Beacons, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit
empowering adults with diverse intellectual abilities!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
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12/9: Club Beacons "Winter Wonderland" (6 - 9 pm) EventBrite Link
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12/15: Explorer Makers' Market & Coffee Cart (11 am - 1 pm)
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1/19: PathFinder Workshops Begin! Sign Up Here
1. FORMS REQUIRED:
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Application Form (lists eligibility criteria)
2. STEPS NEEDED:
a. SDRC paperwork must be submitted
Please request that your "IPP" (Individual Program Plan) and "CDER" (Client Development Evaluation Report) be sent to: Pathfinder@BeaconsNorthCounty.com. Request the addition of the vocational workshop to the applicant's IPP, and that a "POS" (Purchase of Service) request be completed and submitted to fund the workshop.
For individuals in the Self-Determination program, please discuss inclusion of this workshop with your independent facilitator and SDRC service coordinator.
b. Screening/Intake Meeting:
After the applicant's IPP and CDER have been received, our Pathfinder team will contact the applicant and/or her/his conservators to set up an intake meeting to make sure the workshop supports the applicant's IPP goals, the applicant meets the entrance criteria set forth in the application, and the applicant is interested in the employment goal of the workshop.
SDRC vendor number: PY1700, Code: 102, Subcode: Fall (Total hours: 240 - Approx. 16 - 17 weeks)
ABBI SHERIDAN
Abbi joins Beacons from Dream Catchers EDH, an organization similarly devoted to empowerment of individuals with disabilities, where she served as its social media director and as an assistant instructor. While at Dream Catchers, Abbi helped teach cooking, life skills, fitness training, skills for its theater program and other activities as well as plan for monthly activities.
Prior to Dream Catchers EDH, Abbi served a Kitchen Manager and Barista for Makework Market, and as a homeschool teacher for individuals with learning disabilities for several years.
Abbi will support the Beacons instructional team with her talents in photography, social media, cooking, money management and numerous other areas to help our trainees explore and learn skills to bridge gaps to employment and increase their independence. Abbi brings her love of her older brother, who has a developmental disability, to all those she works with. Beacons welcomes Abbi and her husband to Carlsbad and to Beacons, Inc.!
Our workshops are held Monday - Thursday for approximately 3 hours a day. On Fridays we have extended hours for soft skills, individual assistance and group activities to build teamwork skills and workplace socialization skills (approximately 10 am - 2 pm). Additional hours may be available if needed.
Person-Driven Planning: Each workshop session includes a robust person-driven planning unit that explores community options, self-advocacy and post-workshop transition planning. The trainee will then present the plan to the trainee's "circle of trust" to set up supports and identify services begin the trainee's journey after completion of the workshop. SDRC service coordinators are invited to attend to contribute their expertise, learn more about the trainee's goals, and support the transition plan in a manner that is consistent with the IPP.
Ratio: Our workshops have a maximum of 10 trainees with 3 instructors, and must have a minimum of 5 enrolled to proceed. Beacons reserves the right to cancel or combine a workshop in the event there are less than 5 trainees enrolled.
Entrance Criteria: Workshops are designed for those with mild/moderate disabilities aged 18+ who want to further their vocational training to improve employment options, and who can attend and follow directions without maladaptive behaviors or the need for medical support. Please review our application for more details on our entrance criteria. Approximately 50% of those who enroll have their high school diploma, but a diploma is not required.
SDRC Payment: Beacons workshops can be fully funded through the San Diego Regional Center for eligible consumers who have exited their school districts by aging out or earning a diploma and who have employment IPP goals. For eligible SDRC consumers, the SDRC will fund one workshop per session. Trainees with achievement levels of 3 for the majority of the units are not eligible to repeat without pre-approval from the SDRC. Vendor Code #PY1700, Code: 102, Subcode: Fall
Self-Determination & Private Pay: In order for funding to be allocated to an independent budget to be used in a spending plan, SDRC consumers/S-D participants will need a vocational goal in their IPP. If there is not one currently, please contact your service coordinator to express your interest in getting trained to get a job and discuss with the service coordinator that you will need funding to get the training at Beacons. Please contact the Director of Pathfinder if additional assistance is needed.
*Our PathFinder workshops were made possible in part through funding from the National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR), grant funding from the Qualcomm Foundation and vendorization by the San Diego Regional Center. Beacons thanks these organizations for their vision and support.
