HOUGHTON — This summer in Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw counties, Superior Alliance for Independent Living, Disability Network of the Upper Peninsula (SAIL), the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) – Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS), and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partnered together to provide paid work-based learning experiences for local area youth living who identify living with a disability. It can often be challenging for a student to identify potential career fields that match his/her interests and abilities, especially for students living with a disability and/or those who have little to no work experience. This work-based learning program provided the opportunity for these students to learn appropriate work skills in a supportive environment. All work sites consisted of three or more students and a job mentor who worked alongside them and provided feedback and guidance throughout the program. The program allows students to network with community agencies and professionals in hopes of gaining references and awareness of potential job opportunities. This program also busts myths of the amount of work students with disabilities can perform and employers’ perspectives of what it means to hire or work with someone with a disability. It allows students to gain insight and explore the type of work they may want to pursue in the future. All of these benefits of the program help ensure students can be successful when they transition into the workforce after high school.

Some of the skills that participants have the opportunity to develop include: social/interpersonal skills, time management, organization, problem solving, communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, work ethic, self-advocacy, and leadership. For many students, this opportunity was their first job and allowed them to gain valuable experience that they can include on their resumes. For other students who have participated in the summer program previously, participating again allows them to explore a different work site or take on additional duties or a leadership role at the same site they worked at in previous summer.

A total of eight job sites within the area communities agreed to partner with SAIL and MRS who to provide these work experiences. In total, there were 30 students who worked between the following sites: Baraga State Park, Twin Lakes State Park, McLain State Park, Michigan Technological University Facilities Department, Tadych’s Econofoods, Hancock High School, Calumet High School, and the Horizon’s work crew who traveled to various work sites through the summer. Duties across the sites ranged from park maintenance, landscaping, custodial, and manual labor.

Superior Alliance for Independent Living, Disability Network of the Upper Peninsula (SAIL) assists individuals with disabilities and promotes accessible Upper Peninsula communities for all. SAIL serves all 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula and provides a wide range of services that assist people with disabilities in gaining independence and preparing to enter the workforce. For more information about SAIL, contact 1-906-228-5744 or visit SAIL’s website at: www.upsail.org.