The Choice Group

Billy Kraus, a Choice Group counselor from Hampton Roads, is excited at his client’s success in his role at Burlington department store. Isiah McEachin has been a client of Billy’s since January 2021 and is in Follow Along services with The Choice Group. Isiah had worked with Burlington in the past and had an interest in working with them again. Billy supported him throughout the application and interview process. “ Isiah is a hard worker and committed to learning new things,” says Billy, who holds monthly site visits and contact with his client. In his role at Burlington, Isiah is tasked with receiving and processing new items and recovering items on the sales floor. During a shift, Isiah reset the decorative wall art section of the store from scratch and, after some support, could complete the task independently. His supervisor was so impressed with Isiah's work that it was shared with the other Burlington stores around the nation. Isiah require...

Vocational Counselor Rachel McGregor began working with Chanell Teasley in the Summer of 2017. Beginning in September of 2018, Rachel helped her find work at a local elementary school. " Chanell has always had an interest in food services as well as in childcare. We decided to look at a position within the schools where she could blend both interests” McGregor said.  Chanell is very friendly and loves people. She uses her fun personality to interact with the students and also has great attention to detail and is able to learn tasks quickly. Chanell has grown with her independence and confidence as she has been working at the school. Her tasks include but are not limited to prepping the food, serving the students, cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes as needed. Before finding the job at the local elementary school, Chanell worked on improving her stamina while participating in Project SEARCH. She was able to build up to be able to work for several hours on...

Heidi Chaney began working with Valerie in October of 2017. Valerie was referred to The Choice Group by The Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to help her get back to work. Along with the help of her DARS counselor Kara Leavell and with the support of her family and friends she was ready to move forward. Valerie had gone to school 30 years ago to learn office skills and had worked at the local shipyard ordering parts for ship repair but was laid off and had not worked in 15 years. Valerie had overcome many challenges in her life and career such as being paralyzed from the waist down since the age of 18 and was not going to let being laid off deter her from finding work again. With the help of her job coach, Valerie decided that working as a front desk receptionist or as a greeter of some type would best fit her needs and desires. After taking a situational assessment at a local YMCA it was confirmed that Valerie’s desire to move forward in the job search ...

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...

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...

Jason Massenburg Jason and I have worked together for a little over 4 years now. He was assigned to me under situational assessments and did so well at an Office Assistant assessment he was hired on the spot at Home Sweet Home Care in Smithfield. He has been working there for about 4 years. The owner, Shirley McGee, and staff at Home Sweet Home Care are incredibly supportive of Jason and always look out for him. The owner and staff say they love Jason and that he is a joy to have in their office. Jason uses a wheelchair and has left side paralysis so he was initially referred for situational assessments to see what his employment strengths and likes were.  After learning about Jason’s preferences, we did one prior assessment trying silverware rolling, but due to his hand strength and left side paralysis, it was not a good fit. Next, we tried the Office Assistant assessment at Home Sweet Home Care. He did terrifically and the owner was impressed with Jason and with supp...

Crystal and Steven MacArthur are the typical brother and sister: they enjoy watching football with their mom, attending their church, and spending time with their family, dog, and friends.  Despite some sibling eye-rolling, they look out for each other.  They also enjoy working.  When looking for part-time positions, they wanted an employer where they could stay long-term.  Crystal became a dishwasher for a staffing company at a Virginia university.  She initially worked in the Annex, a smaller cafeteria off campus.  She hand-washed dishes and eventually learned to use the automatic machine.  Because Crystal has a visual impairment, Crystal’s co-workers always looked out for her, letting her know when the floor was wet or if there were crates that might get in her way.  She became part of the team, discussing sports games and weekend plans while keeping up with the breakfast and lunch rush....

Jonathan Ross has been a client of The Choice Group for a few years now. One of the first things I noticed was that Jonathan does a great job of setting goals.  He sets goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable. When I first met him, he was attending college and was looking for a part-time summer position. Jonathan found employment at two local grocery stores for two summers as a Bagger/Courtesy Clerk. At first, Jonathan required intervention in learning certain tasks and building professional relationships. However, after effective support, he gained the ability to work independently. Jonathan is extremely punctual, and never missed a day of work. He built relationships with his co-workers and showed significant improvement with his interpersonal skills. Once Jonathan graduated from College he began to work part time at a Digital Solutions company. The Choice Group provided job site training to ensure he was successful in his new role and able to attain a full-tim...

In the first few minutes of meeting Jeff, you quickly learn that he is a hardworking man. Over a year ago, he contacted his DBVI (Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired) Counselor and requested help in finding a job. He had recently left his job as a Manufacturer at a local business in Charlottesville and wanted a job as a Dishwasher. That’s when he met Kate Gariepy, a Vocational Counselor with The Choice Group. Together, Jeff and Kate completed several assessments in his community before beginning to look for a job. After several months of applying for jobs, Jeff was hired at a new local restaurant as their daytime Dishwasher. Jeff quickly learned his job and became friends with the owner and several of his coworkers. He was highlighted on the restaurant’s Facebook page that eventually caught the attention of a local news station. Jeff says that since his appearance on Newsplex CBS19, many of his friends contacted him to comment on the news story. Jeff continued to work at ...

Katrina Blow has been working as a Hostess at Applebee’s in Franklin, Virginia for almost two years now.  When first starting the job, she learned that hostessing required a fair amount of organizational skills like learning the layout of the tables and keeping track of the seating chart rotations.  That’s where Nancy came in, the Lead Vocational Counselor from The Choice Group in Hampton Roads. Together, they made small index card maps for each of the table rotations, especially important during the shift change of the servers.  After only a short time using the new system, Katrina had memorized the information and no longer need to use the cards. After a year and a half of employment, Katrina’s General Manager asked her to train a new employee. She was excited about the opportunity. It motivated her to work diligently and pay specific attention to detail.  Katrina now trains the majority of new hosts and hostesses hired at Applebee’s. Her managers say she is ...

