will let you email it to anyone to fill out and will keep the info linked to your applicant profile. It does not give them access to your site, it just lets them complete and submit the form. OR you can download the assessment in PDF form and have them fill out a hard copy and return it, but you would then later have to enter in manually. This would help you gather info from the family, the applicant (if they are capable of filling it out), and anyone that has supported the applicant. The selection team can review the info in VocFit or on a webinar together. There is a recorded webinar on VocFit in the member portal video library. There is also info in the toolkit on this. The VocFit team also has office hours posted on their website to help anyone with this, and will schedule other times with you if the office hours aren’t convenient. Have the interns perform identified tasks: Send a list of 4 or 5 tasks (that can be done at home- making a bed, sorting and filing, data entry, etc.) with corresponding instruction sheets/job aides. Ask the family to record the applicant doing 2-3 of these tasks on their phone. Have them send the file via WeTransfer or similar free service to send larger files. Put these in a shared drive for the selection team. Create a standardized rubric for the selection team to use to rate and use later in selection discussions. Complete an interview with the applicant: Create a list of standardized questions and a corresponding rubric for the team to use in scoring for selection discussions. Offer options for the applicant to complete the interview (based on access, etc.). Use Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or some other format and have a small group from the selection team interview the applicant live. Use FaceTime to do a 1:1 interview Have the family ask the intern the questions and record the answers and submit this via WeTransfer or similar service. Someone from the team could follow up with a quick call if needed to clarify anything.

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