Employment Services

When Tracy Valencia was growing up, she would save all her class notes for her younger brother, whose disability made it hard for him to write. Her brother Ed used those notes to keep up in high school, eventually graduating as a straight-A student.

Today, Tracy brings this same thoughtful dedication to her work as a PRIDE Job Coach. Every year, Tracy helps dozens of people with disabilities learn the skills they need to get and keep a job. She also provides on-the-job support.

Tracy’s role as a Job Coach has become even more crucial during the pandemic. For example, when S.L. Scotty, one of Tracy’s clients, wanted to continue his work at an R.C. Willey Distribution Center, Tracy was both proud and concerned. The pandemic was new; safety guidelines still needed to be defined.

Tracy knew she wanted Scotty and others to take every precaution possible, so she partnered with PRIDE Industries’ Safety team to provide masks and gloves for these employees as soon as possible. PRIDE Industries management had already sourced the needed materials, so Tracy was able to equip her clients to continue working safely.

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“I’m proud of the people I support,” says Tracy. “Nothing was going to stop them from doing their jobs. We truly have some shining stars out there.”

Despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, PRIDE’s Employment Services (ES) team has remained hard at work, and continues to place people with disabilities and other barriers to employment in long-term, gainful employment. Two recent ES clients, Heidy Crans and Lorena Murray, placed by Job Developer Caryl Balko, recently celebrated their one-year work anniversaries. They have received support from Job Coach Diana Crawford, who provides additional resources during any challenge, including a global pandemic!

Heidy Crans – Job Success Leads To a Home Purchase

Heidy just celebrated her first anniversary working at Smart & Final warehouse grocery store this December. In addition to reaching this important milestone, Heidy also earned a well-deserved promotion to cashier. With this professional success came a personal highlight – Heidy purchased a home, which she now shares with her boyfriend and two dogs.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Heidy stepped up as an essential worker. Taking the necessary protective precautions was challenging at times, but Heidy took her responsibilities seriously – properly wearing a mask and gloves throughout her shift, cleaning her cashier station, and making sure every cart, shelf, and restroom was thoroughly sanitized.

“There were times that I would admit were tough, especially hearing all of the news about the pandemic,” said Heidy. “However, I still showed up for work to serve what I love most about my job: our friendly customers!”

Lorena Murray – Celebrating a Job Milestone

Lorena celebrated her first anniversary as a maintenance worker and housekeeper at Crunch Fitness in July 2020. She is responsible for cleaning all the exercise equipment, locker rooms, and floors. Lorena enjoys socializing with her coworkers, as well as the free gym membership!

When the pandemic hit, forcing gyms and exercise facilities to cut back or close, Lorena saw her work hours greatly reduced. But Lorena banded together with her team, and stayed in frequent contact with her manager until she could go back to work this September.

“Due to Lorena’s disability, doctors told us that she might not reach the same milestones as other children,” said Helen Murray, Lorena’s mother. “We didn’t accept that she was limited and made sure that she had the same opportunities as everyone else.”

PRIDE’s ES team is proud of Lorena’s progress and her excellent work ethic. She is currently saving up to move into her own apartment.

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PRIDE’s job developers, coaches, and assessment specialists work closely with employees and employers to identify areas of need and carefully match qualified workers to appropriate job opportunities.

Start your career!

Foster youth face daunting challenges once they hit their 18th birthday. Many lack the skills needed to start employment, gaining the experience necessary for a successful career. PRIDE Industries’ Youth Services program provides support, mentorship, and necessary work success items (such as clothing and bus passes) to help foster youth lead an independent adult life.

Kat, a former foster youth, was facing employment challenges when she was referred to PRIDE in the summer of 2020. With help from a job coach, Kat created a path to achieving her dreams.

Foster Youth Employment Services

As a young adult who has recently transitioned from the foster care system, Kat had to overcome many obstacles without family support or guidance.

“I recently had no job and had to figure out how to sign up for school, find internet access, and pay my bills,” she said. “I felt like I was stuck in a hard place with nowhere to turn”.

That changed when she was referred to PRIDE Industries in July 2020 and paired with Lana, a Job Developer in the foster youth employment program. Lana helped Kat with her job search, including preparing her for interviews and teaching her how to make a positive first impression. They also worked together to narrow down the kinds of jobs that would suit Kat’s interests. Not long after, Kat landed a job as a home health aide.

“Helping people is my passion,” said Kat. “I just finished my first month working as a home health aide, and I like my job! I enjoy cooking, cleaning, and assisting my client, and it’s a wonderful feeling to have her greet me every time I arrive. My job means a lot to me; I enjoy helping others live their best lives. The skills I am learning now will help me serve my future clients as a social worker.”

As she continues to thrive in her new job, Kat plans to attend college.

Eventually, she plans to pursue her dream of starting a nonprofit for foster youth that focuses on counseling and support. “I also want to travel the world and become a homeowner,” she said. “My journey has just begun!”

