These are just three of MANY ways MeMinder can help simplify task analysis. If you’d like to learn about its other benefits, explore the MeMinder Technology Solution page.

If you’d like to learn more about how MeMinder saves time and money for provider agencies, read our case study here.

The post 3 Ways MeMinder Simplifies Task Analysis, Storage & Retrieval appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Network on LinkedIn

For those with mobility limitations, online networking is much more accessible than attending in-person events. Plus, networking online saves time, avoids the hassle of travel, and reduces the costs involved. The professional networking platform LinkedIn is fantastic for digital networking. Set up a LinkedIn page that highlights your skills and accomplishments. Be sure to choose a high-quality photo for your profile and write up a brief description of your expertise. When it comes to networking on LinkedIn, consider investing in the premium version so you can message people directly and see who’s been viewing your page.

Create a Great Resume

As you start connecting with people on LinkedIn, employers will begin asking for a resume. Put together a resume that shows employers your strengths. For example, Abilities.com suggests using action works to communicate your skills and experience. Be sure to include soft skills (your personal attributes) as well as hard skills (your training and education). Keep in mind that you don’t have to mention your disability on your resume, but you can if you want to highlight how your disability makes you the best fit for the job.

Before sharing your resume, convert it to a PDF. PDF is the ideal resume format! The format of your PDF file will show up the same way to anyone you send your resume. Formatting can get messy when sharing other file types like Microsoft Word documents or OpenOffice files. Make use of an online PDF editor to convert files, edit their contents, and download for fast and easy sharing.

Look for Tech Solutions Specific to Your Disability

Countless forms of digital tools and adaptive equipment exist to support employees with disabilities. Look for solutions designed specifically for your disability. For example, those with traumatic brain injuries can use tools like MeMinder and Flourish to remember important daily actions and stay on track toward their goals. People with mobility limitations might want to try specialized hardware and software to make computer work more accessible. Do some research and see what solutions exist out there!

Embrace Remote Learning

Continued learning is an important part of advancing your career. According to eLearning Industry, adult students with disabilities tend to prefer online learning environments better than the traditional in-classroom format. Remote learning offers accommodations for learning disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, and mobility limitations. Overall, learning online is more convenient, flexible, and accessible. Look for online university programs as you plan your next career steps.

Consider Launching a Home-Based Business

If you’re looking for more autonomy in your work life, running your own business could be a great alternative to traditional employment. Consider starting a home business providing a product or service that you feel passionately about. Many online resources exist to help you plan, fund, and launch your new business:

• Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)
• SCORE.org
• Small Business Administration (SBA)
• USA.gov – Start Your Own Business
• You can also find many state disability resources for entrepreneurs.

Are you ready to go further in your professional life? Follow these strategies to take your career to the next level! Consider starting a business, revamping your resume, investing in adaptive equipment, and creating a LinkedIn page for online networking. With the right tools and resources under your belt, nothing will stop you from achieving your professional dreams!

CreateAbility offers innovative products and solutions to help people with disabilities thrive in work and life. Check out our solutions to learn how we can serve you!

The post Using Technology to Thrive in Your Career: Tips for People With Disabilities appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Take a look at current offerings of the most recent version of Employment Pathfinder:

Introductory Jobs 

Jobs in this area are a great way to learn basic skills that can prepare you for other jobs, while doing something important.  

Typically, you would be asked to fold, sort, and insert paper products into envelopes.  

Alternatively, you might be counting a specific number of parts and putting them in a box, and then binding the box.  

Sometimes instead, you might be asked to put the items in a bag, and then tying a twist tie on the bag. Other jobs might be inserting pages into an envelope or folder. 

Short video examples of: 

• Basic assembly 
• Counting 
• Sorting 

Custodial, Janitorial and Cleaning 

Many people take pride in their work and have long enjoyable careers in custodial departments.  

These jobs vary from place to place, but they typically include the use of tools and products for cleaning.  

