The Wizard of OPS

 from the virtual pen of Maria V. Eyles

        “When I first started working for OPTIONS,” recalls job developer Yvonne Barabas, “I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I was trying to place my first client in a company in San Luis Obispo, and the CEO and a whole roster of VIPs had gathered to hear me out. Tiptoeing down the long hallway toward the CEO’s office, I felt lost and apprehensive. Then it dawned on me: The CEO is just a little man behind a curtain! He’s human too—just like me, the tin man and the cowardly lion. He has his own flaws, his own strengths.” 

        Inner strengths are what Barabas endeavors to draw out of job-seekers despite seeming obstacles such as physical or cognitive disabilities. Her employer, OPTIONS Family of Services, headquartered in Morro Bay, California, is a non-profit organization which provides positive choices for people with disabilities. Disabilities are often seen as significant barriers to employment, Barabas says. So as Job Developer for OPTIONS, Barabas’ role is to not only advocate for her clients as desirable employees, but also to educate both them and potential employers that these disabilities only present initial barriers, not closed doors.   

         

         Barabas sweeps back her long brown hair and smiles warmly, speaking professionally but from the heart. “At OPTIONS we serve people from a wide range of diversity, from those with cognitive and neurological disabilities to visually and hearing impaired persons.”

        Her face becomes animated. “Oh, are you surprised I used the word ‘diversity’? Usually when people hear ‘diversity’ they think of ethnic diversity—and we have that too. Yet it is interesting to see how many employers don’t view those with different disabilities as part of the diverse population. My job is to educate them.”

       

        Some of  Barabas’ clients at OPTIONS were disabled from birth or youth, but often clients enjoyed many years of normal, active living until some accident or trauma left them physically or cognitively impaired. People of all kinds, including CEOs with master’s degrees. “Suddenly their lives are unrecognizable. And they find themselves unemployed, completely unable to do what they did yesterday.”   Yvonne Barabas’ gaze drops to her hands. “This job certainly puts things in perspective. Everyone is fighting a hard battle.”

       

        Almost instantly the passionate fire rekindles her smile. “What I love about my work is that it forces me to be constantly creative. There is no set program. I work personally with each client on a   case-by-case basis. OPTIONS goes far beyond organizational bureaucracy: We believe that compassion and vocational success cannot be ‘canned’.”

        “Earning my clients’ trust takes enormous creativity. I need to figure out where the client is now and use that key information for understanding them now. Often, for example, they are in deep grief over their physical loss, so the first thing I must do is walk through the grieving process with them, at their pace. Then I need to get very creative. First I find out everything I can about their background including their medical history. What is her passion? What motivates him? Why does this client decide to get up each morning? Communication is the key to all this.”

        Barabas admits that even being able to communicate with people with certain disabilities can be a daunting project of its own. 

        A number of years ago she served a young man whom a car accident left paralyzed from the neck down. Unable to speak, he could only touch his head to a pad on the side of his wheelchair’s headrest, which would activate a computer screen. Painstakingly he would then visually choose letters from the alphabet, and by tapping his head, he could spell words—one letter at a time. Eventually Barabas learned that this young man’s passions were motorcycles, music and computers.

        “Something clicked with me and I contacted an employer in north county. We spoke about my person served and the employer invited him to an interview. The employer was astounded by my clients’ extensive knowledge. At the end of the hour, the office staff was hanging on every word coming from that computer screen.”

        Then Barabas had another client with a different set of problems, a female in her late forties who bounced in and out of jail. Discouragement had her down. But Barabas saw something in this client which provided a ray of hope.  “She really needed a life make-over—so I worked with her and helped her achieve one.”  Patience and optimism won out again for Barabas. The client has been responsibly employed for some months. But there is more. “This person served recently called us at OPTIONS bubbling over, ‘This is the first time my kids have actually called me Mom!’”

