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Employment for All!

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Customized employment training for family members and providers.

Everyone can Enjoy the Benefits of Employment!

Self-advocate, Patrick Lewis, sits with jars of baking ingredeients for his small business.The Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council is pleased to offer this free course about customized employment (CE) and entrepreneurship for people with developmental disabilities.  On-line classes will take place from July to September, ending with an in-person workshop on Saturday, September 24, 2022.

All people, given the right support, can build meaningful and financially rewarding careers. The question is not if work is possible (it is!) but rather what work is the best fit for that person.

Customized employment is a strategy designed to identify and support someone – including someone with higher support needs – in a work opportunity that matches the individual’s  strengths and interest to the employer’s need.  A customized employment opportunity may not follow a traditional job description.  It may even involve creating one’s own business.  In fact, individuals with disabilities and their families are increasingly turning to entrepreneurship as a career strategy.

 

Nationally Recognized TrainerSenior Consultant Corey Smith from GHA

Vermont is a leader in competitive, integrated employment for people with developmental disabilities; but there is always more to learn.  The DD Council Program Committee vetted many proposals before selecting Griffin-Hammis, Associates, (GHA) an award-winning, internationally recognized pioneer in the field of customized employment services. for people with disabilities.  

Senior Consultant Corey Smith from GHA will be the lead trainer for this course.  Corey’s work has included the development of Customized Employment services in both metropolitan and rural communities, as well as working with funders and Universities on best practices strategies. Corey brings many years of experience in direct services, administration, organizational transformation, and development, for organizations providing employment services.

 

 

An illustration of a box with tools in it.

Build Your Toolkit

Are you looking to expand your skills in supported employment?  Do you want to advocate for employment services that will enhance the life of your son or daughter?
This course is for you.

This fun, interactive training will take place on alternate weeks from mid-July to September 24, 2022.  Broken into two-hour sessions, the course will cover the curriculum below.  Although attendance is highly recommended, sessions are taped for those who need to miss a class.  A more detailed course description is attached.

 

Unit 1: Introduction to Customized Employment (4 Hours Virtually)

  • Thursday July 14, 2022, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
  • Saturday July 16, 2022, 10 am to 12 noon
     

Unit 2: The Discovery Process/Discovering Personal Genius (4 Hours Virtually)

  • Thursday July 28, 2022
  • Saturday July 30, 2022
     

Unit 3: Customized Job Development (CJD) Strategies (4 Hours Virtually)

  • Thursday August 11, 2022
  • Saturday August 13, 2022
     

Unit 4: Systematic Instruction & Natural Supports (2 Hours Virtually)

  • Thursday August 25, 2022

Unit 5: Social Security Work Incentives (4 Hours Virtually or Onsite)An illustration of a hammer with nails.

  • Thursday Sept. 8, 2022
  • Saturday Sept. 10, 2022
     

Unit 6 Entrepreneurship/Self-Employment (6 hours on site)

  • Saturday, September 24, 2022
    Location to be announced



Registration is Closed.

Registration was free to anyone and everyone who wanted to join. We just needed their email address, first and last name, and to know if they identified as a self-advocate, family member, or professional. Contact information is not shared with any third-parties and is only to be used by VTDDC.

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An illustration of a person reaching for the top of a ladder and star. Beside it reads "Employment For All!"

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