The typical areas to be cleaned and maintained are: common areas, locker rooms, offices, bathrooms, and customer waiting areas.  

Short video examples of: 

• Restrooms 

• Cleaning surfaces 
• Mopping and sweeping 

Housekeeping 

Working in a hotel and preparing rooms for the next guest is an important job that many people enjoy.  

You would be responsible for cleaning rooms by yourself but would also be able to sometimes visit with other employees in the hallway.  

You will make the beds with clean sheets and pillowcases, vacuum the floors, and clean up the bathroom. 

Short video examples of: 

• Cleaning mirrors, sinks 
• Bed making 
• Fresh Linens and towels 

Office 

There is a wide variety of tasks that you may need to perform in an office. Some of the basic skills are filing folders, sorting mail and using tools such as staplers, pens, paper clips, etc.  

Other jobs require the use of basic office machines, such as printers, copiers, sending faxes, and scanning documents. Many of these office machines jam after use, and you will need to figure out where the problem is and fix it.  

Many times, office jobs require that you wear nicer clothing and working with people in a fast-paced environment.  

If you like to work with people, and you have good social skills and communication skills, this may be a good match for you. 

Short video examples of: 

• Phone, receptionist 
• Organizing 
• Copying, faxing 

Computers 

Employees in almost every industry may eventually require using a tablet or computer. This may simply require basic touch screen operations.  

Other jobs, such as in offices may require basic skills in using a keyboard and mouse with a variety of programs and applications, such as for typing letters, reading email, and spreadsheets.  

Jobs at this level require training in security issues. Check with your support personnel to make sure that you qualify. If you do, you may enjoy this type of work. 

Short video examples of: 

• Cabling, configuring computers 
• Opening PCs and installing new hardware 
• Upgrading PCs 
• Troubleshooting and Component replacement 

Food service / Restaurant 

Restaurants are great places to work if you like meeting and coordinating with people.  

There are many different types of restaurants, and the skills you will need to develop may be different in each one.  

You will typically start with cleaning tables after people finish eating or helping with washing dishes in the kitchen.  

You may also help take people food orders or using a point-of-sale touch screen terminal to help customers who want to pay their bill.  

There are always things to clean and organize for the next customer. 

Short video examples of: 

• Setting tables 
• Refilling drinks 
• Cleaning, bussing tables 
• Hostess  
• Taking food orders 

Automotive technicians 

This industry varies and may be great for people who enjoy working around cars.  

Starting jobs might be in tire replacements, cleaning, and oil filter replacement.  

Some can work their way into Brake replacement, and mechanical work under the hood, or under the vehicle. 

Short video examples of: 

• Tire rotation, repair and replacement 
• Basic servicing 
• Troubleshooting and repair 

Landscaping 

If you enjoy caring for plants, gardening, removing garden waste, using hand tools, and using power tools to get these jobs done safely, then you might enjoy common landscaping and lawn maintenance jobs.  

You will need to lift heavy items, and demonstrate that you can safely use hedge trimmers, edging tools, and spread fertilizers, pesticides to get rid of bugs, and operate lawn mowers.  

Depending on where you live, you may need to use snow removal equipment in the winter months. 

Short video examples of: 

• Mowing 
• Cleanup/Raking 
• Pesticides 
• Snow removal 

General Tool Related Jobs 

Some jobs require experience in safely using tools.  

If you like using your hands, and you are careful with tools, this area might be for you. There are many tools, but some of the common ones that don’t have power are hammers, screwdrivers, plyers, and hand saws.  

Powered equipment can be saws, drills, lathes and nail guns and sanders. Air tools can include special nut drivers in automotive settings, nail guns in construction, and jack hammers that break up flooring or concrete.  

These jobs require your special attention to safety. 

Short video examples of: 

Using a power screwdriver 
Plumbing 
Drilling/power tools 

Laundry 

These positions typically involve washing clothes, uniforms, sheets, and other bedding.  

You will learn how to check for stains how to sort items. Sorting is important because different materials get washed and dried in different ways.  

