The Choice Group

After volunteering at the American Library in Paris and earning their Bachelor’s degree in IT, Kian and Niall had a clear idea of what type of job they wanted. When they relocated to Charlottesville, VA, they began searching for jobs within the IT or data entry field.  A year later, both Kian and Niall were hired at the bookstore on the University of Virginia campus to sort and package textbook orders for incoming students. They quickly adapted to their work environment and impressed their coworkers with their stellar work ethic. Four weeks later when their contract ended, Kian and Niall did not give up and continued to search for their dream job.  They were introduced to a manager at the University of Virginia, who saw their attention to detail and offered the men positions as Temporary Data Technicians through UVA Temps. Within several months, Kian and Niall redacted years of research data, far exceeding the expectations of their coworkers and supervisors. They quickly t...

This story will not contain the boring, overused words “amazing” or “awesome” to describe the magnanimous character that defines Will Zentmyer.  This young man was teamed up with an excellent support crew to explore the vocational world of Charlottesville, VA.  This was a very challenging case, and Will did not know what type of work he wanted to do.  There were several unknowns to this equation, but the one given was Will’s determination.  He was able to try several different jobs including warehouse, restaurant, garden nursery, and hotel work.  This went on for a while, and Will exhibited the greatest success working in a hotel as a housekeeping aide. With this in mind, his Vocational Counselor visited almost every hotel in Charlottesville to advocate for Will’s extraordinary charisma and abilities.  Several hotels declined the opportunity for Will to work there, while others said they needed to think about it.  All of the hotels that needed to...

Meet Brianna, our newest team member and Certified WISA Specialist who began training this week! 

Since starting with The Choice Group, Buddy Blatz has developed himself as both a leader and advocate in his field of work. Buddy is a Lead Counselor in the Central Region of Virginia and provides WISA and TTW services throughout most of the state. Buddy’s coworkers define him as being supportive and always “keeps it interesting" in meetings. He has become well known throughout the state as a knowledgeable and passionate WISA services expert. There is a common opinion among his colleagues who believe he is an inspiration in the work environment when it comes to being a resource and ally to those around him. Here are some of the things his colleagues had to say: "Buddy Blatz is a phenomenal man. I have so much honor and respect for him. Never in my three years at the Choice Group have I been inspired by someone as I have Buddy.  I work in Richmond with the WISA Program and he is always available to answer any question, help me with reports, come to my aide when ...

The Choice Group is happy to participate in two great events this month that both happen to be taking place on Saturday, March 17th! We want to get awareness out there so anyone who wants to attend has ample time to plan ahead. We hope to see you out and about at one of these great events!  Life After High School Transition & Resource Fair Join us in Charlottesville for this FREE event available to students, parents, and Educators! March in March upcoming The Culpeper County Disability Services Advisory Committee is hosting its 2nd Annual March in March from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Culpeper Baptist Church, 318 S. West St. The rain-or-shine event will promote disability awareness while providing resources and information about available services. The event will involve a 30-45 minute walk or ride up to Main Street through the downtown area. There will be balloons, vendors, and food by the Lions Club. No sign-up is necessary. For information or to sponsor a booth,...

Ryan Page, a vocational counselor for the south-west region of Virginia started working with his client in June of 2016.  As a friendly and hardworking individual, Ryan’s client felt like his skills fit well in a grocery store setting.  When he first began his job, Ryan’s client was to stock vegetables as well as sort and unload palettes.  They worked together on pacing and efficiency in completing his everyday tasks. Now, after being employed for a year and a half, Ryan’s client has seen a raise and a promotion at work.  He is currently in follow-along services and his employer states that he continues to excel. 

Katelyn Lacy, a vocational counselor in the Central Virginia region, started working with Lauren Garrett in April of 2017.  They began by completing extensive job development training for four and a half months. Together, they worked on job interviewing skills, social interactions within interviews as well as with coworkers.  Lauren worked on distinguishing boundaries with coworkers as well as learning appropriate topics of conversation in the workplace. While Lauren has many personal strengths — she is a straightforward and friendly person— when Katelyn began working with her it was clear she wasn’t a fan of change. However, as time went on, Katelyn was able to support Lauren through the transition of finding employment, transportation, and learning communication styles with different individuals in different environments.  After this learning period and 11 interviews, Lauren obtained her current position at UVA Runk Dining Hall with Aramark as a Food Service worke...

Heather Gilman, a Choice Group counselor serving Central Virginia started working with her client, Christopher in July of 2017.  Together they made lists of Christopher’s job preferences such as cleaning and stocking, and she was able to set up vocational assessments to try out those skills in action. While he performed well, they did not seem to be the best job fit.  As Heather got to know Christopher and his family, discussing his hobbies and interests, his family told her that he enjoys cooking loves helping out in the kitchen. Bingo! They immediately began looking for opportunities in local restaurants to complete another assessment. It was during this time that Heather came across a flyer for the Stone Soup Project . Stone Soup is a food service training program designed to help those who complete the course get necessary job skills to enter the workforce. After talking about the opportunity with Christopher, she advocated to support him in this program to his DARS ...

When Teresa first began working with The Choice Group, she was a young lady finishing up her last year in high school and planning for her future. She was beginning to explore employment opportunities and starting to ask what a good career fit would be for her, but Teresa already knew the answer!  She was emphatic about becoming a baker. Teresa and her job coach, Justin, began working together to learn more about what was involved in a career as a baker. By completing situational assessments throughout the community, Teresa was able to gain hands-on experience with local businesses such as grocery store bakeries, cupcake shops, bread bakers, and fast food restaurants that prepared baked goods in-house. Through completing multiple assessments arranged by Justin, Teresa was able to truly hone in on her passion—cake decorating—and continued to build her skills with practice and baking courses offered in her high school as she prepared for graduation. Throughout this time, Justin...

We have many programs we offer to our clients, and they have now expanded to include Therapeutic Behavior Services: Therapeutic Behavior Services are provided to clients with challenging behaviors that interfere with community engagement, independent living, and employment. Using Applied Behavior Analysis and a person-centered approach, clients and their support teams are given the skills necessary to decrease these challenging behaviors and replace them with ones that will help fulfill their goals. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst will make assessments, develop support plans, train, and supervise behavioral interventions so that clients may make meaningful progress toward their goals.

Jessica Womack has been a counselor for The Choice Group in the Southwest region of Virginia for over a year now! She specializes in CSS work, Community Support Services. Job seeking is not the only important step for many individuals seeking to maximize independence and with Jessica’s skills, she helps her clients prepare for other life tasks. Time management, grocery shopping and meal preparation, personal safety, laundry, medication, and money management are just a few of the everyday activities many of us take for granted but can seem daunting for an individual on their own for the first time.  One of her favorite parts of the job is that she “loves being able to work collaboratively with other counselors for the common cause of servicing individuals with disabilities in her community.” Keep up the good work, Jessica!

Rebecca Myers began working with Elizabeth Hunter, or Lizzie in December of 2016.  After determining vocational goals based on Lizzie’s interests and skills, Ms. Myers arranged several situational assessments to determine what environment Lizzie would thrive in the most. Situational assessments are a great tool for vocational counselors, it not only helps the client find a preferential work situation but helps vocational counselors determine what specific types of supports are necessary for the job! Lizzie completed assessments at a grocery store and a fast food chain where she focused on cleaning as well as additional assessments at two large retail chains where merchandise was the main focus. Although she demonstrated she was proficient at both, Lizzie decided she liked food service the best.  In March 2017, Lizzie gained employment at Domino’s in Broadway, Virginia!  Being a people-person, she enjoys her work environment where she can interact with co-workers an...

