Developing roles that align with Jessie’s interests and contributions with Jessie Ward, Genna Ward and Cassandra Morrow

Jessie was a recent school leaver when she gave this presentation with her mum, Genna, and Job Supporter, Cassandra. Jessie had undertaken work experience in high school and was offered an ASBA (Australian School-based Apprenticeship) in Business Administration in Year 12; however, she finished school without a clear employment pathway. Genna was keen to use a Customised Employment (CE) approach, and then realised that their family would have to take the driver’s seat to make it happen. They started with a Discovery process, which helped Jessie better articulate her interests and identify the workplace environments that would bring out her best work. With a bit of preliminary CE knowledge behind them and always learning on the fly, Genna and Cassandra’s understanding of customised job development and support has evolved and grown. It’s been hard work and not without a few false starts, but Genna describes the results as incredibly rewarding. Two years out of school, Jessie is currently studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and working at a childcare centre. She also undertakes paid advocacy work and is justifiably proud of all her accomplishments. This is a fabulous story for any family who has been wondering what’s involved in implementing the customised employment process. You can watch Jessie, Genna, and Cassandra’s presentation on our website.The presentation transcription is also on our website.On our website, you’ll also find:all the presentations from our Opening Opportunities conference in 2023many other resources about helping a person with disability find meaningful employmentevents related to employment and other topics relevant to people with disabilities seeking to enjoy a typical life.Many thanks to Osher Marks, who is the voice of this season of the Imagine More podcast.