Job Announcement

My name is Laura-Sun Cefaratti, I go by “Sunny,” and I am totally blind and on the autism spectrum. I am a musician. I play the piano and sing, and I have a very unique gift called perfect pitch. I am a disability rights advocate and co-Founder of The Musical Autist.

I have the opportunity to work out in the community, thanks to a program called Self Directed Services, which is through my Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) funding. This means I can hire a Job Coach to be my support person, for 30-40 hours a week. The pay rate is $18.34 an hour, plus mileage reimbursement. The work week is flexible, based on what type of events are happening for The Musical Autist or other social opportunities or music performances I have lined up. I may need you to work on the weekends occasionally depending on The Musical Autist events.

Also, if you can only work a smaller number of hours per week, I’m still willing to consider you for the position since I can have several part time employees. My current part time employee is in college and can only work 5-12 hours per week during the semester. This means I can offer up to 25-30 hours a week or as little as 10-15 hours a week, depending on what works best for all three of us.

I am a new college student looking to get a certificate in entrepreneurship. I will need support doing classwork. Because of COVID-19, my schedule has been modified and I am unable to do things that I would typically do on a normal work day. Below is a description of what the job entailed before COVID-19, and this is what you can expect from this position when things return to “normal.”

The job duties include, but are not limited to:

Transportation to places in the community, such as Maryland Hall (this is where many of our Musical Autist programs take place), the library, the mall or public parks, the community college, and local assisted living facilities where I often have performances.
I may need you to read aloud to me for my class assignments
Attending occasional committee meetings for The Musical Autist, as well as Board meetings which occur the first Tuesday night of every other month
Helping me choose audio books that will enable me to become a better leader in a nonprofit organization, also books that might help me to find a job or increase my quality of life.
Helping me stay active by going for long walks and doing exercise workouts including, weight lifting, stretching, etc.
Helping me with daily living skills at home. These skills include cooking for myself, folding laundry, and general house cleaning.
Helping me keep track of progress in my Self Directed Services goals, by keeping daily and weekly records of my progress

This position might be perfect for you if:

You are an extremely punctual person, and will do everything within your power to start work with me on time. This is very important to me.
You have experience or knowledge on what it takes to be a Blind Guide, or you are willing to let me teach you (it’s not too hard.)
You are a musician and enjoy making music with other people. (Not necessary, but a bonus.)
You do not mind driving your own vehicle.
You are dependable, responsible and a team player.
You have made yourself familiar with the mission and vision of The Musical Autist.
You have a strong understanding of, or desire to understand, disability rights issues as it relates to autism and you presume competence in people on the autism spectrum.

**Female employees are preferred because I may need assistance navigating throughout the women’s locker room and bathroom**

I would be your employer (I even have my own EIN number) but your paychecks will come through Arc of Central Chesapeake. Your direct supervisors would be myself and CJ Shiloh, who is not only my co-Director of The Musical Autist, but also who I have appointed to be my Support Broker for Self-Directed Services.

Qualifications: Reliable transportation and a working cell phone are required. CPR and First Aid training are mandatory and must be current.