Community Employment Services a stepping stone to successful lives
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STEUBENVILLE -- Helping to make sure area residents can work to achieve a successful life regardless of their disabilities is important to Laura Bomerscheim and Shannon Bahen.
The two are employment specialists with community employment services of the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and in their jobs, they work to help individuals find work and provide support that allows them to grow in their careers,
“There’s a lot of success among our clients,” Bahen said while speaking at the Sycamore Youth Center during Tuesday’s meeting of the Steubenville Kiwanis Club. “It’s possible for these clients to live a successful life, regardless of their disability.”
Bomerscheim and Bahen said they have taken varying paths to their new roles, and have had very little time on the job.
For instance, Bomerscheim, who has been on the job since late spring, came to the BODD after working as a supervisor at the J.C. Penney store at the Fort Steuben Mall. She said she had started as a seasonal employee and worked her way up to a position as a human resources supervisor.
“I felt when this job became available that my retail background working with students and adults and helping them work into their jobs would be a great benefit,” she added.
Bahen, meanwhile, graduated from Edison High School in 2019, earned her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and received her master’s degree in special education from Western Governors University. She taught at Edison for a year and at Toronto High School for two years, and remains the Red Knights volleyball and softball coach.
Like Bomerscheim, Bahen at one time worked as a supervisor at the Steubenville Penney’s store.
Bahen said her new job has been interesting.
“It’s similar to teaching,” she explained. “You can make a difference in this role, as well. It feels rewarding, similar to teaching. Some of the pre-employment transition services we offer, we start at the age of 14, like summer youth. We go into the schools and receive referrals from their teachers.”
One of the first assignments at her job, Bomerscheim said, was helping to run the annual summer youth program, which gives students a chance to earn money and build experience that future employers will look for.
“It starts at the age of 14 and runs up to the year after you graduate,” Bomerscheim said. “This year’s first session was with Bobbyjon Bauman (executive director of the Sycamore center.) He was gracious enough to host us. Our students did a lot of cleaning and learned some soft skills about getting employed and getting out into the world.”
A second session, she added, sent a different group of young people to Wintersville and Toronto.
“They were still learning the same skills -- getting up in the morning, having a job, working with new people who you might not be with all of the time and just kind of getting a feel for employment and life after high school,” Bomerscheim said.
Currently, Bahan said she has 15 clients, while Bomerscheim said she has 13. Those numbers are growing, they added.
“Right now, we are working on self-advocacy with them,” Bahen said. “It’s just getting them to advocate for themselves, whether it’s in the workforce, at school or at home. That’s just one of the services that we offer. We also offer driver’s permit training, mock job interview training, and something called community work experience, which essentially is a paid internship with local businesses.”
That program gives the clients five days to get acclimated with the workplace they are at, and at the end of those five days, the workplace decides whether they want to hire them.
“We’ve had people who went from part time, 10 hours a week to full-time jobs, 401(k)s and have even bought their own cars,” Bahen said.
Their clients work at Kroger stores in Steubenville and Wintersville, Parkhurst Dining at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, the Inn at Franciscan Square, Burger King and Riesbeck’s, among other locations. Some have been able to open their own business.
They take into account the preferences of the clients when looking to make a placement -- those who don’t feel comfortable interacting with people might be placed in the back of the house at a restaurant, for example, while those who like to work in a customer service role might bag groceries or help people check out at a fast-food restaurant.
Referrals can come from teachers or Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, they explained.
“I’m happy to be able to play a small part in what’s, hopefully, a great future for a lot of my clients,” Bahen said.