You will also learn how to use some really cool washing machines and dryers, how to properly remove and fold items, and how to store them for use. 

Short video examples of: 

• Sorting 
• Pickup and delivery 
• Using large washing machines and dryers 

Retail and wholesale stores 

The retail industry is a huge vocational area and might be great for people who like to work with people and do a lot of different things.  

The most common types of stores tend to sell food, clothes, tools, and items for the home. For every worker you see in the main part of the store, you might have ethe skills to operate a point-of-sale terminal, help customers, bag items, or help take items to customer’s vehicles.  

There are also a lot of jobs in the back room. These jobs involve skills such as stocking items, unpacking items, inventory control, receiving inventory, hanging out clothes, and many more. 

Short video examples of: 

• Pricing and displaying items 
• Bagging and helping customers 
• Inventory control 

Residential and Day Care support personnel 

In this type of job, you would be helping to take care of older adults, children, or people with special needs.  

This would typically be in a facility that is a day program, or this might be an activity center that is connected to apartments where people live.  

This job might be for you if you like working with a wide variety of people, and you like taking care of others.  

Part of your duties might be to help move, setup and operate recreational equipment, serve light meals or snacks, and assist people who use wheelchairs or walkers. 

Short video examples of: 

• Helping residents with daily hygiene activities 
• Transporting residents 

Food preparation 

The kitchen in a restaurant is a very busy place. If you like preparing food and working as a team, and you can safely handle sharp objects, appliances and hot stoves – this job might be for you.  

You will be expected to help with the planning, preparing, cooking and storing food in containers and the large refrigerators that are as big as a living room.  

There are a lot of rules in how food can be handled, and safety while maintaining a fast pace is extremely important. 

Short video examples of: 

• Preparing and inventorying food items 
• Baking 
• Dispensing portions into customer’s plates 

Warehouse 

If you can demonstrate safety and work independently in a large building, you may enjoy warehouse jobs.  

You will be picking up packages, packing boxes, shipping packages, and finding the location of material in a large warehouse or storage facility.  

Advanced job skills are required for inventory management and operating forklifts and power skids to move pallets of inventory. 

Short video examples of: 

• What a warehouse looks like 
• Boxing items 
• Using bar code scanners and conveyors to prepare items to ship 

Trades and construction 

This is industry has a lot of variety and involves many people at all skill levels.  

If you like working on a team, and working with your hands, this field might be interesting to you. Most tasks require lifting, carrying, general hand tool use, and power tool use.  

The types of work can range from framing walls, installing insulation and drywall. If you like to paint, there are many opportunities, as well as installing roofing materials and carpeting.  

You might be able to work your way up to plumbing and electrical work. Typically, you will start out with simple tasks, and then advance to harder tasks as you learn and grow your skills. 

Short video examples of: 

• Painting 
• Drywall installation 
• Roofing 

Interested in learning more about streamlining your vocational rehabilitation program with Employment Pathfinder assessments? Email us at info@createabilityinc.com for more details!

The post How Many Career Paths for People With Intellectual Disabilities Does Employment Pathfinder Examine? appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Here is how they work through the lifecycle of the people you serve:

Person-Centered Planning

Flourish
Many agencies include person-centered planning within the career planning and exploration process.  Flourish is an app based on positive psychology to reinvigorate and provide a foundation for the person-centered planning process.

For direct support professionals, Flourish serves as a tool to establish and manage a succinct set of goals for the people they serve to work towards. In addition to helping clients reap the intrinsic value of accomplishing goals, the technology also hosts functionality that helps agencies and organizations meet reporting and documentation requirements.

Flourish also benefits the individual served by providing an outlet to express their individuality; providing a dashboard for their pictures, interests and goals that they carry like a virtual ID on their phones or devices. This, in turn, helps their care providers understand them on a deeper level and customize their interactions to get the most out of their abilities, avoid crises, and create sustainable relationships. 
Flourish Explainer Video: https://youtu.be/UMpkn_1OZ3U 

Pre-Employment and Employment

Employment Pathfinder 
Employment Pathfinder helps job developers, employment specialists, and counselors quickly assess the job seeker’s readiness, job interests, and relative skills. The job seeker uses the Employment Pathfinder App, while staff weigh in using the companion cloud-based dashboard. 

