7 steps to meaningful employment
Helping Parents Create a Practical Path Toward Work, Purpose, and Progress
A Full-Day Parent Webinar
Finding meaningful employment for a young adult with a disability or diverse support needs can feel overwhelming. This full-day virtual webinar gives parents a clear, seven-step process for identifying strengths, building community connections, and discovering opportunities that fit the individual.
This is not simply about completing applications. It is a practical, strength-based approach built on preparation, relationships, community involvement, and consistent action.
Who should attend
This webinar is designed for parents and caregivers of:
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High-school students, post-graduate students, and upcoming graduates
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Young adults who have been out of school for several years or are unsure what they want to do
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Individuals who have struggled to find or maintain employment or are not making progress through traditional job searches
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Young adults who need additional direction, structure, or support, including those with disabilities or diverse support needs
What is included
Each participant will receive:
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Approximately five hours of live virtual instruction, with scheduled breaks and a lunch break
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The Seven Steps to Meaningful Employment workbook and candidate profile worksheets
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Guided exercises for family, friend, and advisor input, neighborhood mapping, circle-of-support planning, and vocational themes
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Networking, employer-outreach, and employment-maintenance tools
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Time for parent questions and discussion
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A personal action plan and roadmap with practical next steps to start right away
Step 1: Create Your Candidate Profile
Build a complete picture of the young adult: their strengths, interests, skills, personality, ideal work environment, and support needs. A strong profile focuses on what the individual can contribute, not only where support may be needed.
Step 2: Gather Input From Family, Friends,
and Advisors
People who know the young adult well may see strengths and connections others have overlooked. Parents learn how to gather input from family, friends, teachers, coaches, support professionals, employers, and other trusted community members.
Step 3: Map the Neighborhood
Explore businesses, nonprofits, volunteer sites, and community programs near the young adult. Neighborhood mapping helps families find opportunities beyond online job postings while considering transportation, distance, accessibility, and familiarity.
Step 4: Form a Circle of Support
Create a group of relatives, friends, teachers, neighbors, former employers, coaches, and professionals who are willing to share ideas, make introductions, and help the young adult move forward.
Step 5: Identify Vocational Themes
Vocational themes are broad areas of interest that connect a young adult's strengths, skills, and preferences with employment opportunities. Instead of focusing on one job title, parents learn to identify two or three themes. For example, an interest in animals could lead to pet care, veterinary offices, kennels, shelters, or farms.
Step 6: Network and Get in the Door
Many opportunities come through relationships, introductions, and direct outreach, not only online applications. Parents learn to use networks, informational conversations, employer outreach, volunteering, internships, job shadowing, and their circle of support to get in the door and show the young adult's strengths and reliability.
Step 7: Maintain Employment and Maximize Benefits
Finding a job is only the beginning. Parents learn how to support long-term success through workplace routines, communication with supervisors, problem-solving, and encouraging independence. The webinar also explains how earnings may affect government benefits; families should work with a qualified benefits-planning professional before making financial or benefit-related decisions.
Registration and Pricing
individual Registration $149 - dates tbd
Includes the complete full-day webinar, participant workbook, planning worksheets, outreach templates, and question-and-answer time.
Private Family Meeting $60
Families may schedule a private one-hour meeting with John Keating to discuss their young adult's strengths, interests, challenges, employment goals, and possible next steps.
Parents, caregivers, the young adult, and other important support-team members are welcome to participate. Together, we will begin creating a practical plan for volunteer, internship, or employment opportunities.