The Transition Hub

EELLC is excited to announce the inception of our Transition Hub Center that opened October 1st, 2011. Curriculum will be used to teach the following independent living skills (ILS). Some topics include but are not limited to:

• Filling out housing applications
• Money management and setting up a budget
• Setting up and maintaining a checking / savings account
• The pros and cons of using credit cards
• The basics of time management
• Understanding and riding public transportation systems
• Maintaining a healthy living environment
• Personal safety
• Buying groceries, clothing and other amenities
• How to use a public laundry facility
• How to locate and utilize medical resources
• How to access local resources

• Students who are in a Transition program.
• Newly arrived immigrants learning how to navigate a new culture and its systems while within a safe and supportive environment.
• Adults who might need some extra assistance or support while transitioning from a short-term or long-term life event.

Braille is a written code used primarily by blind and visually impaired people. It is a variation of one to six dots punched through paper. There are basically two parts to Braille: grade 1 and grade 2. Grade 1 is the alphabet, punctuation and numbers. Grade 2 Braille is a combination of grade 1 plus several contractions. There are over 300 contractions and they help people to read and type Braille at a much faster rate. Contractions reduce the number of characters in a word and that greatly reduces the number of pages and helps to speed up the production of a Braille book or magazine.

EE’s Braille instructor is DeafBlind and is a user of Braille since childhood and is qualified to teach both Grades 1 and 2. Blind and visually impaired children and adults, as well as sighted teachers, social workers and other professionals may benefit from learning Braille.

Employment Endeavors, LLC provides a full range of employment services in assisting the student in preparing, obtaining and sustaining competitive employment. All Employment Endeavors staff that work with students who are Deaf are able to sign and are knowledgeable about Deaf Culture and the particular challenges that a Deaf individual may face while engaged in the employment process. Employment Endeavors works very closely with the student, the vocational rehabilitation counselor, the school’s Transition Program staff and the student’s family believing that a team approach is a formula for success. All employment plans and services are assessed according to the individual student’s needs.

Job Seeking & Preparation Skills (either on an individual basis or a classroom setting) Employment Endeavors works with Transition students in preparing for competitive employment by:

• Assisting the student identify a job goal.
• Compiling pertinent work and volunteer history information.
• Develop a resume.
• Develop a cover-letter.
• Teach how to properly fill out applications.
• Discuss how criminal history can impact future employment opportunities.
• Preparing for an interview.
• Interview practice.
• Discuss and role play work culture & expectations.
• Discuss and role play job retention techniques.
• Address coping skills on the job.
• Identify Deaf and Hearing culture considerations in a work place.
• Promote self-advocacy skills.

Paid Work Experiences – All work experiences are paid and based out in the community. Work experiences help identify vocational interests and skills, assess work tolerance, and build the student’s work history in preparation for employment after completion of high school.

Placement- Once a job goal has been identified and the student’s job readiness skills have been determined, Employment Endeavors will assist the student in finding employment that meets their interests, skills, and preference with respect to geographic location. Employment Endeavors provides interpreting services during the interview process and educates the employer on what accommodations might be needed.

Job Coaching- Once the student has been hired on by an employer, Employment Endeavors provides job coaching assistance by ensuring that the student is trained properly on the job and assists with communication between the employer and the student. The ultimate goal is that the student will be able to work independently on the job without the assistance of a job coach.

Independent Living Skills (ILS) – Employment Endeavors is very aware that many factors are tied into obtaining and sustaining successful employment. Employment Endeavors provides training in the following areas but not limited to; budgeting, bus training, accessing community resources and services, preparing for housing, and health and wellness. A more detailed account of EE's ILS services can be found under the Independent Living Skills - The Transition Hub link above.