This helps create a comprehensive assessment that leads to a detailed report describing any gap areas and the strategies, tactics and tools they might use to bridge them. 

Ever since the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law in 2014, staff have used a variety of methods to help fulfill the ‘Gold Standard’ of Competitive Integrated Employment – real jobs, with real wages. Employment Pathfinder pulls these strategies together into one integrated platform. The system is designed around the principles of self-determination and informed choice to help the job seeker play an active role in the career discovery and planning process.  
Employment Pathfinder Explainer Video: https://youtu.be/aIK3SBItQFM 

Non-Invasive Surveillance 

Evalu8NOW
Evalu8NOW is a series of web-based, avatar-led assessments and interventions that allow job coaches the ability to monitor important mental health criteria that may influence the employee’s work performance and/or satisfaction with their job.  Avatars provide a neutral and non-intrusive surveying environment for the employee that yields honest answers and increases data integrity. In turn, Evalu8NOW allows job coaches the ability to check in with employees at a much higher frequency than before, thus, yielding more transparency into the setbacks and challenges and employee might be experiencing in between scheduled visits. Ultimately, job coaches become privy to real-time data and get the opportunity to ward off crises before it happens and increase the efficacy of their person-centered plan.
Evalu8NOW Explainer video:  https://youtu.be/2BCkd9RHXGQ 

Typical ADL or On- the- job task prompting 

MeMinder
MeMinder, an assistive technology used in both the residential and employment setting, is a dynamic, talking pictures to-do list that both prompts and provides instructions for daily tasks. Ideally developed to fade from human to natural supports, MeMinder affords employees the ability to get the instructions they need in the format best-suited for them:  full video modeling (when they need details on how to perform a task), talking pictures format, to audio-only sequences of prompts (as they become familiar with the tasks).

The Task Tracker Dashboard affords job coaches the ability to view completed, time-stamped tasks and monitor both progress and setbacks of one – or many – employees in real-time. In addition, its voice-to-text task analysis allows easy task setup and job coaches can pull pre-created tasks from a library of 200+ tasks, a shared/public repository of tasks, or simply create and record their own, custom tasks.
MeMinder Explainer Video: https://youtu.be/LTC56auYUUg 

Emotional Regulation  

OnTracker 
Frequently, people with IDDs also have challenging behaviors which can disrupt the process of establishing and achieving their goals. 

In answer to this challenge, CreateAbility has developed OnTracker; an app that monitors whether the person’s thoughts and actions are aligned with their current goals. By running on popular Apple and Android tablets, OnTracker is a coach they can check in with 24/7 to help them self-regulate after experiencing an emotional triggering event, such as a conflict with a roommate or co-worker, or missing a bus on a rainy day.

After rating their feelings, the app enables them to employ the appropriate ‘skills’ to help them independently cope with their situation. The skillset includes important criteria such as creating a clear picture of a particular situation, putting emotions in perspective, taking positive actions, problem solving, relationship care…and more!
OnTracker Explainer Video:  https://youtu.be/dMa5xiByZYg 

Communication  

AvaTalk interactive communication portal
Frequently, the people in the circle of care around the individual served with an IDD prefer to communicate via text messaging, while the individual served prefers other forms of communication. Avatalk may be a solution in these scenarios. A slide show of pictures of favorite people and memories helps keep the person calm. When the team wishes to check in with the individual, they send a text with the question-and-answer choices, and this gets rendered as their favorite avatar, which speaks the question-and-answer choices, and returns the selected answer as text.
How it Works: https://youtu.be/d0-nn8hSfW0

The post Enabling Technology Through the Lifecycle of the People You Serve appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

“The pandemic made the use of technology is becoming more commonplace in the lives, homes and jobs of people with intellectual disabilities. Not only are they enjoying it; they are succeeding at it!” CreateAbility Founder and President, Steve Sutter, states. “Making all of our apps accessible on every operating system is the focus so that everyone can be empowered through technology.”

