A job doing "spec checks" for a furniture company

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Brain

Welcome to the Job Matchmakers podcast, where we share stories from employment consultants about supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find employment in their communities one person, one job at a time.

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Sherry

This podcast is produced by the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, a technical assistance center focused on expanding capacity for competitive, integrated employment across Minnesota. We are your hosts, Sherry Healey and Brian Begin, and we work at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. Thanks for joining us.

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Sherry

Welcome to another episode of the Job Matchmakers podcast. In this episode, we're talking with Cynthia Capota of an employment specialist with reach for resources.

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Brain

Reach for resources is a provider here in the Twin Cities that offers employment services, as well as other supports for people with disabilities. Welcome, Cynthia. Thank you for joining us in the studio today. Can you tell us how you got into this work?

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Cynthia

Hi, Brian and Sherry. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast today. I'm really excited to be here. I got into this line of work as my first, degree related job out of college. I worked in various nonprofits throughout my college experience, and I actually worked at a different disability service organization in college, called Proof Alliance.

00;01;51;12 - 00;02;19;25

Cynthia

And they do, self-advocacy. They do self-advocacy and policy work for individuals with Fasd, which is fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. And so that was my introduction to the work of disability services. And I just really, really loved that experience. So when I was applying to jobs, after I was done with my college degree, I found reach for resources.

00;02;19;25 - 00;02;49;23

Cynthia

I did not actually know about the field of employment services before I applied to the job of employment specialist outreach. But when I was doing my job research, my job applications for myself and I found it, I, I pretty much instantly was very excited. And I interviewed for my job. And then I got my job offer and I started and I, it's been my favorite job that I've ever had in my life.

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Sherry

It's a great way to, move into the conversation we're having today, which is, about, the first person you ever did the first full discovery process with. Can you tell us a little bit about the person that you were working with and what you learned about him as you got to know it?

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Cynthia

So the person that I am going to be sharing the story of today is his name is Logan. He was the first person that I had ever done discovery with. I started working with him a month after I, assumed my role as an employment specialist. So I was brand new, and my organization had also just started employing the Griffin Hamas Discovering Personal Genius assessment tool.

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Cynthia

So it was incredibly new for everyone at my organization, all of my coworkers who I would talk to about the discovery process. It was all new for us. So I really was able to see why the discovery process was designed in the way that it was, because I really was able to get to know him very quickly and develop a relationship with him very quickly.

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Cynthia

So I started with the contact interviews. I interviewed his mom, his uncle, his dad and a few coworkers at his parent's business. He is someone who had worked at his parent's business since he was like ten. His parents do Hvac supply so they warehouse and distribute. All of the various parts in Hvac systems. And they also have these trainings for Hvac professionals.

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Cynthia

So, Logan had a lot of responsibilities there. One of the early discovery activities I did with him was going to his parent's place of work so that I could see what tasks he was doing at his parent's company. And I actually, I learned that he was incredibly proficient in QuickBooks. It incredibly accurate, incredibly good with numbers, had a phenomenal memory, and really had a good understanding of warehouse layouts, warehouse responsibilities, how warehouses work, and on top of that, though, he is a very, very, very talkative guy.

00;05;28;16 - 00;06;03;25

Cynthia

So he would tell me about the various things that he was interested in. Even now when I go and I meet with him, he's always telling me about whatever, like anime or show he watches or whatever activities he's doing. It was it was not hard to get to know him because he was very, very talkative and very social and the positive relationship that I was able to establish, I think, just made him very ready and open and willing to tell me all these things.

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Cynthia

After I went and I visited him at work. We, I think I had us play a game. He was really into board games and video games of all kinds, and I had a board game that I figured he would enjoy. Just like a society world building game. And my objective there was to kind of see his ability to learn rules, apply rules, and then also apply if he could apply the strategy.

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Cynthia

And he did. He loved the game. And also what I noticed there. It's a game that has a lot of reading because there's a bunch of different like species and special abilities. So you have to read all of them and understand all of the different rules. And he did very well. He was very interested in it. And so I also learned, oh, this guy is incredibly good with rules.

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Cynthia

And so that was another piece of, what eventually became his job. And then I don't think this was the last activity that we did, but it was the most informative one. His next activity he actually selected, he told me he wanted to go mini golfing at the Mall of America because he loves golf. But while we were there, we passed by the Lego store and he started talking my ear off about the Legos and how he loves Legos.

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Cynthia

That all the different like types of Lego sets that he does. He would tell me about the Lego Death Star, which, if you're not a Lego aficionado like him, is one of the hardest, Lego sets that exists, has got like thousands of pieces. It's very time consuming, very difficult. I actually did know because my, fiancé and his brother, when they were kids, had built this Lego set and it sits in their basement at my in-laws house.

