Is Customized Employment about helping people find their Dream Job?
People with disabilities, just like everyone else, live complex lives. The more exposure we have to ideas, diverse environments, people, and activities, the more interests we develop. Believing that any one of us has only one dream job is quite limiting when careers are considered. We once worked with a young man and asked a question we should no longer be asking: Tell us Bill, whats your dream job? He told us that he wanted to rewind video tapes at Blockbuster. That seems like a very limiting position; one that is likely isolated from other workers, is repetitious and boring, and which holds little potential for natural support development or career and skill advancement. In truth, this Dream Job was the result of the Job Developer asking this question of someone with limited life experiences (other than weekly outings to the movie theater), and it reflected the teaching skills of the agencys personnel who could help someone master video rewinding but few tasks of more complexity. Fol