Employment Pathfinder reflects both the company’s mission of helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities flourish beyond their current capabilities and aligns with their belief in “employment-for-all”. Additionally, Employment Pathfinder helps vocational rehabilitation professionals and job coaches make more sustainable job matches for the people they serve.  Job seekers answer assessment questions and select preferences using a web-form, or the App, while staff can also weigh in on their opinions. A report is then generated for $49.95 per job seeker, that provides a gap analysis, and details actionable strategies, tactics and approaches to address these gaps.

To access the free iOS version of the app, please follow this link for purchase through The App Store. For use on Android devices, please follow this link to the Google Play Store. 

Should you need to acquire multiple assessments, please contact CreateAbility at info@createabilityinc.com for group/discounted rates.

About CreateAbility Concepts, Inc.
CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence. We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues.

Contact:
Kerri Pinger
Marketing & Communications Manager
CreateAbility Concepts, Inc.
info@createabilityinc.com

*****************************

The post CreateAbility Concepts Launches iOS Version of Employment Pathfinder appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Employment Pathfinder reflects both the company’s mission of helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities flourish beyond their current capabilities and aligns with their belief in “employment-for-all”. Additionally, Employment Pathfinder helps vocational rehabilitation professionals and job coaches make more sustainable job matches for the people they serve.   

Steve Sutter, President, who has been in the inclusive employment field for 20 years, summarizes that “this field has needed pre-employment tools for some time that empower the job-seeker to independently assess their job readiness, explore various jobs, and self-assess their skills that are relevant to their vocational goals.” 

Employment Pathfinder rounds out CreateAbility’s Suite of employment solutions for people with intellectual disabilities which also includes MeMinder, an app that provides daily task instruction for the user while on-the-job and Task Tracker, a user-friendly dashboard for job coaches to schedule, monitor, and manage tasks for their employees in real-time.  

An Employment Pathfinder assessment includes all three areas (readiness, job interests, and skills), and can be purchased for $49.95 per assessment or an annual license of $3,900 per agency for unlimited use.  The assessments can be completed on any device with a web-browser, or as an App on any Android or IoS device. Pre-orders are currently being accepted at a 10% promotional discount.  To see a demo and receive promotional pricing for Employment Pathfinder, please email info@createabilityinc.com.   

About CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. 
CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence. We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues. 

Contact: 

Kerri Pinger 
Marketing & Communications Manager  
CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. 
info@createabilityinc.com 

***************************** 

The post CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. Launches New Survey Technology to Assist People with Intellectual Disabilities in the Pre-Employment Process appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

MeMinder is a vital tool utilized in each station/job room (hotel, warehousing, food service, event set-up).  Employees are directed to use the designated device in each station to access the prompts and instructions necessary to complete the tasks at hand. This allows job coaches the ability to assess their skills and challenges, identify coaching opportunities, and gives administrators an idea of the amount of supervision they will need onsite. 

“While an employee may desire to do something, they may need to work up to it,” Omar Chirinos, Innovative Services Manager, states. “We use MeMinder to help increase their muscle memory for particular tasks first – so that they are more prepared for their time on the job.” 

The Charles Lea Center deployed the MeMinder units in the Fall of 2019 and were yielding a significant amount of success before the pandemic hit in 2020. It is the goal of the Center to deploy many more MeMinder /Employment Suite technology solutions to individuals as they ramp back up in 2021.

The post USE CASE STUDY: How the Charles Lea Center Uses MeMinder for Transition to Employment appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Results were as follows:

*Study results updated 10/2019.

To see new features of MeMinder 3.3, please click HERE.  

The post MeMinder Research Reflects Both Time and Monetary Savings for Job Coaches and Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.