This tool kit was designed as a guided conversation for family members, professional, staff, providers, and self-advocates to explore and plan for employment. This toolkit was built on the principle that everyone should have the opportunity to work. This toolkit is a wonderful resource for family members that they can use to secure a good life for their love one. This toolkit also includes success stories with examples on how to use the tools using District self-advocates. This toolkit uses many tools and portfolios adapted from Charting the LifeCourse: Employment UMKC Institute for Human Development, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. 

Resources inside includes:

•  One Page Profile - Use for a quick glance to identify what people like and admire about you, what you like or want, and what you need to be successful.
• Success Stories – Showcasing DC self-advocates’ accomplishments that led towards the life they wanted to live; including examples of the tools they used to get there. 
• Trajectories – There are separate trajectories for self-advocates, family members, and professional. Trajectories help explore and plan for employment and a good life.
• Integrated Support Star – Helps you map out what resources you already have and others resources you may need. You look at your or your loved one’s personal assets and strength, technology resources, relationship-based supports, community –based supports, and eligibility supports. 
• Positive Person Profile (PPP) – This is a document that staff and other professional us to map out someone’s dreams and goals, interest, talents, learning styles, values, positive personality traits, environmental preferences, dislikes, work experiences, support system, challenges, and accommodations.
• Individual Job Search and Community Participation Plan – document and resource professional use as a roadmap for individualized, purposeful, and proactive planning.