Non-Profit Essay

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

The way information is processed can be described as hypersensitive or hyposensitive. The sensory system can be viewed as having seven components:

1.1 - Explain why it is important to recognise that each person on the autistic spectrum has their own individual abilities needs strengths gifts and interests.

This paper provides information on the Quinn model which is also known as the competing values framework. It provides background information about the framework, and how through collaborative usage of it leads to successful management outcomes. Analysis of the effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated through examples from a case called the Nuclear Tube Assembly Room. This paper will also provide insight to the effects and the importance of using the framework to optimize organizational effectiveness and managerial leadership.

Nonprofit organizations are mission driven, with that said money is also an important aspect with regards to the furthering of the mission. According to Bell and Schaffer (2005), when organizations rely heavily on the mission and forget the financial aspect it can create a financial crisis, with the possibility of underinvestment which puts the organization at risk for the future, as well as not being able to account for financial performance with respect to program activities. The most effective way to ensure the wellbeing of the organization is to find a balance between mission and money. The person responsible for the overall performance of the organization which includes finances is the executive director, also known as the financial leader.

The author is affiliated with Mississippi Department Rehabilitation Services (MDRS). MDRS is the largest state agency committed solely to helping students/people with disabilities achieve their independence through employment. MDRS provides services designed to improve economic opportunities for consumers with physical and mental disabilities. The programs under the umbrella of MDRS includes the following: (a) Vocational Rehabilitation, (b) Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind, (c) Supported Employment, (d) Transition Services, (e) AbilityWorks Inc., and (f) Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services. These centers provide vocational assessment, job training, and work experience for consumers with disabilities.

The next two stories follow a man in Alberta and his job search. The first story is called Lethbridge man living with disability: “I want to work with customers” (Komadina, 2016a) while the next story was a follow-up response titled Alberta man with Down Syndrome scores 2 jobs after handing out 32 resumes (Komadina, 2016b). The former article paints a picture Dutch looking for his summer job. His mother advocates on his behalf by supporting his eagerness to learn new skills. However, she also mentions that she had hoped that the process of Dutch becoming more independent and moving out would have been faster. The article does a good job at addressing and acknowledging that employers are hesitant about hiring people who are differently-abled because they are afraid of how it might affect their company or store. There is also a great emphasis placed on educating the general public to make sure that they are aware of the benefits that people with disabilities bring to their job. The latter article was written as a response to the original. Of the 32 resumes that Dutch handed out, he only received two job offers. This response focuses on Dutch’s own sense-of-belonging and his mother’s belief in him. He is happy and proud about his two new positions.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is one of the most significant laws in American History. Before the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) was passed employers were able to deny employment to a disabled worker, simply because he or she was disabled. With no other reason other than the person’s physical disability were they turned away or released from a job (Acemoglu & Angrist, 2001). The ADA prevents discrimination by establishing rules and regulations designed to protect persons with physical disabilities. When this act was signed in 1990 it changed the range of opportunities available for those disabled. The social implications surrounding individuals in the workforce with disabilities can be assessed on many levels.

This is a quantitative research article that depicts a job skills training program for individuals who suffer with cognitive impairments. This job skills training program is referred to as COMPETE. The purpose of the COMPETE program is to address the United States Department of Education’s goal to “develop, operate and disseminate specially designed model programs of post secondary, vocational, technical, continuing or adult education for individuals with handicapping conditions” (Federal Register, 1988, p. 218).

In 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was a "national movement to end discrimination against people with disabilities" (Hardman, Drew, Egan 10). ADA has substantially closed the gaps between those with and without disabilities, however, it has not been enough. Individuals with disabilities deserve the same opportunities, rights, and respect as others. A key area that the community should pay more attention to is the employment rates of the disabled compared to the non-disabled. For example, "only 21 percent indicated that they are employed, compared to 59 percent of people without disabilities" (Hardman, Drew, Egan 13). This is sad because there are discrimination laws that protect the disabled, but obviously they are not being

It concludes with ‘Invest in Disabilities’ in terms of ‘Grow Your Own’. It further highlights the consequences of the historic medical model of disability, whereby many persons with disabilities leave the education system poorly equipped to join the workplace. The core aim of the article is to encourage organisations to identify learners leaving the schooling system, bridge the skills gap, leveraging the learned skills through employment and the benefit on an organisations Skills Development

The organization who will be discussed in this paper is currently evolving from a grassroots phase to a growth phase. As this nonprofit prepares to embark on another strategic planning phase, the CEO and chair are aware that the role of the board is moving through its own phases of growth as well. The organization is no longer in its early stages of development, as such, leadership has self-reflected and is committed to amending the organization’s vision to take it to the next level. The CEO and chair are focused on providing the board the tools needed for appropriate management and effective governance as it moves through this stage in its lifecycle to the next. The leadership of this nonprofit is committed to maintaining a strong and constructive partnership which will assist in keeping everyone focused on the mission, foster the further definition of board members roles and responsibilities, introduce a performance evaluation of the board, honor legacy/founding members by instituting a legacy board, and provide additional resources and documents which strengthen the communication of the board’s fiduciary role.

The turtle wins the race; no really. Life has a sarcastic way of turning out the opposite of ones intentions, and I am none the wiser. after being released from the Navy in 2004 I started my education. Between life events, marriage, divorce, special needs children I conferred my degree in 2014. As of this semester I will have my bachelors in marketing. I hear my mothers voice as I type and she is annoying asking me if I am actually going to utilize my marketing degree. Well yes and no. With my bachelors degree I can take the board certification exam for assistant behavior anaylsist and fullfill my passion of helping autistic children live more independent life's.

A non-profit organization cannot be effectively managed if it is not effectively planned. One of the challenges facing non-profit organizations has been long range, strategic planning. Long range, strategic planning in the non-profit sector is essential to the success of an organization. Long range, strategic planning encompasses broad policy and direction setting, internal and external assessments, attention to key stakeholders, the identification of key issues, development of strategies to deal with each issue, decision making, action and the continuous monitoring of results. (Herman, The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, 154) While it is important to deal with the short term planning and activities of non-profits, managers or directors must consider the future of their organizations. Successful planning should be comprehensive, integrating all areas of responsibility of an organization.

A literature review illustrates how vital job placement services have been found to be in the job employment assistance endeavors. The review of previous studies reveals the “receipt of placement services” to be the “strongest predictor of employment outcomes” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). A 2006 study characterized job placement as “the driving force behind the vocational rehabilitation program” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). According to the researchers, the public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services have attained the status of “the most important vocational programs for persons with disabilities” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). The authors cite the number of “new applicants [registered] nationally” as 564,908, in the 2011 Fiscal Year alone, as proof of the organization’s heavy caseload of new clients (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). These numbers indicate that rehabilitation services have been in high demand. Considering the importance of the vocational programs in assisting the disabled clients who are in need of employment, the authors determined that it was appropriate to examine the different ways these services can be rendered.