The Choice Group

Jorden and Nancy began working together at the end of October 2017.   Jorden lives in Capron and the nearest town with employers is Franklin.   As part of the vocational services process, Nancy arranged an opportunity for Jorden to explore what a Courtesy Clerk does, and Jorden really enjoyed the experience.   The primary purpose of this experience was to give Jorden the opportunity to “try on” a position to determine if the job duties were those he liked and would be capable of doing.   In the process, however, it demonstrated to the manager firsthand how capable he is at doing all required job duties, which worked out well!   The manager of the Farm Fresh in Franklin was impressed.   Although Jorden is personable, he may have had difficulty conveying his abilities in a standard interview.   In this situation, the Manager spoke with Nancy and Jorden after the assessment about open positions, and offered Jorden a job.   Unfortunately,...

Ethan and his Vocational Counselor Nancy McNamara began working together in late 2015. Ethan showed a great interest in working in the food service industry, but he did not have a work history and lives in a rural area with limited employers. Ethan has difficulty answering questions and articulating his abilities in an interview, so Nancy advocated for working interviews. The Owner at Don Pancho's Cantina in Franklin determined Ethan would be an asset to them and decided to give him a chance. Ethan does well in his job because he is friendly and hardworking. Management always makes note of how much the customers love Ethan. They also can always depend on Ethan coming to work on time with a great attitude. His current tasks are to buss tables, clean the parking lot, and host. Hosting includes greeting and seating people and giving them menus, bringing them chips, salsa and silverware. Nancy maintains monthly communication with the Managers and Owner of Don Pancho's, a...

Leon Turner and his vocational counselor, Nancy, began working together in July 2017. Together they found his current position at Hardees in September 2017, and he has now been working there for almost two years. Prior to Leon finding his current employer, he lived in an area that offered few opportunities in cleaning, where he had prior experience. With limited transportation, Leon needed to walk or bike to work, which then sparked his interest in working in food service. As they spoke with employers to identify job opportunities, Nancy and Leon found that the local Hardee's in Waverly was hiring! Leon was offered the job at Hardee's and accepted. His current duties include trash removal, mopping, sweeping, cleaning the parking lot, as well as preparing and cooking all of the food for the line. Leon cooks chicken, chicken tenders, string beans, mashed potatoes, and chicken gravy. He is extremely productive and personable. Everyone at Hardee's always comments on how ...

James and his Vocational Counselor, Nancy, began working together in June of 2016, when they began looking for his current position. James began working at Hampton Sheet Metal in January of 2017 where he was the first client hired that utilized Supported Employment services. He had a welding certificate but no welding work experience. Nancy and James worked with his DARS Counselor using OJT (On the Job Training) which is a program where DARS will pay for the client's first few months of pay while they are in training, as a way to advocate to employers to give him a chance. Employers will not hire people without welding experience so they used OJT as a way to advocate for James to get an employer to give him a chance. After many months of contacting several employers, Nancy was finally was able to get Hampton Sheet Metal to take a chance on James with the OJT program. He ended up doing very well and they kept him on. James has received several raises over the years and has rece...

Keith and his Vocational Counselor began working together in early 2015. Keith has been employed with his current employer, a KFC/Taco Bell, going on four years now.  In the beginning, his Vocational Counselor contacted employers in the area to see who was hiring. Keith was interested in both customer service and food service. Both he and his Vocational Counselor completed several applications which resulted in a job offer for a Lobby Attendant/Dishwasher position at Golden Skillet, but things didn't work out. After about a month and a half, the restaurant had to close due to poor business. At that time, Keith went back into job development, where together he and his Vocational Counselor were able to secure a new position as a Lobby Attendant at a local KFC/Taco Bell. Keith was later offered an additional responsibility of unloading the trucks. From there, Keith eventually tried fry cooking, where he continues to work full-time today. Initially, Keith was hesitant to accep...