Job Seeking Skills prepare an individual in their job searching process. The more prepared an individual is for their job search and job interview the better their chances of success. The training can take place in a classroom setting with multiple students in attendance or can be taught on an individual basis. Some of the learning objectives include but are not limited to:

• Identify a job goals
• Compile pertinent work history information
• Develop a resume
• Develop a cover-letter
• Learn how to properly fill out applications
• Learn how to search for jobs online
• Learn how to fill out and submit applications online
• Discuss how criminal history can impact future employment opportunities
• Prepare for an interview
• Conduct a mock interview
• Discuss work culture & employer expectations
• Review job retention techniques and coping skills
• When to disclose a disability during the job search process
• Examine Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture considerations in a work place
• Self-advocacy skills

Employment Endeavors, LLC provides on-the-job paid work experience / community based evaluation services which are conducted on an actual job-site with an identified employer. The purpose for having an on-the-job eval or paid work experience can be for one or more of the following reasons:

• Career Exploration: A customer is making a career change and is uncertain as to what kind of industry they want to purse. The customer may also be uncertain if they have the skills or stamina for that type of industry. Employment Endeavors, LLC works with the customer and referring agency in setting up identified work experiences with a variety of employers. When the evaluations are complete, the customer and referring agency will have a better sense the customer’s current skills, skills that need updating, and what career path they may want to pursue.


• Closing Work Gap History: A customer may have been out of the workforce for duration of time for various reasons. Paid Work Experiences give the customer an opportunity to get back into work-mode in a methodical manner all the while closing the gap in-between employment. The paid work experiences are added to the individual’s resume as recent / current work history making the customer more marketable in this competitive employment environment.


• Transition Periods: The customer may be transitioning from one of the following; high school into the work world, returning to work after a long absence from the workforce, transitioning from a life event or establishing some work experience in United States as a newly arrived immigrant. A paid work experience for this customer provides them the opportunity for career exploration and for establishing a current work history.

All employment plans are customer driven and incorporate the customer’s identified job goals, skills, and interests. EELLC Placement Services supports and assists customers in identifying, obtaining and sustaining integrated employment within the community. Some of the Placement Services offered include but are not limited to:

Individualized Placement Plan & Services

• Identifying job goals
• Job-seeking skills assessment
• Resume & cover letter development
• Filling out and submitting job applications
• Job search assistance
• Interview practice
• Addressing criminal history (if applicable)
• Setting up job Interviews
• Attending job interviews with customers (if requested)
• Arranging job coach services when hired (if requested)
• Advocating and educating employers on ADA requirements
• Ensuring that accommodations are obtained and in place on the work-site once hired

Once the customer is hired onto the job, EELLC provides Job Coaching services,in the form of an Occupation Communication Specialist (OCS). The OCS is provided at the request of the referring agency and customer. EELLC has job coaches that are fluent in sign language. Additionally, EELLC serves individuals who do not use sign language.

The Job Coach (OCS) assists in the following:

• Ensuring that the customer is trained and familiar with their duties on the job.
• Ensuring that the customer has awareness of the employer’s polices and expectations.
• Educating and exploring opportunities with the employer, co-workers and customer on successful integration into the company’s work environment.
• Ensuring that the referring agency, customer and the employer are satisfied with the laid out expectations and performances of all parties: customer, employer, and referring agency.

Long term followup services may be requested by the customer or employer. Typically, in long-term follow-up services EELLC assists the customer and employer in; training for newly assigned duties, potential promotional opportunities, on-going trainings, staff meetings, or other needs as identified by the customer and employer.

For Employers

Employment Endeavors, LLC is available to provide Deaf, DeafBlind or Hard-of-Hearing Awareness training for employers who are interested in learning more about adding diversity to their current workforce, or if the employer would like further awareness training to ensure that their overall work environment continues to integrate individuals already employed in the workforce. The trainings are designed according to the employer’s needs and can last anywhere from 1 hour to 1 week. Options for trainings can vary from a one-time training opportunity to on-going such as once a month.

For Law Enforcement & Public Safety

Wendy DeVore, the Organization Executive of Employment Endeavors, LLC served as a former sworn peace officer and founded the Deaf SAFE program with the Minneapolis Police Department, a community policing outreach program to the Deaf Community. The following trainings are available to Law Enforcement and Public Safety agencies alike. All trainings can be designed to meet the needs and time requirements of the agency:

• 10 week American Sign Language / Deaf Culture Awareness classes specific to Law Enforcement & Public Safety
• Deaf Culture Awareness
• Hard-of-Hearing Awareness
• DeafBlind Awareness

• Informing community members on general public safety matters
• Understanding policing procedures
• Accessing 9-1-1 services
• Traffic stop safety