Fall 2003
Lighthouse Q&A – Group Supported Employment
Q. Who does Group Supported Employment (GSE) serve?
A. GSE is a Lighthouse program providing job support and training for people who are blind or Deaf-Blind and also have a developmental disability. The program currently serves twenty-four individuals.
Q. What is a developmental disability?
A. Developmental disability is the designation for a range of chronic mental and physical disabilities that occur before age eighteen and are expected to last indefinitely. These disabilities may affect a person's mobility, communication, learning capacity, intellect or decision-making capabilities. Common developmental disabilities include cerebral palsy, autism, Asperger syndrome, epilepsy, fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome.
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic disorders wherein there is an impaired control of movement due to delayed development or damage to motor areas in the brain controlling movement and posture. Symptoms may include involuntary movements, difficulty with small motor tasks and difficulty walking or maintaining balance.
Autism and Asperger syndrome are similar, though separate, conditions characterized by a lack of regular social development, increased sensitivity to some sensory stimuli and rigid, repetitive patterns of behavior.
Epilepsy is a condition marked by sudden changes in brain chemistry causing seizures. Seizures may take different forms, from a period of what appears to be fixed staring to a loss of consciousness accompanied by convulsions.
Fragile X syndrome is a condition resulting from a chromosomal anomaly. Symptoms of fragile X syndrome may include learning disabilities, delayed intellectual development, autistic-like behavior and seizures.
Down syndrome is another condition in which chromosomal irregularities affect intellectual development. Individuals with Down syndrome generally score lower than average on intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. They may also have delayed physical growth and maturation.
Other neurological conditions resulting in individuals having IQ scores under seventy are also considered developmental disabilities.
While some people with developmental disabilities have low IQ scores, many others have average or high IQ scores but may still need support with communication or mobility.
Q. What does the Lighthouse do to support employees in the GSE program?
A. The Lighthouse maintains a ratio of one trainer for every four supported employees to provide job support and training. The GSE team also works closely with the Lighthouse Engineering Services Department to produce devices, commonly referred to as jigs, that help employees perform manual tasks effectively. Other supports include a step-by-step break-down of jobs into smaller steps called a task analysis. Then the employee is trained on each step until they are able to link the steps into a complete task. Techniques include hand-over-hand task training and reinforcement programs.
Q. How do employees in the GSE program get to work?
A. The majority of employees come to work through the Access Paratransit Program, a division of Metro Transit. The Access service provides daily round trip transportation for GSE employees. Rides are scheduled and discounts purchased for each employee by parents, guardians or advocates. Other employees may ride to work with their parents or siblings, and some live close enough to the Lighthouse to walk to and from work each day.
Q. Do GSE employees live independently?
A. Employees in the GSE program are a diverse group of individuals with different preferences and needs. Accordingly, supported employees have a diverse range of living arrangements. The three most common living situations for supported employees are living with family members or guardians, living in group supported homes for people with developmental disabilities or living on their own.
Q. What kind of jobs do GSE employees perform?
A. GSE employees perform a wide variety of jobs in a number of different locations throughout the Lighthouse. Starting in the plastic injection mold area there are numerous items to “degate,” stack and sort. A visit to the utensil area will find GSE employees assembling, sorting, labeling and packing items such as ladles, ice-cream scoops and spatulas. You will also find supported employees making canteens, mops and flyswatters, then labeling and packing these items for federal customers.
Q. How is the GSE program funded?
A. The Lighthouse receives funding from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services through the King County Department of Developmental Disabilities and from community support. Community support includes financial contributions from local corporations, foundations, service organizations and individuals.
To find out more about GSE, please contact Amy Koehl at 206-436-2106 (voice), 206-436-2213 (TTY) or akoehl@seattlelh.org
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