FALL WORKSHOPS
Have questions? PathFinder@BeaconsNorthCounty.com
Creative Design (Level 1)
Monday - Thursday 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Friday team building)
Trainees interested in creative design will learn how to use graphic design programs and tools to make digital art, marketing materials, books, puzzles, websites, social media graphics and more as they work with others to develop their technical and soft skills. This project-based workshop will help trainees learn skills to work with real clients to possibly develop post-workshop employment opportunities.
Trainees will also:
• develop person-centered plans to help shape their futures,
• work with templates to help them work with clients post-workshop, and
• create websites for employment profiles to showcase earned digital badges and skill-specific certificates, and portfolios.
Pre & post assessments and progress monitoring for each unit are all included.
Post-Workshop Goal Pathway(s):
Post-workshop pathways will be driven by each participant's person-centered plan and may include further education, paid internships, job coaching, competitive integrated employment, and/or employment related volunteer opportunities. Ideally, the trainee will develop sufficient skills to make the trainee eligible for employment with the workshop client post-workshop.
Customer Service Skills (Level 1)
Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Friday team building)
Customer Service 1:
Trainees interested in community employment will learn:
• workplace and soft skills such as cashier skills, soft skills and other tasks used in settings that require a high level of customer interaction (such as retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants, hospitality, animal care and more!);
• develop person-centered plans to help shape their futures,
• create interview & workplace accommodation plans,
• train for (and take) the San Diego County food handling test, and
• create websites for employment profiles to showcase earned digital badges and skill-specific certificates.
(Note: 100% of our trainees from fall 2021 session who wanted a job transitioned to competitive integrated employment within one month of completing the workshop).
Job searches and completion of applications, interview practice, direct engagement with local employers, unit pre & post assessments and progress monitoring are all included.
Post-Workshop Goal Pathway(s):
Post-workshop pathways will be driven by each participant's person-centered plan and may include further education, paid internships, job coaching, competitive integrated employment and/or employment related volunteer opportunities.
Entrepreneurial Skills
for Creative Microbusinesses Level 1
Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Friday team building)
Recommended for: Trainees interested in learning about the skills and documentation needed to start their own business (or grow their existing business). Instruction includes assistive technology, creation of accommodations, and introduction to other tools to increase independence and sustainability of a business. This workshop focuses on group businesses and teamwork.
Workshop Highlights: Trainees will explore:
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community sales skills such as cashier and customer interaction skills;
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photography and graphic design to help with branding and marketing, logo creation, and packaging,
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basic office skills for record-keeping and order /inventory management;
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creation of "forever" tools to support sales, order management, and inventory tracking;
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SSI planning and reporting;
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person-centered planning to devise a post-workshop transition plan or to help with Self-Determination planning if needed;
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website design and support to help link to payment processor/merchant card carrier;
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what documents they will need to start a business (e.g. business license and/or sales permit),*
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and more!
Each unit includes pre- and post-unit assessments to measure progress, with extra hours for instructional support if needed to reach proficient levels in a targeted area, such as the creation of a marketing email tool, meeting with retailers to discuss possible product placement (where applicable), selling in community markets, and/or the making of items to help with product displays or marketing.
*Note: Trainees will learn about the filings needed to secure a business license or sales permit in this workshop. Meetings will be held with each trainee's Circles of Trust to discuss SSI, taxes and other considerations to make sure the trainee's team is aware of tax, SSI and other implications before proceeding with business filings.
Entrepreneurial Skills
for Creative Microbusinesses Level 2
Monday - Thursday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Friday team building)
Recommended for: Trainees with a current business plan who are looking to expand their business knowledge and develop an individual business for purposes of self-employment.
Workshop Highlights: Trainees will explore:
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community markets to sell individualized products;
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creation of business cards and promotional materials;
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SSI planning and reporting;
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creation of "forever" tools to support sales, order management, and inventory tracking;
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person-centered planning to devise a post-workshop transition plan or to help with Self-Determination planning if needed;
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website design and support to help link to payment processor/merchant card carrier;
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what documents they will need to start a business (e.g. business license and/or sales permit);
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and much more!
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Questions? Email:
Pathfinder
Tyler has spent the last decade using his personal and career experiences to support and empower individuals with various disabilities. Tyler served as an assistant coach for the Independent division of the San Diego Miracle League and volunteer for Shooting Stars basketball, founded Project Puzzle (an Autism awareness club) and was awarded the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education "Excellence in Supporting Students with Disabilities."
While pursuing his Psychology degree at San Diego State University, Tyler was an advocate for students with varying disabilities and planned school wide inclusive events as the Program Coordinator for Student Disability Services. While at SDSU, he also founded the Delta Alpha Phi international honor society.
