Be Careful What You Wish For

Let’s start with the good news. We are still in the process of getting Travis back to working with Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. I still need to get some paperwork emailed back to them. In the meantime, Travis is still working with the supported employment staff at a provider agency. I had asked this agency to work with Travis on applying at Halloween stores. Because Travis loves all things Halloween!

I shared with the provider agency weeks ago that it was not enough to just turn in applications. I felt that it would be necessary for them to go in and talk to a manager about Travis, his love for Halloween, and his abilities.

The manager of supported employment at the agency responded that she had not had the opportunity to go in and talk to Halloween store managers, but that they had recently hired a young man that would be working with Travis. She forwarded my comments to him. He did email me a few days later and shared that he had gone in and talked to a few different places regarding Travis.

On October 12th I received an email welcoming Travis to the Spirit Halloween team. The email detailed the next steps which included completing the onboarding tasks online using the password created during the application process. I immediately forwarded the email to the provider that put in the application on Travis’s behalf. I would have been happy to complete the process, but I did not have the password.

Later in the day I tried calling the provider because I had not received a response to my email. I wanted to give Travis the news, but I was holding off to make sure that the provider had indeed spoke to the manager about Travis’s abilities. I wanted to be sure that all the details were in place regarding expectations. It was after five when the provider got back to me. He said he would get into the account and finish the details in the next couple of days. I reminded him that Spirit Halloween was a temporary position during Halloween and it was already the 12th of October.

The provider told me that he thought Spirit Halloween was a year round store. Nope. He agreed to finish the online paperwork. The next day the provider called and said that Travis needed to stop by and provide his ID and original social security card. He shared that he was busy with other clients and asked me to take Travis by. It happened to be Travis Tuesday so I said that I would. I was already with Travis. But I do not carry his original social security card.

When we arrived I asked for the manager. She took us to a computer to finish the new hire paperwork but said that the onboarding process had not been completed in full and she couldn’t complete her part until it was done. And Travis could not complete his part on the store computer. I explained the situation as we waited to hear back from the provider. I was wearing my CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) face mask. As it turns out, she is a CASA as well. As we continued to visit I found that she has a brother with an intellectual/developmental disability that also receives services locally. I saw that she was getting busy so I said we would work out the online paperwork and be back in a few minutes. Only I couldn’t get the provider to answer a phone or text, and yep, I don’t have the password.

The one thing you don’t want to spend time doing while waiting for a text or a call is walk around a Halloween store with Travis in tow. I told him that it didn’t make sense to buy anything that day (again and again), to wait for his employee discount. (And paycheck!) Eventually I was able to get Travis outside. I began to get frustrated because the store is not in the town that Travis lives in. So I wanted to get the paperwork completed while I was there. Plus, I wanted to get him on the schedule as soon as possible.

The provider eventually called, and completed the online forms while I was on the phone with him. The manager was able to complete her side of the new hire forms. I left a note with Travis’s availability and his provider’s phone number. Travis’s schedule would also have to work with his job coach’s schedule.

I followed up with the provider the next day. He had not received a call from Spirit Halloween. The individual stores do not have a phone number. Messages can only be left at the corporate offices of Spirit Halloween. I suggested that the provider might want to stop in the store as they seemed very busy when I was there. It would be easy for a day or two to go by. Which would be fine normally, but this is a temporary position.

When he went back by the manager said part time shifts are from 10-1 or 1-4. Pick three shifts, whatever times, whatever days work best. These kinds of opportunities are few and far between. But much more likely to happen when the manager has experience with individuals with disabilities. My heart is full.

The provider went in on Thursday the 15th. Travis’s first shift was on Friday.

Today I was an important phone call. I had waited on hold for a very long time. While I was taking care of business, Travis called. And when I didn’t answer, he called again. And again. Six times. During his work shift. Today was only his second shift. I began to worry. Did something go wrong? Is he having a meltdown? Is he unable to work the full three hours? My mind is going to all of the worst case scenarios. But I had invested so much time to finish this other thing. I just couldn’t hang up early.

I got off my call at 4:20pm. By the time I was able to call Travis back he should have been headed home from his shift. He picked up on the first ring. Still at the Halloween store waiting for me to call him back. His question? Can I transfer money into his account so that he can buy a Halloween mask?

So glad he got his dream job, if only for two weeks. But be careful what you wish for!

And just as an aside, that was six times in a row. As of this moment, he has called me twelve times today.

He showed up at work a half hour early and had forgotten to eat before he left. One of the times he called he asked if I could transfer money so he can get lunch next door at Noodles & Company. If you know me, you know that I am shaking my head right now.

So what’s the bad news? Besides Travis spending everything he makes buying costumes and noodles?

Now I have to notify all of his benefits that he has a job. Which changes his benefit amounts. And then I have to notify them again when the job is over. Which changes his benefit amounts again. And for some reason, the changes happen way faster on the front end than they do on the back end.

Again, be careful what you wish for.

Most people would probably think it wouldn’t be worth it for a two, maybe three week job. But then most people didn’t see Travis’s smile when he learned he got the job.

“The one beautiful thing about any struggle is that it makes you recognize and empathize with the similar struggles of other people. Suffering softens our hearts.” - Patty Kirk