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Work Toolkit:

Work Toolkit

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Hands-on tools

Below are tools you can use with people to help them identify and reach their work goals.

These tools can help inform the person's positive summary and be included in their employment portfolio. Though the specific tools you use with each person will depend on their needs, the portfolio should ideally include documents that represent each of the following categories.

With a My Vault account, a person can complete employment activities as well as store and share relevant documents with their employment support team. This helps support professionals coordinate and deliver employment services that meet the person's needs.

The Charting the LifeCourse daily life and employment guide (PDF) can help the person explore what daily life will look like as an adult.   

Below are additional tools that can help a person:

  • My profile: Work
    This My Vault activity helps people complete, save and share their profile — a way to tell others what matters to a person and how to best support them.
  • My profile: Work (PDF)
    The profile can also be completed as a fillable PDF, if the person prefers not to use My Vault.
  • Sample profile: Work (PDF)
  • My vision: Work
    This My Vault activity helps people complete the life trajectory — a way to describe what the person wants (and doesn't want) in a job.
  • My vision: Work (PDF)
    The life trajectory can also be completed as a fillable PDF, if the person prefers not to use My Vault.
  • Sample life trajectory (PDF)
  • Like and admire activity
    This activity from Support Development Associates helps to identify a person's positive attributes.
  • Values checklist (PDF)
    This checklist from Think College presents common satisfaction factors that people receive from their jobs.
  • My communications profile
    This My Vault activity helps people identify how they like to communicate.
  • Communication chart (PDF)
    This chart from Helen Sanderson Associates helps improve communication with someone who expresses themselves nonverbally.

The resources and tools section of the benefits planning toolkit offers videos, guides and other resources you can use to help people understand benefits and work.

Below are additional tools that can help a person:

  • Work and benefits
    This Hub page helps people see how work and benefits can go together. It also introduces helpful tools and information in Disability Benefits 101.
  • Getting past the myths
    This Disability Benefits 101 article explains the truth about working.

It's important to know what benefits the person is getting when talking about the impact of work on benefits. The person can confirm their benefits with the benefits lookup activity in My Vault.

  • Benefits videos
    This collection of short videos describes different types of benefits and work incentives. Watch the videos that relate to the person's specific benefits. 
  • Work incentives: The basics
    This Disability Benefits 101 page describes different types of work incentives. 
  • Which work incentives can help me?
    This Disability Benefits 101 "try-it" tool helps people find work incentives that might apply to them.
  • My Vault video: Think about work
    This 10-minute benefits planning video helps people see how work can increase their income.
  • My Vault activity: Make a work plan
    This benefits planning activity will create an estimator session based on a person's work goals.

Group and self-guided discovery can be helpful for job exploration. Check out the self-guided discovery facilitator's guide (PDF) and guided group discovery resources from the Lead Center.

Below are additional tools that can help a person:

  • CareerForce
    The interest profiler matches occupations and interest categories, while the skill matcher matches skills and career paths.
  • O*NET
    The interest profiler reveals interests and how they relate to work.
  • My Skills My Future
    The career matches activity finds career matches based on current or past jobs.
  • Guide to work-based learning experiences (PDF)
    This resource from Disability Hub MN lists 10 steps for creating effective work-based learning experiences.
  • Learning log
    This log from Support Development Associates provides a place to document what's working (and what's not) during work-based experiences.
  • 4+1 questions
    This template from Support Development Associates can be used to guide discussion about work-based learning experiences.
  • Minnesota career fields, clusters and pathways (PDF)
    This infographic from the Minnesota Department of Education outlines career fields and sample occupations in each field.
  • CareerOneStop
    This site provides career profiles, labor market information, self-assessments, videos and other tools to help people explore careers.
  • Career and education explorer
    This tool from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development helps people explore potential jobs and where they can get the necessary education.
  • Finding a job that is right for you
    This practical guide from the Job Accommodation Network outlines a four-step process to find the right job.

Below are tools that can help a person:

The Job Accommodation Network is a starting point for the accommodation process, including:

Below are tools that can help a person:

The positive summary is a two-page form that highlights what was learned during the plan phase to help shape work goals and future success.

Next: Professional resources »