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Cynthia

So I was very aware and I did, like, connect with him on this. So, that brings us to, the most informative discovery activity that we had done together. I brought a Lego set from my house to his apartment, and I had us build it together, but I, I did nothing. I just, like, wanted to see how he would do it.

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Cynthia

I was like organizing the pieces by color, which he really didn't need, but just so that I was like doing something. But I was mostly watching. So I witnessed he built this Lego set in like four hours total, but that that was just the amount of time that I spent there. It included all the time of me, like coming in and getting ready.

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Cynthia

All told, he probably finished it in like two hours. He would just like flip the pages of the instructions, literally, just like glance at the page and then immediately know how to put the pieces together. And over the course of that whole Lego set, he made two mistakes. And he noticed he diagnosed the mistakes without going back into the instructions and was able to just fix it.

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Cynthia

I I've never seen anyone build Legos like that. Even like when I build Legos with my fiancee, who's an engineer. It's a it's just not like that. It was. And this was like a hard Lego set that we were building. It was a little like Volkswagen Beetle, and he just. I was able to see that he had a very good 2D to 3D spatial understanding, but he just understood what the blueprint looked like in, in the real world.

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Cynthia

And so with that activity having been done, I spoke to my manager. We have like biweekly check ins where we're supposed to discuss the progress with each of our people. And so I had shared this with my manager. We had started doing our job search process after we finished the discovery activities. I worked on his resume with him.

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Cynthia

We went on a couple of informational interviews. My manager came to me with a potential job, a warm lead. We call it. He had spoken to a man who was the vice president of sales at a furniture company called Achor, who was looking for someone to do what is called a spec check. So they use a computer software to design the blueprints.

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Cynthia

And then that software also creates a bill of materials with all of the items that need to be ordered by the buyer to to furnish an office. So what the VP of sales, Chad was looking for was someone who could cross-reference the blueprint and the bill of materials and find mistakes. Because the computer program is imperfect and makes a lot of mistakes.

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Cynthia

Because I had done the Lego activity with Logan, and also because I knew that he was incredibly accurate and incredibly good with numbers and very, very, very detail oriented. And I had relayed all of this to my manager. He brought this to me, and then I emailed Chad to set up an informational interview, and he responded. He was very enthusiastic.

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Cynthia

We set up the informational interview. Logan met him. It was a virtual informational interview. He seemed very he wasn't super into it at first. He was like, well, it sounds like something I might like, but I don't know. We'll have to see it. Pretty much immediately after the informational interview, Chad emailed me back, we want to move forward with Logan.

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Cynthia

We love him. How do we go about making a job? And so I emailed him, oh, well, this is what we normally do, but I didn't know because this is my first time doing anything of the sort, but just leaning on my trainings. And I had talked to my coworkers about what I was going to do and just negotiated all of the terms of his job.

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Cynthia

I tried to find analogous tasks to his job at his parent's company, so at his parents company, he'll help with the setting up the trainings. He, he'll like, stock the mini fridge. He would find he they had these, like, pamphlets. Not really pamphlets. It's like a stack of different pamphlets that they distribute to all of the attendees.

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Cynthia

He would, compile all of those and put them in little like, piles, and he'd put he'd lay them out at the table. So, at Achor, I talked to Chad about him stocking. They have like a canteen area with snacks and stuff. So he'll unpackaged those orders and put the snacks in different places. At his parent's company.

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Cynthia

He also would alphabetize and file invoices, for whatever purchases from customers. And so at Achor, they have a fabric resource library that it's like drawers with all of the fabric samples he alphabetize and sorts all of those and he loves that too. Because it's very granular, very detail oriented. He likes feeling all of the different fabrics.

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Cynthia

He likes looking at all the fabrics he likes, like the names we like. He likes to talk to me about the different names of the different fabrics. He likes to learn about the different types of fabrics that they have. It's he he really does like that task. And then he also would have his some computer tasks at his, parents company.

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Cynthia

And I know that he, he told me that he likes having computer tasks as well. So, at here at Achor, he has this responsibility where he, updates the marketing website directory. So all of their people who they've sent emails to in the past, he doesn't gather emails, he just updates the different websites of the different people that have been on the mail list so that they can maintain accurate information.

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Cynthia

And what he tells me is that there's a lot of companies that have changed their websites or changed their names, or have gone out of business. And so he researches that. And, that's a pretty big task for him when he doesn't have spec checks. But the spec checks are, by and large, it is what he was hired for.

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Cynthia

It is he is phenomenally it just incredibly adept at them. And he was pretty much right off the bat because he instead of a lot of the people who perform spec checks, they will look at the product name. And that leads to inaccuracies, because sometimes the computer messes up. Logan looks at the serial number, and so he'll look at the serial number of everything that's on the blueprint.

