Joshua (Josh) Giurlani came to Vocational Rehabilitation in August of 2020. He worked with his Rehab Counselor to become eligible for services and find a suitable employment goal. At the time of his intake, Josh’s stated disabilities were Autism Spectrum Disorder and Diabetes with barriers to employment related to his disabilities including sensory issues and overstimulation and discomfort with both eyes and ears. His largest barriers to employment include issues with his communication, social skills, and interpersonal relationships resulting from his Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition, due to his diabetes, Josh has to frequently inject insulin, often on a schedule that overlaps with work and requiring breaks more frequently than most employers are able to allow.
Josh had heard of the 700hrs program offered for clients through VR and was interested in pursuing permanent employment with the state. Josh’s previous VR counselor provided him with the opportunity to do some initial career exploration, which yielded results that indicated that Josh would be a good fit for work as an administrative assistant. At this point, Josh was referred to the Internal Job Development Team for VR in February of 2021. According to Sandra Mitchell, who, with the Internal Job Development Team, they worked with Josh to complete his state profile, create a professional resume, learn how to promote his skills and perfect his interviewing techniques. In addition, BVR was able to help Josh with his ability to secure employment by helping him to purchase new work/interview clothing appropriate for the positions he was interviewing for.
Josh accepted a 700HR position at NDOT as an Administrative Assistant I in July, 2021. Unfortunately, the position did not work out and he was let go right before Christmas. While Josh felt discouraged, disappointed, and was uncertain he wanted to go back on the 700HR list, Josh’s Internal Job Developer (Sandra) gave him encouragement and explained that this happens and he needs to try it again and not give up. He agreed and he was placed back on the 700 HR list, and within 30 days he got a job offer from DETR/ Vocational Rehabilitation as an Administrative Assistant II.
Since being hired, Josh has often been complimented on being professional, responsive and knowledgeable. According to Josh’s supervisor Javier; “Josh has been able to maintain the job duties of his position with ease and control. Josh has a very strong work ethic and continues to exceed my expectations. Josh always has a smile on his face and is always willing to help anyway he can. Josh is a huge asset to the Rehabilitation Administration team and I have tremendous confidence in him that he will succeed in whatever career choice he makes. Everyone in the office thinks Josh is a breath of fresh air and a team player. I am very fortunate and happy that Josh is with VR.” I personally became involved with Josh’s VR case in April of 2021 as part of my new position with VR. I hadn’t yet gotten the opportunity to get to know him, only knowing that he was a client on my caseload, and I wanted to help him as I would any other client. However, upon working with him and getting to know him, I found him to be a friendly and dedicated client, very willing to work with his team to pursue his vocational goal and I was very excited to see him take a position within our own agency. In his time working with DETR, Josh has shown himself to be a great addition to the DETR team and I look forward to seeing his progress in the months and years to come. Great work Josh!!!
