CONNECTIONS

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After talking to Rand Feinstein for a few minutes, one realizes that he has achieved something close to what is often described as the "American dream." Rand has achieved most of the things in life that many of us want to achieve. He has a loving family, a sense of purpose and independence, and employment that he truly enjoys. Rand works at MBNA in Group Administration in Hunt Valley. He said he figures out the rebates due to customers by reviewing their statements and checking out the validity of the rebate request.

Rand describes himself as a person with a brain injury that sometimes causes short-term memory loss. He said that up until now his disability has prevented him from gainful employment. He talked about how he got to where he is now and how LINC's TechWorks job training program played a major role in his present job success. TechWorks, a collaboration among LINC, BARC and workFirst, is a three-year, federally funded job training program for persons with disabilities.

Rand spent many summer and fall afternoons in the LINC Resource Lab, working on typing programs and practicing database entry. He was always on time, and attentive at each training session. It was evident that Rand was determined to get everything he could out of the program, because he always went the extra mile. When LINC's TechWorks Director, Mike Birkmire, saw the effort Rand was putting into his studies, Mike also went the extra mile by providing customized training sessions for him, as needed.

Mike Lebo, the Job Developer at BARC, also saw Rand¹s potential, and he, too, put forth a special effort to identify a job placement that would be right for Rand. Lebo had been working with MBNA to develop jobs and saw that their job program for persons with disabilities was a strong model, and would most likely be a successful match for Rand. MBNA makes a strong commitment to hiring persons with disabilities and ensures that the employees are well supported on the job. In-house job coaches are on board and work closely with the new employees to ensure a smooth transition from job training programs to the work place. "MBNA is to be highly commended for the extra effort they make to help these employees succeed," Lebo said.

Rand said the TechWorks training helped him make some important life changes. The training offered him the opportunity to learn how to type, input data in a database, and most importantly taught him what to expect from the interview process. Lebo said "Rand had never been exposed to the interview process before. I was confident that if we could just get him an interview, he would surely be selected for the job. As it turned out, we were right."

Rand happily reports, "I just really like working with the people at the company, and the job I have been assigned." Rand recently celebrated his six-month anniversary at MBNA and received a great evaluation.

Before this job, Rand had been unemployed for some time. A few years back he worked part-time as a bagger at Eddie's Supermarket. He found it difficult to find a job without having transportation and marketable skills. (Persons with disabilities will tell you that transportation is the number one barrier to finding employment.)

Rand's father, Harry, says, "This is Rand's first real opportunity in the work force. We are so very proud of him and the effort he gives his job daily. Everything is working out greatÑeven the public transportation he uses. Each day he puts on his tie and heads for the morning light rail to his office. The LINC training program was very helpful in preparing him for this experience."

The TechWorks model is successful because it provides the opportunity to make customized workplace accommodations for the employee with special needs. It makes a concerted effort to train to the job, and assists the trainee in choosing for himself the best work routine. So far over 50 job placements have been made.

Other examples of successful TechWorks placements include positions at the U.S. District Court in downtown Baltimore, the University of Maryland Hospital and Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson.