Partners For Success:
Student Chanda Garcia Chanda Garcia was looking for a “different path” to
redirect her away from the one she was on, where feelings of perpetual
self-doubt kept her from making healthy choices for herself. Leslie’s [she
prefers not to use her last name] hard-held dream of a career in dance never
materialized, despite the years of study and discipline that brought her to New
York City, where rejection left her with stress, anxiety, and the search for a
new start. Both women, although in pursuit of individual objectives, eventually
found some common ground while enrolled in an unconventional, two-week
vocational training program, where they, along with other participants, shared
their personal stories in exchange for greater self-awareness, one of the
program’s key components for job readiness and success. Partners for Success (PFS), a vocational rehabilitation program of
Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC), a White Plains-based disability
advocacy and referral organization, is not a typical job search or resume
writing program. “It is a journey into self-discovery, an affirmation of where you were,
where you want to be, and how you are going to get there,” said Program
Coordinator Victor Clark. The program was designed by WILC for individuals with
physical and psychiatric disabilities and its curriculum is grounded in three
fundamental tenets: personal awareness, personal responsibility, and personal
empowerment. It is this last point, however, that Clark said best defines what
“connects” his students to the program. “I tell them, ‘you are responsible for how you feel,’ and I stress that they
practice being proactive and assertive in order to make informed decisions
about what they need and want from a job or career,” he said. Program Coordinator Victor Clark Clark has conducted nine classes with an outcome of 52 graduates since the
program’s inception, 19 of whom have found “quality” employment. Clark noted
that the program attracts participants from diverse backgrounds: individuals
who are recovering from substance abuse, those with psychiatric issues who are
looking for a new way to re-enter the job market, and others who are
transitioning from the criminal justice system. “They come here with deep issues,” he said of most of his PFS students.
“Many have been burdened with years of people telling them ‘no,’” he pointed
out, noting that all too often judgments and assumptions are made on the part
of potential employers (and vocational counselors) about the capabilities of
someone with a physical or psychiatric disability. “Play up that spark that others can’t see,” Clark told his students during
one recent class session. “Do not allow someone to make a conclusion about
you,” he advises. Suggesting that employers might be hesitant to hire someone
with a perceived “gap” or what they might see as a physical “deformity,” Clark
challenges his students to rebuke the “labels” others may place on them. “Tell
them before they ask or think something about you; talk about your ‘gaps’ in a
positive light. Your story sounds very different when you are in control and
telling it.” PFS is a two-part program: Part A consists of a 24-hour mandatory classroom
training, while Part B continues as a 16-hour follow-up for those participants
who would benefit from one-on-one peer mentoring and support. The 24-hour
segment takes place within six consecutive days and classes range in size from
seven to 15 students. The curriculum for Part A offers training in
self-awareness, empowerment, social skills, and wellness and identifying and
setting realistic goals. Part B offers further instruction and support through
learning groups and/or one-to-one advisement by program staff members via
telephone calls or office visits. Students become very comfortable very
quickly, said Clark. “They establish connections to the program and with each other in such a
short time period,” he said. Garcia attributes this connection to the group dynamic aspect of the
program, where participants share their struggles and feelings in an open and
non-judgmental atmosphere, and she maintains that this process allowed her the
confidence to apply for the job she currently holds. “But, what really allowed me to open up was hearing Victor share his
personal story as well,” she said. “Whether or not I disclose my personal story and to what extent, depends on
the audience,” Clark said. “It’s about changing attitudes. When I hear students
saying that they ‘can’t’ or when they express anger that has an external blame,
that’s when I tell them my history,” he said. His history, as he describes it, “couldn’t be any worse”: he served 16
months of combat duty in Vietnam and was arrested less than a year later for a
felony he says he didn’t commit, serving 20 years in prison. During his
imprisonment, he completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s
degree in special education. “I tell my students that they need to believe in themselves; there are
enough people in life who don’t believe in them,” Clark said. “The program is helping me to learn to accept other goals for myself and to
not feel shame because my expectations to become a dancer didn’t work out,”
said Leslie. 
Photo credit: Lisa Tarricone
Photo credit: Lisa Tarricone
For more information about the Partners for Success Program or to obtain a
brochure and application form, call Victor Clark at 686-3837.