October is National Employment for Persons with Disabilities Month. Today, we share one client’s employment journey.
Besides getting an academic education, every high school student needs to learn certain life skills before launching into the larger world. This is doubly important if a student has disabilities that may mean extra challenges finding work.
Over the years BridgingApps has partnered with transition teachers in local school districts. James Reese Career and Technical Center, which works with Fort Bend ISD to train high school students in career planning has been one of the schools that we have worked with. Among our digital-skills trainees is Hale Johnson, who has also done a summer internship through Easter Seals Greater Houston’s High School/High Tech & R.A.M.P. program. Hale is a graduate of Reese, of William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, and of a REACH (Ready for Employment and to Assist as Community Helpers) program. His focus at Reese was auto mechanics.
Following is his story, in his family’s own words.
Hale’s Education Journey
Hale was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy, which presents as left arm and leg weakness; he also has intellectual and developmental disabilities. In high school, he worked at a local Home Depot store and learned to use the store’s app in restocking merchandise. This experience began Hale’s search for technological support in living his daily life.
After graduating from high school in 2019, he entered an Adult Transition program with Mr. John Spelce. The pandemic months, plus online courses with Mr. Spelce and [Reese transition teacher] Ms. [Rochelle] Fowkes, required Hale to develop a much better working knowledge of technology, both standard and adaptive. When students returned to the classroom, Ms. Fowkes worked with Hale to help him find jobs he was interested in.
Hale has also been fortunate to meet Ms. Tara Rocha [BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist] through her collaboration at James Reese Technical School and working with Ms. Fowkes. Thanks to his classes with Ms. Rocha, Hale is now comfortable using voice commands [Siri] to research information, and with having technology read him his text messages and send voice-to-text replies.
On the Job Today
Hale enjoys being around people and working multiple part-time jobs, which allows him to spend time in different work environments most days. He also loves technology and has really taken an interest in it.
Hale has been working since April 2018 at Constellation Field, with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys baseball team. [His dad, Sonny, is a photographer there.] Hale began as a playbill passer at the main gates. He has progressed to the position of ticket taker, where he enjoys helping with the scanning software. He also loves the games, the festive atmosphere, the people he works with—and, during the baseball offseason, the lights and seasonal music at the Holiday Lights program.
Ms. Fowkes helped him get another job, at the Enchanted Forest garden center, where he has been working since 2019. This family-owned business offers him great personal support, and he enjoys the changing plant seasons. Every day is a new experience!
Hale also co-owns a woodworking business with his father. At The Wood Calling, they create handmade wooden projects, including holiday ornaments, custom ornaments, and signs. (Note of thanks to HSHT/R.A.M.P. and Hale’s summer internship at Mercy Goods, where he learned to sand and stain hand-created wooden tables.) Sonny personally adapts battery and power tools for Hale to use independently. And Hale and Sonny are always using technology in the workshop—including finding creative new ways to use technology to benefit Hale!
Hale’s work schedule:
- Enchanted Forest: Three mornings a week.
- Constellation Field: During the baseball season, most weekends the Space Cowboys are in town, plus an occasional midweek game. During Holiday Lights season, most weekends with an occasional weeknight.
- The Wood Calling: Regularly, year-round.
Sometimes, Hale works all three jobs in one day! He gets a lot of practice focusing on the tasks at hand, and being flexible to constant changes.
Closing Notes
Hale also participates in Special Olympics with The Arc of Fort Bend, and is an active [baseball] player with the First Colony Dream League.
Comcast NBCUniversal. The class focused on Computer Basics, Internet Basics, Email Basics and Digital Footprint.
From Tara Rocha:
Although he started off a bit reluctant to join a digital-skills class, Hale quickly became engaged through one-on-one training and the Northstar Digital Literacy platform (our curricula). Soon, our training was a welcome addition to his schedule, as he learned through weekly sessions how to use new technology skills in daily life. (Plus, the classes were a great time to socialize and catch up with his peers!)
Hale received three certifications through Northstar, and completed the digital-skills program in March 2024. He continues to attend our monthly Young Adult Open Lab for Transition Aged Youth, learning new ways to use technology in day-to-day life.
