Mission Moments
Employment Program Launches PAES Lab!
Employment Program is proud to announce our newest service, the PAES Lab, is now open for business at our new location 680 Iwilei Ste 600, Honolulu 96817. PAES is an acronym for Practical Assessment Exploration System—clients can now explore five different job industries and learn hands-on real world job skills to prepare for employment.
Update: The PAES Lab and Open House event has been featured on local news!
The Journey to the Right Fit
The ultimate success in a job is a job that satisfies a person’s passions, abilities, and income needs. The best way for anyone to find the ultimate success in a job is for it to be the right fit. This is without exception the case for individuals with disabilities or work barriers. Work barriers are what our AU team prefer to call the personal characteristics that require a person to work differently.
Due to the creativity of AU’s employment team, back in 2019 a program was designed that would help students with disabilities explore which industry pathway would be the right fit for them. The program is our Industry Standard Workshops or ISW. In 2019, right before the height of the pandemic, the ISW program was adopted by James Campbell High School. The school chose to run both a retail ISW and a Food Service ISW. Unfortunately, like most of the world at that time, the program came to a screeching halt.
However, due to the perseverance of Program Manager Melissa Gerber and Campbell Transition Coordinator Leina Yamaguchi, the pandemic only delayed the program. The ISW program has been running strong every year since 2019. The program has challenged and empowered Campbell students to advocate for themselves in determining what industry is the right fit for them. They have studied and engaged in hands on experiences in the industries of foodservice, retail, and grounds maintenance.
Students gain hands-on experience in food service.
Students being trained in retail at CVS Pharmacy, Ewa Beach
ISW Students receive both front dining room and back of house kitchen training at Zippy’s, Ewa Beach.
The real magic of the ISW is not the curriculum, or students passing the written test it is the worksite experiences they get in the second phase of the program. Abilities Unlimited could not give the students these opportunities to find the right fit without the partnerships of wonderful community employers. This year is no exception. The Campbell students have been hard at work in ISW Food Service and Retail/Stock. Six of the 6 students who started the ISW Food Service have made it to the hands-on worksite evaluation phase at the Ewa Beach Zippy’s restaurant. The students there are being trained in both front dining room duties and back of the house kitchen duties. Also, 5 of the 6 students in the ISW Retail/Stock have made it to Ewa Beach CVS pharmacy. There the students are being trained on customer service, inventory, and re-stocking using electronic devices.
We want to thank Ewa Beach Zippy’s Manager, Marilyn Tabieros, and CVS Health Workforce Initiatives Manager, Trang Malone, for collaborating with Abilities Unlimited to give Campbell’s students a chance to learn the tasks and industry standards that each of these companies adhere to. The students are learning about their skills and ability and whether these industries are a good fit for them. The exploration opportunity of these industry standard workshops will connect them to the right fit; therefore, they can receive the training services they need to be successful in the future.
A Sub Above
Who knew that Juan Paolo Arnobit would be the perfect match to be employed at Jersey Mike’s. With their slogan being “A Sub Above,” those that know Juan Paolo knew it could be the perfect job for him. Back in 2015, Juan Paolo started in Abilities Unlimited services through a pre-employment class offered to the DOE high schools. For three years the facilitators watched Paolo and his aids struggle through the class curriculum, one facilitator stated, “I had my doubts that Juan Paolo was going to be independent enough to be in competitive employment, I love when clients prove me wrong.”
“The most important thing is to hold the strong belief that your child/family member is capable of success, and not to put limits on what they can achieve. My family and I are realistic AND also have high expectations of what Paolo is capable of.”
Juan Paolo came back to Abilities Unlimited last year and took our Supported Employment (SE) Assessment Class. AU Director Melissa Gerber stated, “I was amazed at the progress towards independence Juan Paolo has made over the years!” It is noteworthy to mention Juan Paolo has a family supporting him who really knows how to set high expectations for Paolo. They also never gave up advocating for his independence and the opportunity to prove he could work at a competitive level. Juan Paolo’s growth and training is a family affair for the Arnobit family, including sister Celine, who is dedicated to her work as Paolo’s RBT. When asked about her family contribution to Paolo’s success she had this to say:
“The most important thing is to hold the strong belief that your child/family member is capable of success, and not to put limits on what they can achieve. My family and I are realistic AND also have high expectations of what Paolo is capable of. With support, Paolo has consistently gone beyond those expectations, and I think it's in part because we all hold the strong conviction that he is very capable and surround him with that message constantly. In addition, I recommend that families try to make connections within their community, such as [organizations] like Abilities Unlimited, who will believe in their child or family member just as much as they do. It really does take a village, but it is not impossible to find success. Also know that the definition of success will look different on every individual, and that's okay. As long as there is a goal in mind, and a supportive network behind that goal who can be consistent and resilient, success is very attainable and very possible for all individuals.”
After the SE Assessment class, Juan Paolo was matched with AU’s Vocational Education Counselor Sarah Margison. Sarah has the infectious belief that the key to success is consistency in committing to hard work and perseverance through the many challenges individuals with disabilities need to overcome when seeking an employment opportunity. Sarah explained, “My version of success for my clients is that they are happy with their job placement and can look back and be proud of themselves and all they have overcome or accomplished.”
Juan Paolo celebrates a successful employment placement at Jersey Mike’s Kapolei.
Juan Paolo enjoys restocking the cookies and chips at Jersey Mike’s.
Well, accomplish he did! Juan Paolo Arnobit heard those coveted words from Kapolei Jersey Mike’s store Manager, Esteban Bonilla— “You’re hired!” Both Paolo and Sarah were thrilled. Paolo’s first day of work was on March 26, 2024, and ever since Paolo has been hard at work with Sarah as his job coach. Paolo and Sarah are working through the training with the goal that Paolo will be working independently at Jersey Mike’s in no time. When asked about how he likes the job Paolo had this to say:
“It feels good to work at Jersey Mike's. It feels good to work at Jersey Mike's because I stock the cookies, stock the brownies, and put all the snacks and push the cart when I'm done. And stock the drinks and sodas. Ms. Sarah helps me with the sodas...I have a kind of a little happy feeling about Jersey Mike's.”
All of us at Abilities Unlimited know that Juan Paolo can do it! He is a joy to work with. He is the definition of an employee who takes pride in making “A Sub Above.” Good luck Juan Paolo! Thank you, Jersey Mike’s!
Kristy Norman shares how Abilities Unlimited supported her on a journey starting from a Dishwasher internship with job coaching support at Paco’s Tacos Kapolei, to becoming a Job Coach herself and a full-time Employee. Paco’s Tacos General Manager Liz shares how their partnership with AU has been incredibly beneficial and inspiring.