Sade Elliot is a hard worker, but very shy.  She began working with The Choice Group’s Rachel McGregor in September of 2014 when she began her Project SEARCH internship at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.  She began working in the Endoscopy Department as an Anesthesia Attendant, which requires a lot of skill! Sade has always been a determined individual.  During a typical work day, she has a wide range of duties to perform.  Her tasks include anything from flipping beds and cleaning monitors to preparing the recovery area, entering patient data and assisting with paperwork.  Her managers quickly took notice of skills during her internship.  They saw that once she starts a task, she will get the job done. When her internship ended, her managers saw how valuable she was to the department and created a position just for her! In addition, she has been asked to be a mentor for other Project SEARCH interns and new employees.  When asked about h...

I like to refer to Ethan as the "Big Ben" of our local Wegman's. As a diehard Pittsburg Steelers fan, Ethan certainly knows to take this as a compliment. He is approaching the completion of his first year of employment as a Helping Hands Cart Attendant and has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and winning attitude on and off the "field".  Ethan began job assessments with me in 2015 and I quickly noted both his eagerness to learn and willingness to work. It was not long after beginning job development that Ethan interviewed for and was offered his current position at Wegman's. Despite this being his very first job, Ethan showed a high level of initiative and resolve through his initial training and was soon working independently to collect carts, greet customers and assist with carry-out orders. The Helping Hands position is a tough one as employees work outdoors in the summer and winter months, but Ethan has not once complained about his wo...

From the Blog of Michael & Son, comes one of our client's stories about how she found success! How Michael & Son Changed My Life By Shadi Tahrawi My name is Kimberly Martin and I work as a Customer Service Representative at Michael and Son Services. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be in this place right now. A place where I can help others and also help myself. At one point I could only imagine this, looking back over my life and hearing people say “Kim, you can’t work anymore” and doctors saying “your health is not good anymore”, as this was being told to me, my mind was saying “God, you got this and I can’t just stop living”. For seven years my mind was so congested, because all I knew was how to get up and go to work. I didn’t know how to just sit and do nothing. As my mind wandered, I went into a deep depression. I would not leave the house unless I needed to go to the store or pay bills. Life for me was over. One day I was sitting on th...

A great story from one of our counselors, David, about a most recent success working with a talented individual such as Patrick Dunbar. Patrick Dunbar is currently working for the Clean Machine in Charlottesville where he washes, dries, vacuums, and details all types  of vehicles.  I started supporting Patrick on January 21st.  Patrick was  diagnosed with ADHD, and he had an extremely limited work history.   In a way, the Clean Machine is his first official job.  When reaching out  to other employers, some of the challenges that Patrick faced were not  having a driver’s license, living an hour away from where he wanted to  work which was Charlottesville, lack of work experience and limited  education.  It was my job to  assist Patrick with obtaining his driver’s license, finding a job, and  moving into his own place closer to town.  Shortly after working with  Patrick, I sup...

One of our clients recently presented a speech at John Rolfe Middle School as a Global Messenger for the Special Olympics of Virginia.  In her speech, she speaks to her the challenges that she’s faced and her passion to overcome them.  We couldn’t think of a better way to represent her than through her own words! "Hi!! my name is Emily Bower.  I want to thank you for having me speak here for team excel at John Rolfe middle school. Today, I want to convey my message of how I got involved with Special Olympics Virginia, why I wanted to become a global messenger, and what the campaign to end the r-word means to me.  While I was an intern at TechAccess, 5 years ago I met my current work coach, Pam Russell, through the choice group. It was through her that I got the opportunity to interview for a position as an office assitant at Special Olympics Virginia or, what we commonly call SOVA. Guess who got the job?!  At the time, I didn't know much about S...

     There can be a variety of obstacles our clients can face when seeking employment.  They are as diverse as our clients themselves.  One of our clients in particular, Ms. Smith, has not only overcome many obstacles but some of the hardest challenges anyone can face, period.  Yet, through it all, she never stopped striving to achieve her goals.  She asked us to share her story, so anyone going through similar hardships can find encouragement.      Ms. Smith* has always been a hard worker.  Seven years ago, before developing her disability, she held two jobs.  She was a customer service representative at Greyhound and a restaurant manager, both of which required her to stand for long periods of time.  When she developed Lymphodema in her legs, she was no longer capable of standing the required amount of time during her 4 to 8-hour shifts.  Lymphodema causes fluid to build in the limbs and It became clear that sh...

Take a look at some of the valuable services and supports that DARS can provide for individuals with disabilities and what this has meant for a young man with autism as he has progressed through postsecondary education and  preparing for his ideal  job in the technology industry.  

This video shows Assistive Technology intervention strategies that have proven invaluable for two brothers as they work with our Vocational Rehabilitation program to expand their knowledge, skills, and independence and strive toward their dreams of education, meaningful careers, and self-sufficiency.

     Early in Ayeisha’s life, when first beginning a new career in New York City, she had big responsibilities.  She was in charge of the printing department at a major company, using creativity and technical know how to problem solve solutions for those within her company.  She got things done.      Because of a stroke Ayeisha suffered in her twenties, she incurred a brain injury which caused Hemi-Paresis.  Hemi-Paresis left her without the use of the dominant side of her body, meaning that even simple tasks had to be re-learned.  After the brain injury, Ayeisha moved to Richmond to be closer to her family.      When Pam first started working with Ayeisha, it seemed that office work would be her best fit considering her previous responsibilities.  When starting employment at Feed More Inc. her responsibilities included a lot of computer and phone work.      “Sometimes it’s hard to place a...