*A client had been told throughout her high school career that she was good at retail and that is where she should plan to work. She even went to Hiram G. Andrews, and that was a bad experience for her. Once we got involved, we spent time talking about her dreams, her hopes, her plans and she was very clear that she wanted to work in childcare.  We set her up with an online Red Cross babysitting course. She was nervous to do anything, but with the support of her SSP, she soon saw that she could do this. She earned her certificate and was very proud of herself. We then found an in-person babysitting course, and with the support of her SSP she took that course and earned her certificate. Now she is working to get her CDA (Child Development Associate) certificate through Penn State, and she is volunteering at a daycare near her home.  When she is ready, she will transition into a paid position and continue working on her CDA until she earns that certificate.

*A client had left high school with a certificate of completion but not a diploma. He blossomed as he started some new communication programs at home and soon let us know that he wanted to take college courses, but without a High School Diploma, he couldn’t do that.  Our Supports Brokers started researching other options and reached out to his High School. By persistently working with the school they discovered that he had actually earned his diploma but through an oversight never received it.  The school located his original diploma, and the Special Education Director delivered it in person to our client. He is now exploring college courses.

*A client who is a wheelchair user and let us know through conversations about what he wanted to do let us know that he really loves going fast. We explored race car experiences, but unfortunately, we were not able to find one that could accommodate his specific physical needs. Our Supports Brokers researched and found that the Franklin Institute does have Virtual Reality race car experience and more. He and his staff have been able to enjoy all sorts of great experiences and at a reduced cost because of the PA Art Reach Access Program.

*A client who had not had success at any employment position that had been found or even developed for him did find success with creating his own business of making greeting cards.  Our Supports Brokers were able to identify free community space for him to work on his cards regularly.  Our Supports Brokers are currently working on helping the family try to find support in running his business.

*Our Supports Brokers helped a client who had both Medicare and Medicaid identify the Special Needs Dual Enrollment insurance plans that were available in their county. They created a chart and checked to see which plans included their doctors and medications and then provided the chart to the family so that they could choose which plan was best for them.  They also checked to make sure that the “Extra Care” allotment had been added to their case and so there was no cost to the individual or their family for this insurance that actually covered more than what the two (Medicare and Medicaid) offered separately.

*Our Supports Brokers develop Easy ISP’s and Community Maps for every one of our clients as a way to not only support the individual and the family but to provide user-friendly support for all staff to work from.