Darnell – A MYTI Success

For dedicated service of raising and lowering the flag at school each day, Darnell was awarded a flag by Congressman Gene Taylor at the Harrison County Child Development Center awards day ceremony in May 2006. Darnell has proven to be a ‘MYTI’ asset to his employer and a ‘MYTI’ success to family, friends, and most of all to himself. Two other students from CDC have secured employment through the MYTI project due in part to Darnell’s success.

Harrison County Child Development Center (CDC) is a self-contained school program for students with developmental disabilities and those students with significant disabilities. Students at CDC range in age from 6 weeks to 21 years old. Darnell is an 18 year old who has attended CDC since 1992. Darnell tried to attend a regular special education classroom which lasted about six months and by January 1996, he had returned to CDC. His mother felt that the smaller school setting and specialized attention given to students at CDC was better for him as opposed to a larger school setting. Each morning at CDC, Darnell raises the flag and every evening, before he leaves for the day, he lowers the flag. While in class, he browses through the Internet checking out the current sports events and local weather status. While his teachers and family did not see him in competitive employment, Darnell is capable of independent employment by customizing his job to him.
Darnell and his Mother chose to participate in the Mississippi Model Youth Transition Innovation (MYTI) project because they wanted him to have an opportunity to work as other students his age, contributing to the community.

The MYTI project offered interventions of negotiations through the process of customized employment. Darnell has proven to his mother to be capable of independent employment and has become the first student from the Harrison County Child Development Center, through the assistance of MYTI interventions, to become gainfully employed. He returns to school each day to share with his classmates and teachers his new independence, and other students at CDC are beginning to look forward to the experience of employment.

Darnell has been employed with one of the local retail shoe stores since November 2004 and has moved from a starting salary of $6.50 to $7.90 per hour. During the school year, he works three hours a day, four days per week. His earnings are excluded from countable income using the Student Earned Income Exclusion. Not only does the Child Development Center support him by providing transportation to and from the employment site, but they prepare his lunch for the days that he is scheduled to work. In the summer, his Supervisor, Julie, made provisions in his schedule for him to be able to maintain his hours, and this past summer he worked from 9am to 4pm, three days per week. As a Customer Service Associate, Darnell’s duties are to label oversize shoe boxes making them easier for customers to find on the shelves, setting/maintaining the display cases, and general maintenance of the store. His duties have expanded to greeting and assisting customers who enter the store.

During Katrina, Darnell’s family lost their home and is currently living in a FEMA trailer. The family does not have transportation, but Darnell wanted to be able to go to work during the summer. The city transit system is not available in his area to transport him, so his Mother arranged for a taxi to take him back and forth to work. She was reimbursed through Darnell’s Student Budget, MYTI dollars allocated to each participating student in MYTI. Darnell has been able to save some of his earnings to purchase a few personal items that his family could not otherwise afford, such as a video camera to take pictures of his friends at school and work. He is now focused on purchasing a computer that he will use when he is home.
Darnell has been able to establish a relationship with co-workers as well as supervisors and is well respected by customers who come into the store for merchandise. His employment has raised his self-esteem two thousand percent, and Darnell has become more outgoing. He looks forward to going to his job helping, meeting, and greeting people.