00;15;51;22 - 00;16;21;08

Cynthia

And he counts by that because he can memorize it. And other other people at his company can't. I've been told that he is far more accurate and way, way, way faster than anyone else at the company who does the spec checks. And the figure that I was given by his manager was that they make roughly, I think it's 15 to $30,000 of mistakes per month.

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Cynthia

It can be that, that that costly. So it is something that they, they value vastly. And he is learning more and more of the different rules of how they structure their furniture. And so it's the fact that he can understand the blueprint. He understands by looking at the blueprint. What like what piece of furniture it is and how it like is configured.

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Cynthia

And he understands and can apply the rules of the different ways that they, they create furniture. And I will just give this one example. There was a spec check that he did it. Was it like a test spec check when he was still learning? It took him 51 minutes, including his bathroom break because like, he timed himself on his phone and that same spec check had taken a team of three people three hours.

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Cynthia

So. And he caught more mistakes. So he is just phenomenal at these spec checks. And he loves them. He it is his favorite thing to do. He really loves his workplace. He is very proud of the work that he does and it is a very welcoming and loving environment. They really are just so accepting of him. And every time I'm there, I'm told how much they love him, how great of a job he's doing, how he makes the whole office smile.

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Cynthia

I couldn't have picked a better place if I had like, imagined it. I it was just such an incredible discovery. And he's really happy now. And I could not be prouder.

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Sherry

I just, I'm amazed, at what a great fit this seems to be. You know, many people would would look at, someone who is good at doing Legos as just, oh, you know, but someone who likes to build things, or it's someone so you know, can follow directions. But, but but it feels to me like what what the fit between that kind of skill set that he had and that he showed to you and doing the Legos and as well as that's the other kind of office things that he was doing, really fit so nicely into the, the, the requirements that they had for this job that they were looking to sell.

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Sherry

And it's just amazing to me when you do that, this level of discovery that you can make such a, a perfect fit, which it is what it feels like.

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Cynthia

Yeah.

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Brain

So you've talked about how you got to know Logan and how you supported Logan and helped him transition into this new job. Talk a bit about what you're doing to fade supports.

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Cynthia

So fading supports. It's actually funny that you ask this question at this specific time, because now my arrangement is that I go in once a week. Most of the time I'm really I'm working next to him. I'm not really directly supporting because he's good. He I mean, the spec checks, I look at that. I don't know what he's doing.

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Cynthia

He knows what he's doing. I understand the the rules and the the things that he needs to do. And so if he ever has, like, questions, I can I can help him. But I can't do it the way he does it. And to be honest, I don't think I could count it. It would take me a very long time.

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Cynthia

So I'm working next to him. I'm talking to him about his week. He I if I ever need, if his mom ever needs any pay stubs, I now just help him. Like, I stand over the shoulder and I help him navigate his, his companies employee manager system. So that he can download them and send them to her.

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Cynthia

Last week when I was there, we were in the fabric resource library, the head of the sales department, who he also works pretty closely with. They got in a new shipment of fabric samples. She was having him box them and put them into separate containers because the drawers were like full there. They're pretty full. He's been telling me for a while that they're full.

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Cynthia

So there were two instances where I was going to maybe ask a question to help him do the job, maybe the way that she was expecting. But then he asked them on his own before I even had the chance to ask them. So I was able to see, oh great, I'm not needed here. And I was really glad that he was able to say those things.

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Cynthia

I told him, I'm proud of you. That was really cool. I was going to say things, but you said them. And so I really just go in. It's like two hours a week. Not really even a full two hours. And I just make sure that if there's anything that needs to be communicated with his manager, I'll check in and say, hey, how are things going?

00;22;13;05 - 00;22;48;01

Cynthia

What we're working on mostly now is just workplace boundaries. What's appropriate, what maybe could be talked about later. But he has really, really grown in his position and I'm just there because he wants me to check in on him and enjoys when I go and I check in and I work next to him and he'll tell me about whatever he is into that week, and we talk and, I just make sure that he has whatever he needs.

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Cynthia

But I, he is very, very proficient, and I don't know that I always will be needed there. And that's great.

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Brain

That's great. I mean, that's that's the ideal, right? That we, as, employment consultants are, are feeding back and, helping individuals, develop those natural supports and confidence in their own ability to just say, hey, you know, even if something comes up that I'm not sure about, I know who to go to and ask. And I feel confident and comfortable asking those questions.

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Brain

So that's awesome.

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Cynthia

Yeah, he's an awesome guy.

