Job Sampling for Special Needs Youth

Posted by George Sherman 
on Nov 09, 2014
 
Park Ridge Rotary Club member Ray Falcon, who is serving as Chairman of the District 7490 Special Needs Committee this year, was guest speaker at The Courtyard on Friday, November 7. In his talk he described the job sampling initiative for students with disabilities that he first conceived in 2010.
 

Entitled Best Foot Forward, the project is designed to help private not-for-profit special needs schools in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson Counties identify businesses that are willing to take a student with disabilities as an intern. The concept allows the school to evaluate whether the student has potential to enter the workforce, affords the business the chance to work with and understand better persons with disabilities, and provides the student with a real life work experience that cannot be duplicated in the classroom.
 
Students are accompanied by a job coach from the school to supervise and assist them. Thus the student gains real world work experience before aging out of the school environment. This is a wonderful opportunity for special needs students to discover their talents, gain confidence in their abilities and ultimately become productive members of society.
 
Ray encouraged members who may be interested in participating in the initiative to describe the needs your business may have. Best Foot Forward will work with you and a local private school to find the right student to satisfy your needs and coordinate all aspects of the internship. Further information may be found by contacting alevine@falconsinger.com.