After graduating from SDSU, Tyler relocated to Hawaii to continue his work with neurodiverse individuals in the school setting. After working in the district setting for 2 years, Tyler returned to San Diego to follow his passion and to work as an instructor with Beacons, Inc.
Tyler has been a valued member of the Beacons Pathfinder team since summer of 2020 when he started as an associate instructor for the Beacons summer vocational exploration workshops. He now serves as the Director of PathFinder and as an instructor for our vocational training workshops with a proven record of successfully working with the individuals who Beacon serves. Tyler has developed strong community ties and in Fall 2021, was able to help 100% of our trainees who wanted employment find employment
Tyler's experience, high energy, positive attitude and patience helps optimize each individual's growth during the Beacons vocational workshops. He was recently recognized by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce as one of the "40 under 40" emerging leaders in North County.
ROBBIE DAY
Assistant Director
Robbie grew up in North County and graduated from UC San Diego with a Bachelor's Degree in World Literature and a Masters Degree in Education. He has 5 years of high school teaching experience and returns to San Diego after spending the last year teaching mathematics in the Mojave Desert.
Robbie has spent the last two years teaching for COSMOS, a summer robotics program at UC San Diego, developing self-driving vehicles with high school students interested in careers in science and technology. He has an interest in accessible technology and is active in communities online dedicated to improving “hands free” technology for operating computers by voice.
Robbie serves as the Assistant Director for the PathFinder division and as a lead vocational instructor for Creative Design 1 and Customer Service 1 workshops. He is committed to establishing lasting contacts in the community to find vocational opportunities for his trainees and to supporting them in any way he can.
Abbi joined Beacons from Dream Catchers EDH, an organization similarly devoted to empowerment of individuals with disabilities, where she served as its social media director and as an assistant instructor. While at Dream Catchers, Abbi helped teach cooking, life skills, fitness training, skills for its theater program and other activities as well as plan for monthly activities.
Prior to Dream Catchers EDH, Abbi served a Kitchen Manager and Barista for Makework Market, and as a homeschool teacher for individuals with learning disabilities for several years.
Abbi supports the Beacons instructional team with her talents in photography, social media, cooking, money management and numerous other areas to help our trainees explore and learn skills to bridge gaps to employment and increase their independence. Abbi brings her love of her older brother, who has a developmental disability, to all those she works with in everything she does.
ABBI BRINGOLF
Lead Instructor
Chassidy supports Beacons as an Associate Instructor in the Pathfinder Division. Prior to Beacons, she worked as a Companion Caregiver with an at home care agency for several years. There she worked with senior clients afflicted with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in Education and Human Development from Northwestern State University. She enjoys spending time with her two adult children and husband of 20 years. In her free time she enjoys hiking, riding bikes and going to the beach.
Associate Instructor
Janet is a dedicated professional with a profound commitment to empowering adults with developmental disabilities. With a strong foundation cultivated over 16 years in customer-facing roles within the food and service industry, as well as memory care retirement homes, Janet possesses a unique ability to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Her genuine passion for making a difference led her to four impactful years at another local service provider, where she played a pivotal role as a Resource Counselor, nurturing essential life skills and fostering independence among her participants.
Janet's expertise is complemented by her ACRE certification in Community Employment Services, a testament to her dedication to tailored job placements. At Beacons, she will embrace her role as an associate instructor, skillfully guiding individuals to overcome challenges and supporting them on their path to purposeful and rewarding careers. Janet's empathy-driven communication and unwavering commitment to inclusivity exemplify her mission to create a positive, lasting influence on lives, making her an indispensable asset to the team.
JANET BANDERAS
Associate Instructor
(Bilingual • Spanish)
TRACY D'AMBROSI
Associate Instructor
Tracy plays a vital role in supporting the personal and professional growth of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her involvement at Beacons is fueled by a belief in the transformative power of job training and social opportunities to enhance lives, a commitment mirrored in her own experiences as a parent.
Transitioning from early childhood education to vocational training, Tracy has found her stride in engaging with a demographic that thrives under her guidance. She is known for her empathetic approach, listening keenly to the trainees and offering advice that resonates with their unique paths.
In her role, Tracy faces and overcomes challenges with a positive spirit, drawing inspiration from the resilience and achievements of those she mentors. Her personal joy comes from witnessing the direct impact of her work, whether it's through a trainee's smile or a problem solved. Beyond her professional life, Tracy’s heart lies in the simple pleasures of nature and self-sufficiency, with hobbies that range from gardening to biking, and aspirations that reflect her down-to-earth ethos.