IN-Voc: Preparing for Employment and Making a Difference

When we first opened our doors in 2016 (thanks, in great part to your seed funding), we hoped to support young adults who desired to move from school to the workforce by providing firsthand experiences to help them prepare for next steps with entering the workforce. In response to successes from our piloted IN-Voc Job Skills Training program, we successfully established collaborative partnerships in and outside of the J in 2023. IN -Voc now has multiple jobs lined up each week, including, cleaning exercise equipment, folding towels, supporting outdoor groundskeeping, reading books to children in Early Childhood, working outdoor gardens around the complex, packaging materials for special events, fundraisers, and marketing, serving and preparing meals for our 613 catering service, working the concession stand at the outdoor pool, building and designing theatre sets and props, and creating hand-made gifts for donor appreciation efforts.

The IN-Voc program includes both individual and group learning curricula that facilitates individual development and acquisition of necessary skills for future integrated employment. Such skills include time management, effective communication, workplace etiquette, selfdetermination, problem solving, workplace safety, and more. The long term, overarching goal of the IN-Voc program model is for those participants who desire it, to be able to proceed into the supported employment phase, which will offer personalized and small group real-time, on-thejob training in a variety of workplace settings that are optimized for integration and inclusivity in our community. Through our work and the support of our families, several of our IN Program participants have developed skills that make them eligible for the workforce. We are thrilled that our efforts have had such an impact in a relatively brief period of time.

One of these workplace settings is the J’s very own Kitchen J. So far in 2023, IN participants have packaged more than 6,000 entrees to support meal deliveries for homebound seniors in our community. This summer, IN participants have also maintained a routine daily shift schedule working in the J’s outdoor pool concessions where they help stock items and learn about money management, customer service and food preparation.

Our IN participants are having a blast again this year assisting the J with hosting car wash fundraisers to generate monetary support for the Kindness Project, an initiative intended to sprinkle kindness and gratitude to the J staff. The participants have enjoyed the first of two events so far this summer and are eagerly looking forward to the second carwash event coming in August.

We continue to emphasize the importance of regularly scheduled therapeutic activities and are pleased to announce that we have been able to secure our own in-house Music Therapist Music is heavily woven throughout our daily programs and activities, and Music Therapy is still one of the most sought-after programs we offer to date. The benefits of having a Music Therapist as part of our ADJ team include more personalized sessions, on-going therapeutic strategy development, and seamless coordination for planning and implementation of thematic activities which promotes higher engagement levels and greater therapeutic benefit for our participants. Our in-house Music Therapist is able to establish a solid rapport and develop meaningful relationships with the participants, which enables her to create and implement skill development plans consisting of personalized goals and ongoing monitoring of progress. This focused approach allows for consistency to maximize the individual's benefit from engaging in weekly Music Therapy sessions for each of our participants.

Last year’s addition of our own in-house Speech Therapist continues to be an invaluable service offering that our families and caregivers keep raving about. Our Speech Language Pathologist offers weekly speech therapy sessions for participants through one-on-one and small group learning sessions Participants can receive therapy each week with a dedicated focus on assisting our nonverbal participants with learning vital skills to use a variety of alternate modalities for effective communication, as well as ways to further their social skill development to support with navigating challenges, friendships, and communicating their wants and needs.

Our program is successful in great part because of the people who work directly with our participants. It is not only the knowledge and experience of our staff that makes an impact, but the consistency of staff which allows them to better know and support the participants. Recent market pressures and results from staff satisfaction surveys illustrated the importance of proper compensation, and that we needed to make a focused effort to invest in our staff We were faced with the challenge of implementing a consistent and fair approach to pay increases, for both current staff and future new hires.

To aid in this process we developed a pay matrix that utilizes a formula to designate a pay rate for each staff member based on education level, previous experience, years at the J, etc. Additionally, we worked with our Human Resources Department to conduct a compensation study. From these efforts we were able to raise the base pay for newly staff hired and implement significant increases across the board for all support staff We are proud to say that these adjustments have rejuvenated morale for our tenured team members and brought about an eagerness for professional growth and development across the board for the members of our team. We recognized the substantial fiscal impact of these increases; however, we felt that ignoring the pressures of this competitive workforce would pose an even greater risk to the success of this essential program The J prides itself in placing a high value on the quality of services we offer through our programs, and this historic wage adjustment is reflected of this culture.

Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAAIM) is a unified effort among Jewish organizations and communities worldwide to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities and those who love them. JDAAIM is a call to action to each one of us in accordance with our Jewish vales, honoring the gifts and strengths that we each possess, to unite Jewish communities worldwide to raise awareness and champion the rights of all Jews to be included and to participate in all aspects of Jewish life like anyone else.

IN participants took their advocacy and awareness efforts to a new level this year as we celebrated our JDAAIM week at the J. To spread awareness and education around inclusivity our IN program planned a week-long celebration of people of all abilities though coordinating multiple activities open to the community, distributing daily educational newsletters centered on the JCCA’s 8 Guiding Principles of Inclusion, and establishing a new Inclusive Community Art Mural project. IN kicked-off the week with a Friendship Dance Party and hosted a variety of fitness-focused events including yoga, Zumba, dance, and Tai Chi. We also conducted a lunch and Learn session to teach the basics of Sign Language and educate our community about strategies for effectively communicating with people with communication challenges.

This year for our collaborative community art project we decided to create a Tree Mural to represent the importance of continued growth, searching for wisdom, and embracing change

We decided to expand our Community Art Mural Project to include both J locations in Creve Coeur and Chesterfield by utilizing a dual canvas approach, and inviting J members, program participants, students, parents, families, and friends of our big extended J family to leave their fingerprints as leaves on the tree, to represent the diversity and uniqueness that makes up our beautiful J family.

The biggest success that came from our JDAAIM week activities was the launching of our very own IN Program t-shirt line: #BeKind. IN participants spent weeks designing our own logo promoting acceptance, diversity, inclusivity and awareness which was then uploaded to a digital format from which we could use to print on shirts, hats, and face masks. After months of printing and ironing on our design, IN participants launched t-shirt sales through an online order program and hosted pop-up shop IN the Market sale days for people to purchase their #BeKind shirts in support of inclusivity in our community. We had an overwhelming response from the t-shirt line launch, and we continue to receive orders for our IN Program #BeKind shirts from family members, caregivers, staff and J community members alike.

Just one story of many we could share: Dinaz joined the program in February 2017. As a young woman with Down Syndrome, Dinaz is short in stature and communicates non-verbally which often leads to her being overlooked. As a result, when she first joined, Dinaz was shy, reserved, and kept to herself during all activities. She struggled with weight, making it difficult for her to find clothing and to have the stamina to walk long distances. Dinaz has made so many positive strides since joining the IN program. She can now walk the track for more than 45 minutes without requiring a break and has begun to lose weight. She has formed friendships and seeks out communication and interaction with her peers. This is especially noticeable during dances at the ADJ Dinaz used to sit off on the side, but she now seeks out dance partners and is often found in the center of the dance floor. Dinaz participates in all activities and has acquired a variety of coping skills to utilize in moments when she is frustrated. Dinaz’s mother has expressed on multiple occasions how many positive changes that she has seen in Dinaz and contributes these to the IN program.

Evidence of our success comes from multiple sources. We see it on the faces of our participants and in the eyes of our families. We love and appreciate the notes we get that remind us every single day that our work is so important.

“Our family recently experienced a sudden, tragic event. I was so comforted in knowing that I had the IN program for my child to attend. The staff are so compassionate, and I knew that she would be safe, comforted, and supported through the many changes and challenges that she would face. The IN program has been a blessing through the routine day to day, and I have witnessed so many improvements, but the program was especially invaluable during the challenging phases of life.”

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about the IN program. Our son has grown exponentially since attending the program and, as a parent, there is nothing better than watching our child gain confidence and a sense of purpose.”

“The staff are incredible. Our son has been experiencing increased anxiety episodes lately and the staff have gone above and beyond to meet with our family, get a proper understanding of his anxiety triggers, and then working closely with him to provide proper coping strategies. We couldn’t be happier with the support that our son and family receives. ”