March was Developmental Disabilities Month and April is Autism Acceptance Month, making this the perfect time to celebrate the impact of job coaching. At Humanim, job coaching plays a vital role in our Workforce Development and Youth Services programs, helping individuals find meaningful employment that aligns with their skills and interests. In honor of these awareness months, we’re spotlighting two dedicated job coaches who work closely with individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Jeffrey Tsuruoka, who supports adults, and Lisa Alexander, who works with youth ages 14 to 24.
After a long career as a chef, Jeff started working at Humanim in the day program thanks to a friend he knew from the kitchen. He spent six years in that program, learning on the job, and then became a job coach, a role he’s held for six years. In this position, he assists individuals in finding, landing, and staying in a job they like.
About half of the people Jeff works with have autism spectrum disorder. He takes joy in seeing everyone he works with thrive in their field, whether it’s manufacturing, food services, retail, or in an office setting. He explains, “Typically I do what we call follow-along supports, which means a couple of times a month I drop in unexpectedly at an individual’s work site, and I observe how they’re doing. I talk to them to make sure everything is okay. I also make it a point to talk to the supervisor to make sure everything is going well both ways.” Facilitating communication between Humanim’s program participants and their employers is a key part of his role. His expertise is especially helpful for employers who haven’t had an employee with autism spectrum disorder before.
Some of the individuals Jeff works with barely need his help, but if an issue arises, he steps in to figure out the root of it and how to best address it. “Generally between the two of us,” he says, “we come up with a solution and either find a different task they can do or get some kind of accommodation.” He wants program participants to experience a normal workday. “Someone coming in from the outside to check on you isn’t normal,” he says. “I try to minimize that.” That being said, he always stays for whatever amount of time each person needs. And if a job switch is needed, he works with his supervisor, the manager of the vocational department, and sometimes an employment consultant to find individuals something else.
One of Jeff’s recent success stories is a man who was working in a supermarket produce department that was a two-hour commute from his home. He loved the work but hated the commute, so the man went to the supermarket down the street from his house to see if he could get a job there instead. Jeff shares, “He did it on his own, he just called to bounce it off me, to ask what to look for. And he had a few complications because their hiring system was a bit cumbersome and confusing, so that’s where I stepped in. He got hired, and he is not only employed, he’s thriving.”
When he’s not working, Jeff enjoys playing in a punk band. He still cooks at home and loves working with the people at Humanim because they really care about the individuals they serve. He adds, “I don’t dwell on the disability. You have to be aware of it, know the limitations, but that can’t be the focus. The focus has to be on what people can do.”
As a Youth Transitional Services Coordinator, Lisa’s goal is to help youth and young adults on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities get work-based learning experiences. She helps set them up with jobs that run eight weeks at a time for between 6 and 40 hours a week, based on school schedules and labor laws. The goal is to match youth with work that appeals to them career-wise and fits with their abilities. This means that the individuals she works with have done everything from interior design work to shelf stocking at the local Walgreens.
Currently, Lisa supports six young people on their employment journeys. She starts with an intake meeting, helps them find a placement, and meets with their supervisor. She also conducts mock interviews, assists with paperwork, and provides coaching on workplace expectations. For the duration of their job, she checks in twice a week to ensure things are running smoothly.
Whether an individual struggles with their job or excels immediately, Lisa’s there as a support for both the young person and employer. She shares, “I try to gauge how much support the kids need and give them as much independence as possible.” Lisa also helps employers understand each individual’s strengths and challenges, ensuring that job placements are a good fit. “I remind employers, for example, not to put someone who struggles with eye contact in a story greeter role,” she says. “I’ve never had a company turn away our kids because of their disabilities. They’ve all been very open and willing to learn.”
One of her recent success stories is Chase, a high schooler with an interest in interior design who is now thriving in his job. “Most of the support he needed from me was like, hey, help me make a portfolio, or how can I do these things that really weren’t job skills but next-step stuff,” she explains. But she stresses that she’ll sit all day with any young person who needs her. She’ll also help with job development referrals, resume writing, and interview prep: basically, whatever it takes to help her program participants land a job and do well in it. She says, “I don’t think people give our kids enough credit. When they hear about autistic kids doing work-based learning, they assume we just put all our students in stocking jobs, and that’s not the case. I’ve had students work in hair salons, in interior design, at the Y.”
After starting at 18 as a volunteer one-to-one aide at Sheppard Pratt, Lisa has worked with youth and young adults and the autism community. Before coming to Humanim, she was a teacher in Baltimore County. A mother to four children, two of whom have autism, her favorite things about her job are the community connections she’s built and the work/life balance she’s achieved because her schedule at Humanim is so fluid. When she has free time, she loves to kayak, hike, and cook.