Our Agency Follows

Employment First is not a program or a plan, it is a movement that aligns and supports the philosophy that all people, including persons with complex support needs, are presumed capable of competitive integrated employment.

Services We Offer

Job Development & Job Development Prep (MD)

1:1 service where an experienced and trained job coach guides you through the process of finding a job that interests you, assisting with the application, and interview process.

We offer job development prep services in the State of Maryland. This allows us to work with a client to help with interview assistance, resume, cover letter, and developing a job development plan.

Reach Us Now

Virginia Based Services

We are providing not limited to but the following Virginia Based Service

Job Advocacy

Job coaches play an integral role in helping you obtain reasonable accommodations. Job coaches will work with your employer and work to complete any necessary paperwork in both Maryland and Virginia.

Situational Assessments

Without actual experience in a particular type of work environment, it may be difficult for an individual to decide which type of job will be the best fit?

We will provide opportunities for an individual to try out jobs, in which he/she has an interest, for a short period of time.

Individual Supported Employment

“Individual supported employment” means one-on-one ongoing support that enables individuals, for whom competitive employment at or above the minimum wage is unlikely absent the provision of support, to work in an integrated setting.

JOB COACHING & JOB DEVELOPMENT

A job coach is known by several professional titles, such as; an employment specialist, job trainer, job consultant, vocational counsellor, and staffing specialist. They are responsible for assisting a disabled individual with obtaining a job by creating a positive job match. The job coach is a resource for both the employee and the employer.

Virginia Medicaid Waivers

Virginia Medicaid Waivers and services offered of Developmental Disability Waiver Types, Services and Descriptions

Check Here

Pre-ETS & VR Transition Services

Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services

Placement & Training

This process includes job offer negotiations, initial hire paperwork, and ensuring the job is offered at a competitive wage. This service ensures that the job coach helps get you trained on the job and gets you familiar with your job, coworkers, and supervisor.

JOB COACH SERVICES

Our job coach does provide you ease with job search, placement, and successfully continuing the job.

These are the main responsibilities of our job coach for you:

Assist clients with identifying job interests and skill sets.
Completes best-fit match between position and client.
Provides one-to-one onsite training.
Completes onsite integration assistance and education.
Provides job retention counselling, planning and assistance to both the client and the employer.
Maintains evaluation data for performance reporting.

SITUATIONAL ASSESSMENT

An individual may already know the type of work he/she prefers, but many individuals are unsure of their skills and abilities. Without actual experience in a particular type of work environment, it may be difficult for an individual to decide which type of job will be the best fit. We will provide opportunities for an individual to try out jobs, in which he/she has an interest, for a short period of time. Once given the opportunity to perform a job, the individual is able to make an informed decision about the type of job he/she would like to pursue.

During the assessment, a RISE Services Job Coach will accompany the individual on the job site and will evaluate the individual’s interest in and ability to perform the actual job tasks, as well as identify specific support needs. Information obtained during situational assessments is then used to help the individual to determine a job goal that is most appropriate, and then a plan, called the Individualized Service Plan (ISP), is completed with the input and participation of the individual to assist the individual to obtain his/her job goal.

Situational Assessment services are not mandatory for all individuals but may be recommended as a useful tool for individuals who have no clearly defined vocational goal, for individuals with no prior work history, for individuals who have been absent from the workforce for an extended period of time, and for individuals who have suffered an injury or illness that has affected cognitive function or that has limited physical strength and stamina.

WORKPLACE ASSISTANCE (VA only)

“Workplace Assistance Services” services means supports provided to an individual who has completed job development and completed or nearly completed job placement training (i.e. supported employment) but requires more than the typical job coach services to maintain stabilization in his employment. These services are supplementary to individual supported employment services.
This may be provided in the form of long term follow along job coaching. Workplace assistance services are not able to teach new tasks to an individual on the job.

Pre-ETS (MD & VA)

RISE Services is approved for Pre-ETS services in the DARS Office Regions of Harrisonburg, Winchester, and Fredericksburg.
Pre-ETS offer students with disabilities an early start at career exploration and preparation for adult life. Beginning at age 14, students with disabilities can connect with DARS for Pre-ETS. DARS works with students, their families, their schools and community partners to enrich transition planning and support students with gaining knowledge and experiences necessary so they may make informed decisions about their future.
Topics covered through Pre-ETS include: career exploration; work-based learning experiences; exploration of education and training programs for after high school; workplace readiness training to develop social and independent living skills; and self-advocacy.

The 4 principles of ISE

Competitive Employment

COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT

Jobs anyone can apply for, pay at least minimum wage/same pay as coworkers with similar duties, and have no artificial time limits imposed by the social service agency.

Systematic Job Development

SYSTEMATIC JOB DEVELOPMENT

Employment specialists systematically visit employers, who are selected based on the job seeker’s preferences, to learn about their business needs and hiring preferences.

Zero Exclusion

ZERO EXCLUSION

People are not excluded on the basis of readiness, diagnoses, symptoms, substance use history, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, level of disability, or legal system involvement.

Unlimited Time Support

TIME-UNLIMITED SUPPORTS

Job supports are individualized and continue for as long as each worker wants and needs the support. Employment Specialist have face to face contact at least monthly.

How Can We Benefit You

Rise Services offers individual supported employment (ISE) for individuals with disabilities in the state of Virginia. Our certified employment specialists will help you obtain and maintain employment. We will also provide you with the ongoing supports necessary to succeed in the workplace. Benefits counseling is also available upon request.

We also provide customized employment. As described by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Through Customized Employment, the relationship between employee and employer is personalized in a way that meets the needs of both. It’s a universal strategy that benefits many people, including Individuals With Disabilities. Reflecting this universal strategy, for many years, ODEP has worked to strengthen the capacity of the nation’s workforce development system to improve employment outcomes for Individuals With Disabilities through Customized Employment. ODEP has evidence-based research data showing that Customized Employment leads to positive employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

For more information about our individual supported employment services, please contact us anytime.