Transitioning out of foster care?

PRIDE Industries provides internships, job coaching, work transportation, assistive technology, and so much more for foster youth as well as people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

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“My job means a lot to me; I enjoy helping others live their best lives.”

The key to any successful workplace is open and efficient communication. Perhaps no one knows this better than Job Coach and ASL Translator Christina Alderete, who provides interpreting services for PRIDE Industries. Christina is an El Paso, TX native who works at PRIDE’s Fort Bliss contract. There, she delivers crucial communication to employees with her trilingual abilities in English, Spanish, and ASL.

“In a border town like El Paso, TX, one is bound to be multicultural at heart,” Christina said. “Growing up bilingual in English and Spanish, I became a translator at an early age for my father and grandparents.”

Years later, the need for trilingual ASL interpreting services in the Hispanic Deaf population was growing. With this in mind, a friend encouraged Christina to learn ASL. So that’s exactly what she did.

“In my ASL interpreter preparation program, you were highly encouraged to engage with the Deaf community, as you learn how Deaf people perceive signs and actions,” she said. “I became acquainted with the ‘Planet EYEth,’ a term the Deaf community sometimes uses to refer to themselves because they use their eyes instead of ears. This experience inspired me, and after graduating in 2014, I joined PRIDE Industries at Fort Bliss as a job coach and ASL translator.”

Providing ASL Services to Improve Employee Communication

Christina’s desire to bridge the communication gap in the Deaf community coincided with PRIDE’s goal to make every workplace more accessible and inclusive through ASL interpreting services and a wide range of other employment resources.

For example, many employees at PRIDE who are deaf or hard of hearing hold positions in technical departments, including electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. However, there are many industry specific terms and signs associated with these kinds of skilled trades. To streamline the training process and improve communication for everyone, the PRIDE Vocational Rehabilitation team consulted with employees. Together, they developed a work manual in English, Spanish, and ASL.

“I truly enjoy using my trilingual abilities and feel privileged to assist both Deaf and hearing employees with interpretation services,” said Christina. “The deaf community at Fort Bliss has been very encouraging and provides excellent feedback to help me become a better interpreter.”

Day to day, Christina enjoys the different ways she applies her ASL interpreting services for each employee. “The most powerful lesson that I have learned as an interpreter is that everyone is different; not all individuals sign the same. Some individuals are highly visual and lack literacy skills in English, so I help them develop strategies to work around that. During my six years at PRIDE, my greatest accomplishment has been observing the progress of the employees I have coached and seeing them succeed in their careers.”

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“The most powerful lesson that I have learned as an interpreter is that everyone is different; not all individuals sign the same.”

It can be difficult for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to find jobs where they feel confident and understood. This is something PRIDE employee Rogelio Ibañez understands firsthand. In recognition of Deaf Awareness Month, he has shared his story with us. In his story, he also offers insight on how to communicate with those who are deaf or use sign language.

At Ft. Bliss, TX, many PRIDE employees are multilingual in both spoken and sign languages. This includes Rogelio Ibañez, who joined the team in 2011 and has continued to thrive in his job at Ft. Bliss, earning a promotion to General Maintenance Worker in 2015.

Helping Deaf People Find Jobs where Communication Isn’t a Barrier

Rogelio can communicate in four different languages: LSM (Lengua de Señas Mexicana), Spanish, ASL (American Sign Language), and English. His journey was one of perseverance.

“I was born in Mexico to hearing parents and had three older hearing siblings and a younger one who was also Deaf,” he said. “My family initially didn’t know any sign language but communicated with me through gestures and lip-reading. When I moved to a mainstream school, they did not have an interpreter, so I learned both LSM and Spanish (both different languages in verb inflections, structure, and word order). One of my older siblings also learned LSM to serve as our family interpreter for school, church, and doctor visits.

“When I moved to the United States as a teenager, communication was an issue, as I only knew Spanish and LSM. I distinctly remember one time that the police stopped me, and I couldn’t talk to them because they didn’t know Spanish or LSM. Eventually, I met my girlfriend (who would eventually become my wife), and she taught me ASL and English, while I taught her LSM and Spanish. I began to attend Deaf coffee socials in Dallas to meet more people in the Deaf community and improve on ASL. English, however, is still something I am continuing to perfect.”

Rogelio faced communication challenges as he searched for work, but then he found PRIDE. In an effort to build an inclusive environment, PRIDE’s job coaches, ASL interpreters, and rehabilitation counselors translate between team members and customers, helping bridge the gap for employees who are deaf or hard of hearing. Assistive technology methods are also used to help employees overcome communication obstacles in their day to day jobs. This atmosphere of inclusivity and access was a true game-changer for Rogelio.