We would like to welcome our newest members of The Choice Group team! Zachary Sisisky - Behavorial Management Manager Travis Horn - Vocational Counselor, Hampton Roads

We would love to welcome our newest Ticket to Work Program Specialist, Nury Mojica!  Not only will she be bringing her expertise to The Choice Group to assist our Ticket to Work clients, but she will be offering her services to the Spanish Speaking community!  Look forward to our website en Español. Nury Mojica - Ticket to Work Specialist

The Choice Group is an Employment Network (EN) under the Ticket to Work Program (TTW)! Our Employment Network (EN) status gives Ticket to Work holders a great opportunity to take advantage of our supported employment services and benefits counseling. Our recent partnership with Getting Hired gives Ticket holders and clients access to current and up-to-date job postings for organizations nationwide, including many Fortune 500 companies, ready to hire job seekers with disabilities! Social Security's Ticket to Work (Ticket) program recently released the new resource, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act: Working for a Federal Contractor . Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that federal contractors and subcontractors – companies doing business with the federal government – take affirmative action to recruit, hire, employ, promote, and retain qualified people with disabilities. This new resource answers frequently asked questions about Section 503, includi...

   When Erin Hickman started working with The Choice Group back in early 2014, she was prepared to start working.  Already knowing what type of job she wanted, Erin came in with a typed list of places where she would potentially like to work.  One of her choices was at her local grocery store, where she has now worked for over 3 years!     At first, Erin had misgivings about working the cash register.  She didn’t feel confident handling other people’s money.  But after working with her job coach and training on register operations and procedures, it quickly became one of her strong suits.  She received recognition from management for remembering a change in procedure with checks - not an easy task - as well as an Excellent Customer Service award after helping an upset customer.  Erin now talks to customers with ease and when the grocery store upgraded to a new check out system, with Ian’s help, she was one of the first employees to...

Kat has been working with her client for the last two months.  Her client knew that her vocational goal was to be a full-time dishwasher, so when they started working together, her clear direction led them to find a position that was perfect!  Having previous work experience, she found a great fit as a full-time dishwasher for a corporate dining service.  During the interview process Kat helped her client on how to answer interview questions appropriately, interpreting verbal instruction, and after her client was hired for the job, negotiated her start date and the times she would be working because of transportation issues.  Kat worked with the employer to negotiate a special schedule to accommodate transportation needs.  In less than a month, Kat’s client was already training others! Her fantastic sense of humor and award winning smile has made it easy to get along well with her other co-workers.  Kat continues to check in with her client and her su...

We'd like to welcome Robin and Rachel, two great additions to the team! Robin Dawkins - Human Resources Manager Rachel Brand - Hampton Roads

Myths about the Americans with Disabilities Act July 25, 2017 John Duvall Fuse Workforce Management In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, prohibiting employers, schools, and public places from discriminating against anyone on the basis of their disabilities, and requiring them to provide reasonable accommodations. However, even after nearly 30 years with this law in place, many employers still don’t understand their obligations, and often carry misconceptions about hiring workers with disabilities. Let’s take a look at some common myths about hiring employees with disabilities, and whether there’s any truth to them. Myth #1: It’s expensive to accommodate employees with disabilities Not true. In fact, most employers (at least 73 percent) will pay nothing at all to accommodate employees with disabilities in the workplace. Of the workplaces that do need additional accommodations put in place, over half of them will incur expenses ...

James works at North Fork Lumber in Goshen, Virginia. I started working with James in February of 2017 when he started working at North Fork Lumber. Penni from the Department of Aging and Rehabilitation (DARS) in Fishersville was already in contact with the office manager, Paula, and the owner, Will, to set up the original interview to see if stacking lumber was the right fit for James.  After a functional interview, Will offered James a full-time position as Lumber Stacker. The number one focus for the entire lumber yard operation is safety.  The employer wanted to know that James could focus on his job and be safe while doing it.  James is a fast learner and could identify the length and types of wood way before I could! James has a lot of energy and the ability to move quickly.  He is also motivated to earn his own paycheck and does not mind overtime at all!  James’ job duties include stacking lumber that comes from the “green chain” ...