Mark Stockton is employed as a Garden Helper at Windmill Heights Garden Center located in Culpeper, VA where he has been working for about 9 months during the seasonal months. Mark and his Vocational Counselor have been working together, through The Choice Group, for a little over a year now. Mark began support by trying out different job positions through services called Situational Assessments. Through the assessments, it was determined that he enjoyed working outside with his hands as he has previous experience as a farm hand. Mark received supports through DARS and the WiOA program that allowed him to pursue his interests of horticulture/lawn care through the WiOA internship. After Mark had completed an internship with WiOA, Windmill Heights Garden Center brought Mark back for part-time support completing lawn care and gardening tasks. Mark enjoys completing routine tasks and being outside in the cooler weather working, and also has a very direct and friendly style of commun...

Veronda Rooks-Price is a Supervisor at a call center in Hampton, where she has been employed for a little over 2 years. Nancy, her Vocational Counselor, began working with Veronda in 2014, when they initially found a position that did not work out, before finding her current job.     DARS helped her get back into job development again, after losing her initial job. With the help of DARS, and Nancy, Veronda landed her current position where she has been successfully employed for over 2 years.  In the beginning, Veronda was interested in Human Resources and Management positions at a call center. Veronda completed her own applications and went on interviews independently, and Nancy assisted her with finding job leads and following up on them to secure interviews. Veronda currently makes a good supervisor because she is friendly and caring. She is a team builder and transformational leader and brings great energy to her team. Before finding her current success, Veronda wa...

Kristin and Nancy began working together in June of 2018. Together they then found her a job at a local Pizza Hut in September of that year. Kristin was interested in customer service, food service or animal care so finding the position at Pizza Hut was a great fit. There are limited employers in her area so they looked at the few employers that were in her area and also branched out to Smithfield. Smithfield is the closest town with employers and that is where she found the job.  Kristin is very friendly and easy going so it is easy for her to get along with everyone. Kristin is highly motivated to learn new things, which has paid off in her job as a crew member. She was hired as a Customer Service Representative, but now also serves customers and runs the register.  Upon trying to place her in a job in her area, Nancy and Kristin faced a couple of other obstacles. Kristin relies on her mom to transport her at this time and has had a very limited work history. In the...

Pictured here are our Project SEARCH Norfolk Interns on their visit to various City of Norfolk resources during their workshop week. This helps the interns become more familiar with what services are out there for them as they are entering adulthood and the workforce. They have just finished their 2nd internship and will be starting their 3rd internship in the next week! We are so proud of all of the work they have done and everything they have accomplished thus far during their internship. Vocational Counselor, Rachel McGregor, shared this photo of the interns in-front of one of the buildings they visited and has had the pleasure of working with each one of them along their journey. 

Claire Adams has been with The Choice Group for over a year now and works the South Hampton Roads area, mainly the Oceanfront and Norfolk. Her most memorable experience with The Choice Group was the day that one of her most challenging clients transitioned from struggling to maintain jobs to “one of the most treasured employees who brings joy to the entire kitchen”. This client found a job, with the help of Claire, at Chick-fil-A where his manager raves about him and it has been one of her proudest and most memorable experiences.  Claire says she has learned so much  about the value of persistence and patience, the power of advocating for client needs, the importance of educating client co-workers and developing a strong relationship with client managers, and the impact of team work. Claire loves getting to know her clients and watching them achieve their goals which she finds incredibly rewarding. She says that she loves people and that this job has opene...

Rachel Brand has been with The Choice Group for one year. Rachel serves the Peninsula of Hampton Roads in Williamsburg and Yorktown. She works closely with Project SEARCH at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center (SWRMC). One of Rachel’s most memorable experiences working with The Choice Group was being able to work with High School Pre-ETS clients this summer facilitating Work Based Learning Experiences. Her favorite aspect was getting to work at several farms and animal shelters. Many of her clients opened up and became much more comfortable being around animals and being outdoors. Rachel enjoyed this because she also loves being around animals and being outdoors.  Rachel loves working with The Choice Group because “no one day is ever the same”. She feels blessed to have had so many diverse experiences in her first year being a part of the team. We are thrilled to have Rachel with us and look forward to many more years with her!