        Barabas’ talents have allowed OPTIONS to place clients in all kinds of jobs around San Luis Obispo (SLO) and Santa Barbara Counties—in retail, hospitality, business offices, nurseries, farms, medical establishments, warehouses, and in transportation. OPTIONS was responsible for an impressive 5.3% of all placements for the developmentally disabled population in the State of California between July 2006 and June 2008.

        “If I could speak to every employer in SLO County, I would first tell them that hiring through us is virtually the same as the usual ways of hiring people. I send them well-qualified individuals with all the supports they could need. And we already know their backgrounds in depth, unlike people who walk in off the street.”

        “Then I would pick up my megaphone and tell them how our clients can be huge assets to their workplace or company. Our clients possess uncanny diligence, patience and a strong desire to succeed. In fact, they change the whole workplace dynamics in a positive way. For example, just by quietly showing up every day and on time and working diligently, they grab the attention of the other employees. They see that our workers have many more challenges to just get up out of bed in the morning—but, on the other hand, they do not complain. They may have to ride on a bus for hours to get there, but they walk in with a smile. Our clients are so happy and grateful to work and be productive.”

        Barabas sits very straight, speaking clearly and charmingly yet confidently. Surely she could convince anyone of almost anything without megaphones, curtains, or tricks. “Furthermore, there are other benefits and incentives for our local employers. In many cases, we provide on–the-job-training (OJT) for our placed clients. Not only does this save the employer time and money, but while on OJT, a percentage of the client’s wages will be supplemented.”

        In addition, employers of OPTIONS clients receive tax incentives, the 8850 tax credit which is in place for those who hire the disabled, veterans and other special populations.  Yet the best part is that OPTIONS will provide a job coach for the new employee if he or she needs help adapting to the work environment and vice versa. This covers cultural as well as physical issues. 

        For example, perhaps the boss is frustrated with a hearing impaired employee because the employee does not seem to comprehend or hear him. Yet maybe the solution is that the employer is not making sure she is facing the worker so that the employee can read her lips. “Since the hearing impaired world is a culture unto itself, we consider this a cultural difference. But no matter—all the supports are in place for both our clients and their employers to the degree needed, if any. How many other job seekers have that? Everything is geared to have this worker succeed.”

        Yvonne Barabas’ own success is not something she takes for granted. To be an effective job developer in today’s economy, between the high unemployment rate and the State of California’s shortfall, is that much more difficult.

        “I consider myself very fortunate to be employed, especially at such an amazing organization as OPTIONS. And here I am trying to get people off subsidized incomes, yet the job market is so tight. The truth be told, no person served at OPTIONS wants to remain on government assistance. Their motivation to work is great. They want to contribute their talents, to be productive—to have purpose. They want the same things I want. The same things you want.”

        In order to do her job well, Yvonne Barabas practically lives in her car. “But we live in such a beautiful area that I don’t mind.  Certainly there are times when the stress and pressure get to me. But I rely on my faith, the invaluable things my clients teach me, and the wonderful people I work with.”

        Barabas allows herself a giggle. “No, certainly I am not the Wizard of OPS! Together we all make a fabulous team—no one of us sticks out.”

       

        Then Barabas is handed a description of Dorothy Gale found on the Answers.com website: “[Dorothy] is brave, smart, compassionate, selfless, and encouraging to other members of the traveling party.”

       

        Yvonne Barabas hands it back, laughing. “Oh, I don’t even own a pair of red shoes!”

        Maybe Ms. Barabas needs to go home and re-check her wardrobe closet.

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OPTIONS Family of Services is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this month. To learn more about what they are doing right, please contact Erin at 805-772-6066, ext. 100 or visit their website at www.optionsfs.org

Maria V. Eyles aka Maria C. Vidale, The Wizard of OPS, Copyright  2009                                            
The Polished Page, Writing and Editing Services

The Virtual Pen, Blog:  http://mariaveyles.blogspot.com/