Mock CVS Store Helps Adults With Developmental Disabilities Train for Jobs
The Riverside Unified School District’s Adult School campus teamed up with CVS to launch a mock store in Riverside, California, to help train adults with developmental disabilities for jobs. Since its Jan. 28 launch, the program has been off to a great start.
The store was created through California’s WorkAbility grant program, and it’s the first of its kind on the west coast. Other mock stores exist in Boston and Washington D.C.
Through the WorkAbility grant, students in the program can later work in any CVS store in California. The mock store serves as a place to teach retail skills to the 52 students, age 19-22, enrolled in the Riverside district’s Project T.E.A.M., or Transitional Education Adjustment Model, according to The Press Enterprise.
Riverside USD posted a video on its Facebook page yesterday to update the community, offering a peek at the inner workings of the store. Students learn basics like stocking shelves, pricing products, operating a cash register and bagging items, and they are evaluated periodically on their tasks.
CVS Mock Store Grand Opening at RUSDOur goal is to prepare! Some of our awesome students with special needs got some great real-world work experience thanks to our friends at CVS. The Press-Enterprise also did a great story on this at http://www.pe.com/articles/students-795574-store-cvs.html. Be sure to watch our video below. Posted by Riverside Unified School District on Tuesday, March 1, 2016
The mock store was launched after Rebecca Martinez, CVS Health’s enterprise disability consultant, built up a relationship with Connie Wahlin, Project T.E.A.M.’s program specialist.
“They have an extraordinary commitment,” Martinez told The Press Enterprise. “I knew they were the ideal team to put this project together.”
h/t Disability Scoop