Meaghan has been an executive assistant with The Choice Group for 4 years and serves the areas of Richmond, Hampton Roads, Central Virginia, Northern Virginia and the Southwest. "Meaghan is the Administrative- Receptionist- LTESS extraordinaire. She wears many hats and is always available to help troubleshoot an issue with her expertise”.  In working the front desk she is the first face clients see when they enter The Choice Group Office. "I am personally incredible appreciative of not only her hard work but dedication to assisting all TCG staff any way she can.” Says her coworker Danielle. Danielle recalls her most memorable times with Meaghan have been her continual ability to solve problems in the Admin world. She says that Meaghan is great with giving directions and is always available to lend a hand. Danielle’s favorite aspect of working with Meaghan is her ability to maintain a positive attitude even amongst all of the chaos.  We are so pleased to ...

Devante Walker has been working with Rachel from The Choice Group since August of 2014. He participated in the Project SEARCH program, completing 3, 10-week internships at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he gained essential work experience and skills to obtain future employment. During his time with Project SEARCH, it was clear that Devante excelled in customer service. In learning this, Rachel and Devante began looking for jobs where he could use his customer services skills and interact with people, which he loves to do.  People are drawn t o Devante’s outgoing personality. He has a great memory and can recognize people after meeting them just once!  So when Devante got the job as a part of the security crew at The Funny Bone, it was a perfect fit! He works up front as the customers line up to come in for a show. He checks bags, IDs and stamps hands. Devante also monitors the showroom as comedians are on stage. He is so loved by all his coworkers an...

Brianna has been a counselor with The Choice Group starting in June of this year serving the Southwest region of Virginia. Brianna works with clients to help them make informed decisions about options for ongoing supports and employment through the Work Incentive Specialist Advocacy service.  Although Brianna is a new addition to our team, she has fit in great with our other counselors. She enjoyed her time at orientation with her coworkers and looks forward to her growth within the company.  Brianna has 6 years of experience working in job coaching and loves that every day brings someone and something new.  We are excited to have Brianna on board and look forward to seeing her help clients change their lives!

While not quite in time to enjoy all the Hollywood Holiday film releases, this new rule will take effect January 17th of next year, still a terrific time to catch those Oscar buzz movies! Movie Theaters Target of New ADA Mandate By: Shaun Heasley  Dec 5, 2016 The Obama administration is implementing a new regulation that will require the nation’s movie theaters to do more to accommodate people with disabilities. Under a final rule published in the Federal Register this month, theaters will be required to provide closed captioning and audio description for any digital movie that is distributed with such accessibility features. Though the Americans with Disabilities Act has long mandated auxiliary aids and similar accommodations at public facilities, the U.S. Department of Justice said it moved to clarify the obligations of movie theaters in response to widespread complaints from the disability community about the lack of captioning and audio description at cinemas ac...

Accessibility and inclusion are huge topics among the Tech community these days.  Technology has reached a point where it can truly impact how a person with a disability lives their lives on a daily basis.  Between apps and built-in features on smartphones, these hand held devices could mean more accessibility for more people everywhere.  This article from USA Today  by Edward C. Baig not only gives an example of an amazing smartphone user climbing mountains with an app that connects to his hearing aide, it tells us all about the features on both the iPhone and Android that can help its users be handi-capable. Don't Let a Disability Stop You from Using Your Smartphone By: Edward C. Baig NEW YORK — As an expert mountain climber who guides clients at night up Mount Rainier in Washington state, Win Whittaker knows how critical it is to be able to listen for falling rock. Only Whittaker is hard of hearing, having gradually lost his hearing through the years be...

There are lots of ways that people can raise awareness about accessibility for people with disabilities, with the Spring season about to come into full swing, the best way for you to do it is at your next event!  In Richmond we love our festivals and events, so here are some tips on how to make your next event accessible for everyone. Just like any other attendee, those with mobility devices such as a wheelchair or scooter need to access all areas of the venue.  This includes concessions, restroom facilities and the main event!  Ask the venue for their guide for the accessible traveller and encourage tips and photos in any event literature to ensure participants know what to expect. Make sure your event website is accessible.  Have options for registration and ticketing for those with disabilities.  The Web Accessibility Initiative is a good resource for design inclusive information.  Transportation to and from the event.  Consider...