Teri, who has been working at a local restaurant, called her Duman Employment Specialist (ES) to ask for help. She wanted to get more hours at her job, so the ES observed Teri at work to help her make improvements.

Right away, the ES noticed how much progress Teri made over the last year. She prints the in-store order ticket, listens as an Orcam device reads it aloud, fills the customer’s bag and brings it to the customer at the service counter. Teri’s ES noted that her customer service is excellent – she clearly calls out the customer’s name, politely asks if they need anything else and, when thanked, replies “My pleasure!”

However, the ES noticed some room for improvement. The only way to know that an order is in the queue is by seeing it on the monitor, so another employee tells Teri when an order is pending. Then Teri pushes a button on the monitor and the receipt prints out.

The ES suggested Teri press the button without being told. She could do that whenever she hears a customer place an order at the counter, or she could press it every 30 seconds or so. Teri agreed to give it a try. Later that day, Teri called her ES to excitedly tell him it had been a success and now she can fill the orders completely on her own.

The ES explained to Teri that she should continue to take small steps to achieve greater independence in the workspace, which eventually could lead to more hours.

Teri’s manager asked the ES if he had more ideas on how to help her succeed. The ES suggested that any small steps that lead to greater independence in the workspace would be welcome.

However, one big step that would be easy and inexpensive would be to put braille labels on the sauce bins, cabinets and fountain drinks. Then Teri could familiarize herself with where everything is and gradually progress toward taking on more responsibilities, like filling drinks and restocking supplies. Teri and her manager agreed, and they are waiting for the labels to arrive so they can be attached in the store.