Participant Stories

James McClanahan

Case Closed - Not Forgotten

James McClanahan became enrolled in the Transition Partnership Program in November 1998 while in High School. In his junior year, he had a major car accident and acquired a spinal cord injury and open skull fracture that resulted in paraplegia. He was a promising athlete loving and excelling in all sports. In grade school he was on the United States Little League team.

While in the TPP program and during his recovery he became interested in the medical field - sports medicine and completed a student summer internship with Kaiser. After graduating from school, and attending junior college, Solano Community College, James was enrolled in the Workforce Investment Board program and worked with Sutter Solano Medical Center during the summer.

Through outreach recruitment to TPP students, James became enrolled in our Bridges to Youth Self Sufficiency Program. His Service Coordinator assisted him in enrolling in Vallejo Adult School for Medical Terminology and the Bridges Job Developer assisted him in the process of becoming hired at Kaiser Permanente Call Center where he works full time and is making $17.40 an hour. His Benefits Coordinator worked with him and his family to understand his benefits and how work would affect his income and how to report wages. James has left the rolls of SSI and is now receiving SSDI. Last year his case was closed as a success with the Department of Rehabilitation.

James is currently working at Kaiser Permanente Call Center in Vallejo full time. He is also working on his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at Phoenix University.

Clarissa Del Pinal

SSI to SSDI

Clarissa’s story illustrates how the use of system supports allows a young person with disabilities to be successfully employed in the competitive workforce, reduce their dependency on Supplement Security Income (SSI), and still maintain Medical coverage.  Today, through Bridges intervention and the efforts of a cooperative business partner, Clarissa is working independently at a famous resort in Palm Springs. 

Clarissa is a 22-year-old woman with Traumatic Brain Injury and speech impairment.  She acquired her disability from a terrible accident as a toddler.  She has a positive attitude, but is very shy.  By matching Clarissa’s interests and abilities with job duties, the employer modified the Pool Attendant position to specifically accommodate Clarissa’s needs.  After her initial training, Clarissa was able to complete these tasks on her own.   The towels are always meticulously folded.

Although she continues to seek support of Bridges on Benefits Planning, Clarissa is becoming increasingly more self-reliant.  She has become familiar with the public transit system and takes the bus to work without assistance.    She has taken charge of reporting her wages to SSA.   Because of her increased earnings, she was able to open up her own savings account.  

Clarissa’s success in the work arena allowed her to accumulate the necessary credits to become eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI) on her own work record.  Bridges explained the SSA work support Section 1619B  and Clarissa continued to receive MediCal coverage after her increased wages ended SSI.

She now had to learn about Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), Trial Work Periods (TWP) and Extended Period of Eligibility.   Bridges provided tools and instruction for her to track the Trial Work Period months, and explained how Substantial Gainful Activity would affect her SSDI benefit during the Extended Period of Eligibility.

Clarissa likes her job.  She is proud of being independently employed and earning a competitive wage.   Most of all, she likes providing a valued service for the Parker Hotel and its guests.

Willie Pestolesi

Homeowner

Willie works full time at Albertson’s market without a job coach.  He has the natural support of his manager and co-workers and is experiencing great success.  Willie has been employed there for four years.  He is assigned specific duties in his position as a Courtesy Clerk. Willie is very personable and always willing to assist Albertson’s customers.  He gets along very well with his co-workers.  Willie’s assigned tasks include bagging groceries, retrieving carts, picking up and taking go-backs to their designated area.  He performs light maintenance when needed.

Willie has moved into his very own condominium home and is very happy.  He has selected the independent living skills agency to help with keeping his new condo clean and organized.  They also assist him with grocery shopping and cooking nutritious meals. Willie attends Bridges Workshops as his schedule allows.  The Bridges Coordinator works one-on-one with him to continue educating him in Social Security benefits programs and monitoring changes as they occur.  Willie is becoming more knowledgeable in the area of SSA reporting procedures, keeping SSA and related paperwork organized, and managing overpayments. He appreciates the ongoing assistance he receives from the Bridges Staff..

In addition, Willie has used and or continues to use the following community services and support: Dept. of Rehabilitation (Transition Partnership Program & the Bridges to Youth Self Sufficiency Project), Workability I, Regional Center, Irvine Adult Transition Program, SSI benefits, Disabled Students Program and Services at Irvine Valley College, TRIPS (Irvine’s bus system for the disabled) and Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).  He continues to participate in Special Olympics and City of Irvine classes and activities.  Willie has been a guest speaker twice for the Down Syndrome Conference and looks forward to attending the conventions very year.

Carmelita Hamdan

Self-Sufficient

Carmelita was one of SSA Bridges Project’s first participants.  She is now 24 years old and married.  Carmelita and her husband (also a SSA Bridges Participant) currently share an apartment with another family.  Carmelita is working full time at the Covington Senior Assistant Center.  Her supervisor says that she excels in providing service and is well-like by her customers.  She has been awarded several gift cards for her excellent work ethic and last month she was named employee of the month at the Center. 

