National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is recognized during October each year. NDEAM not only highlights the contributions of workers with disabilities, it also creates awareness of the benefits of an inclusive American workforce.

This year’s theme – The Right Talent, Right Now – resonates with the Employment Division at Easterseals Crossroads with our own staff and with people whom we serve.

Meet Morgan Kirk
Morgan Kirk is a retention specialist at Easterseals Crossroads. In her position within the Employment Division, she helps individuals with disabilities retain their jobs that our employment consultants have helped them obtain. Our professionals work with individuals of all ages – from young adults straight out of high school looking for a first job to older adults who have had careers, but also a change in ability necessitating a new type of employment situation.

Our consultants work with individuals with disabilities to evaluate needs, wants, skills, experience and goals. Focusing on strengths and abilities, a job seeker learns how to present himself or herself to potential employers. Consultants work with job seekers to create resumes and cover letters; assist with job exploration; evaluate openings within the community; practice interviewing techniques; work on presentation skills; and accompany job seekers to interviews when necessary.

Employment consultants and retention specialists offer encouragement, provide morale building, offer guidance and give constructive feedback to job seekers. It can be challenging to determine if a person is a good fit for a potential job opening, even though our professionals have several tools that can be used to determine achievable employment. An initial meeting or intake can often reveal much about a person’s qualifications and readiness for employment. If we see at the first meeting that a person is late, inattentive, distracted or even unprofessionally attired, this may indicate that this person has some areas on which to improve before that first interview. We work with people to advance to employment readiness.

Support does not stop after the job is obtained, which is where Morgan’s skills step in. “Easterseals Crossroads is unique in our community because we are the middlemen for many of our job seekers. We offer many resources that can help people begin and retain successful employment paths,” said Morgan.

Morgan currently works with John, an employee at Kroger where he works as a bagger. Morgan visits with John monthly at his job to assist with employment needs. She communicates with John and his managers to keep conversations open, and she helps with any other issues that relate to his employment.

“John is an awesome man; he is outgoing, funny, and bright. He always has something new and interesting to say, and he loves to interact with the customers at Kroger. John’s position at Kroger as a bagger is a perfect fit; the company celebrates his strengths as a people person and a fantastic employee,” said Morgan.

“Easterseals Crossroads is unique in that our staff members are very hands on. We will do whatever it takes to help people with disabilities in our community find employment positions that focus on their strengths and abilities. We honestly love what we do; anyone working with us can see that,” said Morgan.

For businesses seeking qualified, pre-screened job candidates, the Employment Division at Easterseals Crossroads is your employment resource. 

If you are a business seeking qualified job candidates, learn how Easterseals Crossroads can help you.

Saturday, September, 21, 2019 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Easterseals Crossroads | 4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis
Community Health Network Wellness Garden

Children with special needs of all ages along with their families and friends are invited to Easterseals Crossroads for a book party event.

Volunteers from the Crossroads Guild and the local First Steps Planning and Coordinating Council will read stories and help the children with a craft activity. There will be all kinds of fun outside activities with games, music, stories and more. Each child who attends the party will receive a free book to take home.

Join us for some outside fall fun! Please RSVP by September 20, 2019, by contacting us. See you soon!

Back to school can be an emotional time for everyone. Every parent wants their child to be able to express their emotions in a healthy manner. Children are not born with an understanding of feelings; one of our jobs as parents is to teach them how to appropriately identify, express and manage their emotions.

Here are some everyday strategies to improve your child’s emotional intelligence:

• Teach your child to label emotions. Children need to learn a “feelings vocabulary” in order to identify and express their feelings. Teach this by explaining how actions or experiences may cause certain feelings, such as, “When your brother takes your toy, you feel angry. I can tell that you are angry because your eyebrows are pushed together and you are yelling.” It may be helpful to make a list of words that describe emotions to help your child express their feelings.
• Consistently use “feeling” words. Integrate “feeling” words into your day, using yourself and others as examples. Express your feelings aloud, saying for example, “Traffic bothers me. When I am sitting in traffic, I feel nervous about being late. When I am nervous, it helps if I take deep breaths.” When reading books together, have your child label the emotions of the characters based on their words or facial expressions. Make it a game by acting out different feelings. Show happiness by smiling; show fear by widening your eyes; and then have your child guess your feelings.
• Rewind and re-try. If your child experienced a strong emotion and could not label it, refer to it later. Such experiences are “teachable moments.” Coach your child through the appropriate vocabulary they could have used and discuss more appropriate ways to manage emotions, such as asking for help, asking for a turn or counting to 10. Try to catch your child while they are feeling strongly and guide them through labeling, expressing and managing their feeling.

