Our Supported Employment program allows those with severe disabilities to be employed with the use of a Goodwill Job coach. A Goodwill Job Coach can train individuals to perform their jobs to the employer’s specifications as they gradually fade from the placement until no longer needed. Supported Employment workers gain a deep sense of pride and accomplishment in the work they do. It can be life changing. Stake Holder satisfaction rates are 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Consider what the Supported Employment program can bring to your company.

Donated Goods — Goodwill workers collect gently used clothing and household goods from the public at dedicated locations in retail stores or in stand-alone sites across our territory. Donations are sorted and used to fill inventory in our 12 retail stores. Earnings from our Donated Goods Program pays wages for collections, processing, and retail employees; provides a training environment for participants in Goodwill Tulsa’s other programs and helps provide other training and support services in Goodwill’s social enterprise model.

Contract Services Vocational Training provides worksites for individuals with higher needs or who prefer to work in a fully supported environment. Workers provide packaging, small assembly, and other jobs for businesses and for Goodwill’s retail stores.

Transition Work Adjustment provides training and work experience in many types of jobs for students in their final two years of high school. Students attend their home high school for a half day and attend programs at Goodwill the other half day. Students explore different work settings and a variety of job types to help them determine what areas fit their interests and abilities.

Supported Employment participants are often students from the Transition Work Adjustment program who have recently graduated from high school and need assistance finding a job. The employment consultant works with the student to help identify interests and works with employers that offer those jobs to make a job available. The employment consultant works with the new employee until he/she learns the job and develops a level of mastery. Then the employment consultant fades from the worker.

Group Worksites offers many types of job opportunities for those with severe disabilities who need continuous job coach supervision. Group Worksites at area hospitals and Goodwill Attended Donation Centers provide jobs in the community for persons with disabilities who work in small groups with a job coach to help. Is there a place for the Group Worksites program in your organization?

Group Worksites Enclaves: Employment opportunities for those with significant disabilities, who need continuous job coach supervision. Worksites are located in three local hospitals and five donation centers, employing 25 job coaches and 90 supported workers. Individuals interested in working in a small group must have a case manager through Developmental Disabilities Services and be authorized for Waiver Services.