NSU Horizons Fall 2018

The Job of Job Hunting Before Hopkins’ high school graduation, his family decided he was capable of pursuing a college degree. They would work with the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) toward that goal. They also wanted their son to look for a part-time job that would keep him busy when he wasn’t in class. For help with that, they turned to UM-NSU CARD. Deborah Chin, M.A., who manages The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Transition and Adult Programs at UM-NSU CARD said, “There are some great initiatives nationally, in terms of how to do a better job of finding the strengths and skills of those potential employees and finding the right fit for them, but it’s not happening on a large enough scale so that everyone really has the opportunity to work and live to their potential. As a community and as a nation, we all have to do a better job with the investment of resources and funding and development of supports.” Currently, only 2 percent of federal funding is used for research and support of issues that affect adults with autism. State funding alone isn’t enough to keep UM-NSU CARD afloat. One of the largest of CARD’s seven university-based offices, UM-NSU CARD must raise additional funds to continue providing its free services to the more than 10,000 families it serves. Even with help from CARD, the task of finding employment would not be easy for Hopkins. That’s why he was excited about going to college, but only half-heartedly accepted the idea of finding a job. Change can be nerve-wracking for him. Like many others on the spectrum, Hopkins finds comfort in his daily routine. His autism made it difficult for him to make friends growing up. He was nonverbal until he was almost nine years old. Applying for jobs was a major challenge for him. “He was very afraid and extremely nervous,” Krumenacker said. “He would break down and cry. We would talk him through it or take him to counseling.” Instead of allowing their son to back away from an opportunity for growth, Krumenacker and her husband enrolled him in Job SEEKers, a six-session summer program offered through CARD’s transition and adult team that helps prepare adults with ASD for the job-search process. Krumenacker knew her son could work and that he was a fast and reliable employee. She had already seen it firsthand. He had put in more than 100 volunteer hours with the city of Sunrise, where Krumenacker is employed. She believed that, with some support, he could be successful in a paying job. In Job SEEKers, Hopkins learned how to update his résumé, set goals, and understand job listings. He also received social training that included role-play exercises to improve his interviewing skills. For these mock interviews, Hopkins was required to dress the part, continued on next page continued from page 19 Rising Tide Car Wash is one of many family-owned businesses that was started to create a job opportunity for a child with ASD.