Preparing Others in the Deaf Community for Job Success

In his spare time Rogelio helps teach a course at El Paso Community College where he teaches basic signs in LSM and ASL to American students as well as Deaf students from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

“It’s such an enjoyable experience to help connect with others who are looking to join this community,” he said. “We all share our goals and obstacles in a supportive environment.”

Rogelio offers advice for hearing people looking to improve their communication with those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or use sign language. “Utilize hand gestures or facial expressions. Of course, it depends on the individual’s preference; deaf and hard-of-hearing is not the same thing, and everyone has their own style based on how much they can hear.

Many Deaf people, including myself, rely on reading lips. During the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have sometimes been an obstacle, but wearing clear ones can help. Another option is to stand more than six feet apart so we can speak without covering our faces.”

Overcome barriers to achieve goals

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“In former positions, I felt out of place and became frustrated. Joining PRIDE Industries made a difference, as now I am comfortable with the work and can easily speak to my team”.

Your 18th birthday is around the corner. Like most of your friends, you are excited about reaching that special milestone and officially becoming an adult. However, unlike the rest of your friends, you’re nervous because you don’t have a plan for what’s next. As a teen in foster care, your group home has provided shelter and care, but not guidance for developing an independent life. You don’t know much about budgeting finances, exploring college, or how to find a job. Aging out of foster care is a daunting reality.

PRIDE Industries offers employment services for youth aging out of foster care. The program is designed to ease the transition out of foster care and help you reach your goals. You will have access to coaching, mentoring, training, internships, job placement training, and community resources, so you will be well equipped for your journey to a fulfilling life.

One member of PRIDE Industries’ foster youth employment services team is AbilityOne Recruiter Dustin Spears. Having grown up in the foster care system, he understands what it’s like to develop a career without much support. Today, Dustin is using his experience and expertise to help others like himself who are aging out of foster care. As part of his role at PRIDE, he partners with several nonprofits and governmental organizations to place our Inclusive Talent Solutions staffing line at companies like Amazon. In his own words, Dustin shares his story along with some advice:

From Foster Youth Services to Independence

“90% of youth in foster care end up repeating the cycle by having their children placed in the system as well.”

Hearing this statement completely chilled me as I sat in a classroom one afternoon. That day, I made a promise to myself that this wouldn’t happen to me. I had to break this pattern.

For kids in foster care, reaching that 18th birthday is hard. You know that you will soon be on your own without a lot of guidance or fallback support. Since the age of 11, I had bounced in and out of 12 group homes. In some ways, it was my choice: I did not feel comfortable being placed with a foster family. When I was 16, I knew I wanted to take control of my life—the first step was testing out and graduating high school two years early.

This time was definitely challenging for me. I started college while I was working two full-time jobs, one at Carl’s JR as an Assistant Manager and another for a transportation company. It was hard, but I made the best of it and managed to support myself. I stuck with it, and along the way I learned valuable skills and lessons, like the importance of good customer service.

At age 21, I decided to switch gears to work in group homes for foster youth. Because I’d been in the same situation, I knew what these kids were going through. I was eventually promoted from a behavioral health associate to a manager. For several years, I managed a rehabilitation facility for children.

I’ve long known that I want to make a difference in the lives of former foster youth and people with disabilities, helping them gain independence and fulfillment. So when I got the chance to join PRIDE Industries in 2018 as an AbilityOne recruiter, I was thrilled.

Paying it Forward: Supporting Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

In my role with PRIDE Industries, I work with referrals, including former foster youth, to place them into jobs with PRIDE or through our partners in Southern California. So far in 2020, I have helped place over 25 youth into jobs at Amazon through our Inclusive Talent Solutions program.

What’s unique about PRIDE is the cycle of support that we offer, including job placement, vocational mentorship, training, and ongoing job coaching. We want to ensure that everyone succeeds in reaching their full potential. For every referral that I receive, I take the time to meet them and evaluate their goals, interests, and skills.

My advice for youth transitioning out of foster care is not to let your past define you. When searching for your first job, be flexible. Any place where you can get your foot in the door and build skills and experience can help you. Once you have a job, even if you don’t like it, keep it until you get a new one.

Another word of advice is to take advantage of as many nonprofit and government agencies as you can, including the Department of Rehabilitation in California. They will provide extra help, connections, and resources to set you on a career path and develop a resume. Accessing these resources will require filling out paperwork and dealing with agency bureaucracies. PRIDE can help with that. Consider PRIDE another resource for you.

One of the most significant barriers for former foster youth entering the workforce is access to transportation, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most youth who age out of the foster care system don’t have a car. PRIDE’s staff assists with navigating the system and looking for jobs/shifts that can accommodate the public transportation schedules.

The last thing I’d say to fellow foster youth is to realize that the experiences you’ve had have taught you valuable lessons about patience and perseverance. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without my past. It’s brought me to a great job, and now I get to help other former foster youth find their success journey.

Take control of your life

Write the next chapter of your life with confidence. Learn more about PRIDE Industries’ foster youth employment services.

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