ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 13, 1997 TAG: 9702130046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOME KIDS DO MORE than just hang out at the mall - they find the skills they need to succeed.
Noah Eves cut the green peppers and the bread for salad croutons at Mac & Maggie's Wednesday.
Chad Harding and Billy Howard wrapped the silverware before the restaurant opened at 11 a.m.
Pete Gonzalez, Joshua Campbell and Charlie Smallwood helped clean the booths and restrooms. When finished, they washed up, then helped with the silverware.
Twice a week, these special education students at Cave Spring High School go to the restaurant at Tanglewood Mall to work for an hour and learn job skills.
All have physical or mental disabilities, but they are participating in a community-based vocational instructional program to acquire experience that will help them get a job when they graduate.
Eves, 19, has also worked at Ragazzi's restaurant and at Presort Express, a mail sorting company.
The students don't get paid but are happy to gain practical job experience, said Maureen Anderson, a special education teacher at the Roanoke County school.
"Our goal is to try to make them as independent as possible when they are adults," Anderson said. "This gives them a chance to explore jobs they might be able to do."
Besides acquiring vocational skills, Eves said he's learning good work habits.
"It is not good to look out the window at trains when you're supposed to be working," he said.
Eves said he would like to get a job in a restaurant and become more independent when he gets out of school.
The special education students are a joy to work with, said Lawrence Brown, lead cook for Mac & Maggie's.
"They're outstanding. It really helps me because most of it is prep work that I would have to do," Brown said. "They're a big help."
While the students were helping the restaurant got ready for a new day, some classmates were learning how to shop, read price tags and use the elevator in the mall.
Jennifer Miles drove her battery-powered wheelchair up to the elevator door, pressed the button and waited for it to open.
Cindi Hall, an instructional assistant, was ready to help. But Miles maneuvered her wheelchair into the elevator alone. She continued to practice getting on and off.
Miles, 18, shopped Wednesday for a good buy on shoes and socks, comparing prices in several stores and practicing consumer skills. She also is learning how to order a soft drink and other items.
Nathan Rossbacher also practiced guiding his wheelchair into the elevator alone.
"I also try to teach him how to ask for help in a store and how to shop for things," said Robert Calloway, an instructional assistant who works daily with Rossbacher.
Anderson and Daniel Valentine, another special education teacher at Cave Spring, take their students to the mall weekly.
Anderson said the students have varying abilities and skills. Some can independently place orders when they're shopping, but others need help. Some need assistance in identifying coins and recognizing their values, she said.
Once a month, the teachers take their students on recreational field trips and have lunch in a restaurant to teach them about dining out.
"We want to help them acquire as many vocational and social skills as they can," Anderson said.
The students spend the rest of their time on basic academic subjects, computer training and other courses at school.
Anderson said the teachers also help the students prepare resums for job interviews, and mock job interviews are held.
Anderson said the community-based vocational instructional program began at Cave Spring High in 1993. For several years before then, Anderson took her students to malls and other places to help them become more independent.
But the school didn't have a formal arrangement with businesses or community organizations, and the county didn't provide buses to the work sites until four years ago.
More than a half-dozen businesses in addition to Mac & Maggie's have participated, including Wal-Mart, Dominion Graphics, Ragazzi's, Presort Express, radio station WROV and Roanoke County's main library.
Several students who have completed the training have found full-time jobs after graduating.
One former student is working in the Ferrum College cafeteria; another is a kitchen assistant at Mac & Maggie's.
The biggest hurdle for the program has been establishing partnerships with businesses to provide work sites, Anderson said.
"We almost always have initial reluctance because they have concerns about working with special education students," she said.
"After people see what the students can do, that changes quickly."
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff Jennifer Miles, 18, rides the elevatorby CNBat Tanglewood Mall in her battery-powered wheelchair. An
instructional assistant was nearby, ready to help, but Miles
maneuvered her wheelchair into the elevator alone. After a few more
practice runs, the Cave Spring High student shopped Wednesday for a
good buy on shoes and socks. color.