Reid was one of the first people hired through the Work Independence Network (WIN)* pilot project. Reid has great social skills but limited communication skills. Prior to becoming involved with the pilot project in 2004, he was deemed "unemployable" by administrators in the school and vocational rehabilitation systems. Thanks to his own initiative and to some creative thinking by his job developer and job coach, Reid now works approximately 16 hours per week at the Rehabilitation Clinic at Harrison Hospital, where he cleans equipment, maintains the pool, play, and therapy areas, and stocks linens.
Ashley is a woman who likes helping other people with disabilities.Ashley works part-time as a researcher at the Institute for Community Inclusion. What is Ashley’s story:
Ashley heard about an available research job on a project team studying how people with disabilities make choices about work.
Ashley applied and got the position. She worked with a mentor to learn all about the job.
When she had finished work on the project, she had learned to do many different research tasks.
Ashley was offered more project work and continues to work there part-time.
Eric lives in Seattle, Washington and has always been interested in the difference people make if they vote and advocate for the issues they care about. He has worked since 2010 as an advocacy and outreach specialist for the Arc of King County. The Arc is a non-profit organization that supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families to live, work, and play in their communities. Eric's leadership skills and the support he receives on the job help him to handle a busy schedule and many responsibilities.
Allison has worked at Crate & Barrel, a retail store selling furniture and houseware, for over six years. Allison’s employment support staff has used a variety of strategies to foster a good relationship with Allison and her employer over the years. The match between Allison and Crate & Barrel was effective due to positive communication and combined supports from both co-workers and her supported employment staff.
Carrie works in the kitchen of a small private school. This is her first job in the community. She enjoys reciprocal, caring relationships with several of her coworkers. The natural support of her colleagues has enabled her to be successful at her job and form friendships that extend beyond the workday.
Melissa lives in Montana, and loves dogs. She owns and operates Lissie's Luv Yums, a gourmet dog-biscuit business. Melissa also educates others about employment for people with disabilities and about living with and preventing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Emilea lives in a small town in Iowa. She loves spending time with her family and her pets, CeCe and Harley. She also owns and operates her own coffee shop, Em's Coffee Company. With the support of her family, Emilea planned for a career and then used local contacts and several funding streams to start her own business.
John's planning process was a combined effort of focused planning, aggressive job development, strong family advocacy, good use of personal networks, and professional collaboration; this allowed John to reach his goal of getting a job in the community. He currently works at Jo-Ann Fabrics three days per week, stocking and organizing bolts of fabric and filling bins of yarn.
Brian is a man in his 20s who loves working with animals. He was able to purchase valuable equipment with the help of his job developer and use it to negotiate with a business where he was eventually hired. Brian now works 30 hours per week as a pet groomer.
Joe describes himself as smart and friendly. He works as an administrative assistant at Hardy, Wolf and Downing, a law firm in Lewiston, Maine. He found this position with the help of Aaron, his job developer. Aaron helped Joe look for jobs that might be interesting to him, and thought about ways that Joe could help an employer. Then Aaron set up a chance for Joe to work for a specific business so they could see if the job was a good match.