When children feel confident about acknowledging and managing their feelings, they are more likely to do so and can be better equipped in emotionally-laden situations. Children who have such skills are more likely to succeed academically, behaviorally and socially.

Source: Emmaleigh Badeaux, MA, and Tracy Gale, PsyD, HSPP, Easterseals Crossroads

August 2 – August 11 at the Indiana State Fair

Remembering Our Fallen is a photographic war memorial that honors our country’s military who have fallen from The War on Terror since September 11, 2001. Unlike brick and mortar memorials, Remembering Our Fallen is designed to travel and includes both military and personal photos honoring the men and women who lost their lives for our country.

The memorial was created by Bill and Evonne Williams. The Williams’ hope was to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, to provide comfort to friends and family of our fallen and to remind others of the tremendous cost paid by some. The inspiration for this project came from a story in the Omaha World-Herald about a father whose pain and grief were even greater four years after his son had died in Iraq because he felt his son had been forgotten…and the war was not even over.

To that end, the Williams decided to take action. In November 2010, with the backing of the Omaha World-Herald newspaper and financial support of several sponsors, including Bellevue University, Bill and Evonne created the traveling photo memorial. This memorial included photos of the fallen who had died since September 11, 2001, and called Nebraska home. Over the next few years the Williams decided to create memorials for other states as well.

After completing 19 state memorials, the focus shifted to one National Memorial to encompass the fallen from across the country.  This national memorial was unveiled in September 2017 at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., and continues to tour the nation (schedule here), giving Americans across the country the opportunity to honor our fallen.

The National Remembering Our Fallen is scheduled at the Indiana State Fair from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on August 2 through August 11. This is the first time that the national exhibit has been in Indiana. Visitors will help fulfill the purpose of the exhibit in that a Gold Star’s family eternal hope is that their loved ones will never be forgotten.

Indiana Remembering Our Fallen

In the Spring of 2015, the Williams sought to find a host for the Remembering Our Fallen from Indiana. Easterseals Crossroads Veteran Services stepped in and has been honored to host the Indiana exhibit and tour with it.

The Indiana Remembering Our Fallen can be scheduled within our state for display. Buzz Smith, who manages the display, can deliver, set up and take down the indoor display.

“Our hope for the Indiana exhibit is that ​people will never take their freedom for granted and know that they are being protected at all costs. Hoosiers should feel safer knowing that there are many more of these heroes all around the world that have given up everything so that we can feel safe at home,” said Buzz.

Buzz Smith, Veteran Resource Navigator, Easterseals Crossroads

Easterseals Crossroads helps veterans in our community in a variety of ways. We recognize the needs facing military families and veterans as they reintegrate into their communities after serving our country. To that end, we are ready, able and committed to the service of veterans and their families with the depth of support that they deserve.

Contact us for more information about veteran services at Easterseals Crossroads.

Social Skill Development through Play with Parents

contributed by Emmaleigh Badeaux, MA, LMHCa, and Tracy Gale, PsyD, HSPP, Easterseals Crossroads

Parents can serve as ideal playmates to improve children’s social skills through play. Here are some things to keep in mind to increase your child’s social learning:

• Provide specific praise during appropriate social behaviors, such as sharing, taking turns, and staying calm when things don’t go their way. For example, you may say, “I love how you stayed calm when your tower fell down!” Using specific praise during play, and throughout the day, is an excellent way to teach pro-social skills and build your child’s self-esteem at the same time.
• Play with creative toys, such as blocks, trains, and crayons, to allow for increased engagement, collaborative play, and improved problem solving. This provides opportunities for practicing the skills they will use when playing with their peers. You can model play skills, saying things like, “I’d really like to play with the red train. Could you hand that to me, please?”
• If your child engages in inappropriate behavior that is not dangerous during play, ignore it for the moment. Later, when he or she is calm, you can briefly discuss how their behavior made you feel to help build their understanding that others have thoughts about their behaviors. You may say things like, “When you took that train from me without asking, it made me feel sad and like you didn’t want to play with me.” Then, help your child come up with ideas about what they could do differently next time, such as, “When I want something from a friend, I ask them if I could take a turn.” After this short conversation, be sure to provide specific praise when they appropriately use the skill that you discussed.
• When in doubt, do what they’re doing! Be engaged in the play, even if you only have a few moments. Try to be enthusiastic and get animated! By being fun and silly, you are strengthening your bond with your child and increasing their understanding of social relationships and interaction.