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Sherry

So, Cynthia, you had, you talked early in the story about the connection that was made between, someone from, from reach for resources who it hadn't met an employee of ECR at a networking event. Yes. I'd like to explore that a little bit. Because networking really is a key component of customized employment. And it's, it's it's really a great way to, to find those, those fits, you know, between skills and abilities and interests and, needs, employer need to the community.

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Sherry

So, I'd like to talk for a minute about networking. That is this something that you do that, much of in your role as an employment consultant?

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Cynthia

So there is, of course, the aspect of networking I would call that, namely, when I'm reaching out to, employers and trying to speak to someone who has some sort of hiring capacity, I'll generally ask for a hiring manager when I, if I, cold calling. That would I, I would say that is the biggest aspect.

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Cynthia

I mean, there's also in my personal life, if I ever have, questions specifically for a very various industries, if my friends, just the people that I know personally are in a specific industry, I will often ask questions about, hey, do you know, for example, I have a guy who I support who I really would like to customize, like an art studio support position because he really likes art.

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Cynthia

And he doesn't have a super positive response to a lot of things. He has very neutral responses to most things, but art is something that he's interested in. And I've gone on discovery activities with him where we we went and we painted ceramic like little things at, color Ramyun, which is just like one of those ceramic painting places.

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Cynthia

And he was very happy and very talkative. And that was just a side of him that I hadn't really seen until we went and did that. So I have a friend who is an artist. She works in, like nonprofit art management, and outreach as her day job. But then she also works with, a ceramics studio.

00;26;06;19 - 00;26;32;25

Cynthia

So I talked to her about, hey, what would this look like? What are some things I could do? Do you know of any studios that are maybe looking for someone who would be amenable to, like, maybe customizing this role and just trying to go from there? It's. I mean, it's often about who you know and not what you know.

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Cynthia

And so I think, I mean, we're all aware of how important networking can be, even. I mean, this is how it was framed when I have been in trainings, when I was getting my own, like job training, when I started at reach. And and a reach puts all of us through Minnesota customized employment training with did we were asked I mean how many of you your first job was through someone you know?

00;27;01;10 - 00;27;43;08

Cynthia

It's the vast majority of us. So the networking piece can be extremely important. In Logan's case, I was very fortunate that our executive director, Kate, is a powerhouse, and she really does everything she can to leverage her community and network connections. And so she was the person who was at this networking event and who met with the VP of sales, at acre, and she told him about our organization and what we do, and he that he jumped on it and because of that, Logan's life is so, so much richer.

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Brain

Awesome.

00;27;44;00 - 00;27;51;28

Sherry

So, Cynthia, what do you want people in your community to know about employment for people with disabilities?

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Cynthia

I think the biggest thing for me is just that in supported employment situations, everyone who is touched by that situation is benefited. I, as the job coach, benefited because my life is so much richer because of this role and the people that I support, I this is work that I want to be doing and I am really happy that I get to the person.

00;28;23;18 - 00;28;47;04

Cynthia

The people that we support are benefited because they have increased access to community inclusion. They get to feel a sense of pride about their work, about their day. They get to feel valued and appreciated, and that is what everyone deserves in a workplace and throughout all workplaces in America. I truly believe that everyone deserves to find the place where they feel that way.

00;28;47;06 - 00;29;16;16

Cynthia

The employer is benefited all of all of the coworkers, all of the employees at the companies that most of the most, if not all of the people that I support have been. Their lives are richer because of their connection with the people that we support. The customers of the companies as well are generally positively impacted by the people that we support.

00;29;16;19 - 00;29;58;00

Cynthia

People enjoy interacting with the people that we support. People with disabilities have so much to offer that is so unique. And again, in my opinion, everyone is benefited by that situation. And I wish that more people knew that because I think it's something that our society generally believes because this role exists. But a lot of people who would not support specifically, reach for resources does a lot of work, with policy advocacy to end the existence of Subminimum wages in Minnesota.

00;29;58;00 - 00;30;25;06

Cynthia

And a lot of people who are in opposition to that do not see all of the value that can be done. But with supported employment, these success stories can happen. And we as employment specialists want to be doing that work. So in my opinion, there's just no reason for that not to be going forward.

00;30;25;08 - 00;30;45;07

Brain

Thank you very much, Cynthia, for joining us today and sharing some of your experiences doing this important work. Thank you, listeners, for tuning in to this episode. We hope you join us next time to hear another compelling story of one person finding one job in the community. You.

00;30;45;09 - 00;31;03;03

Sherry

Thank you for joining us for the Job Matchmakers podcast, funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, this podcast is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration and UMass Boston's Institute for Community Inclusion.

00;31;03;05 - 00;31;20;07

Brain

For more information on the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, visit our website. Linked in the show notes. We're glad you joined us, and we'll see you next time.