She works Monday thru Friday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM  to 9:00 PM.  Carmelita takes food orders for lunch and dinner and delivers resident’s meals to their tables in the dining room.  She is paid $9.00 an hour.  Carmelita is a valued employee with her supervisor and the residences.  She often receives compliment cards from the residents and gift cards from her managers and has been recognized as outstanding employee of the month.  

Carmelita has not received any SSI cash benefits since September 2007 because her earnings combined with her husband’s income exceed the breakeven amount for a married couple.  Her husband works at Costco 40 hours a week and earns $17.00 an hour.  Carmelita still qualifies for SSI 1619b benefits so she can have her benefits restored if their joint income ever drops below the breakeven point and she is still covered by MediCal.  This is a good safety net while she is becoming financially self reliant. It is unlikely she will need to use her MediCal benefit since she has medical insurance through her husband’s employer.  Due to some prior confusion about housing status Carmelita has an over payment with SSI of about $1,500 she must repay.  She currently is paying this debt off at $50 a month.  When the overpayment is paid off she plans to request her 1619b status be dropped because she feels she is self-sufficient and doesn’t need the benefit.  Carmelita is very proud that she is making a living for herself and is not dependent any longer on SSI benefits.

Ryan Rice

Project Search

Ryan Rice is twenty-one years old and has been a participant in the SSA Bridges Project for four years.  Since the time he entered into the program he has taken his role as a participant very seriously.  Ryan is very close to achieving self-sufficiency in school, managing his social security benefits, and work.  Part of his success is due to his attendance at all SSA Bridges student workshops where is learns how to mange these activities to better his life.  Ryan has discovered that the work readiness skills taught at the workshops helps him deal effectively with challenges he faces at work and other places because of his disability.  He has learned to be a team player and is always willing to help his classmates and co-workers if they need help.

Because of Ryan’s work experience and dedication to the SSA Bridges Project he was selected to participate in the Project SEARCH program that was initiated at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California, in September 2007.  Ryan was very excited about having the opportunity to one of the first students to be selected for this internship program that coincides with his last year of the Adult Transition Program and SSA Bridges Project. 

Ryan’s job at Mission Hospital is working in the Nutritional Center Services.  His job starts early in the morning filling carts with food orders that are different for each floor of the hospital.  He then takes the food from the kitchen and re-supplies the pantries in pediatrics, labor/delivery, stoke unit, surgical floor, Doctors and Nurses lounge, and cardiac departments.  This job is difficult because he has to navigate throughout the hospital which is somewhat of a maze. 

Ryan is well on his way to becoming independent as he provides his own transportation to and from Mission Hospital.  In order to use the Orange County bus he must wake up at 5:30 am and be at the bus an hour later dressed and ready for his internship.  He makes one transfer and arrives at the hospital at 8:15 am each morning.  He enjoys his internship at Mission Hospital and is very focused on getting hired.  Last month he was told that he was next in line to be hired.  This month (March 2008) SSA Bridges Project received a call from Mission Hospital saying that they would like to hire Ryan as a permanent employee.  This is very exciting since he is our first Project SEARCH student to be hired from Mission Hospital.

Shortly after this call Ryan was offered a part-time job will be as part of the hospital’s line staff working on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  His starting pay rate is $9 an hour.  The Hospital’s career development plan is to start him as a temporary employee and then hire him as a full-time employee in Nutritional Care Services when a position opens up. 

Tarek Sinnukrot

Award Winner

 

Tarek attends Rio Hondo College.  He is enrolled in academic and activity classes, and spends 18 hours a week there.  He takes the bus to school and back by himself and checks in with his family by cell phone.

Tarek, his family and friends met to conduct a Person Centered Plan meeting.  The 60 friends and family circle of support people gathered to help Tarek discover his dreams and show him the path to attain them.  A people pleaser at heart, Tarek, a leading man in the high school production of “Guys and Dolls”, concluded through his plan that his dream job would be to become a purser on a cruise ship.

Tarek works at a trendy restaurant as a dishwasher, and does “all the stuff in the back”.  He’d like to be a host, and eventually bus tables. The owner of the restaurant has had experience with Autism, and has taken the time to train him. Tarek arrives on time, is immaculately groomed and loves to wear the required headgear a trademark of the restaurant.

The first Brian Grazer Award was presented to Tarek. He has made great strides, that before joining the project, his family readily admits they never believed he could achieve.  He is able to use public transportation without assistance.  He works at a job, without additional support and celebrated his one year anniversary there.

The house that he lives in was bought with the thought that Tarek would live in the “back”, a separate room attached to the garage.  Independence at a  small distance….  His parents just called to get information on how his benefits would be affected when they give him a condo, since they are selling the house that Tarek no longer needs.