Realizing Dream, Opening Own Business

LYNN HAVEN, Fla. — Ian Barbour always knew he wanted to run his own business, but it wasn't until he started working with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) that his dreams became reality. Ian, who has autism and other developmental disabilities, was determined to make something of himself.

Ian and his VR Counselor, Pamela Cramer, worked together to find a career specifically tailored to his needs. Pam referred Ian to a company that helped him find the perfect business to launch and created a business plan to help him be successful. They decided Ian's best bet was to open his own vending machine company. That's when everything began to come together.

Parents Create Custom Jobs for Their Children with Autism

Lori Ireland and a handful of other parents in Chapel Hill, N.C., had a simple dream: They wanted their teenage children to be able to have jobs someday. Sitting around with nothing productive to do would be unsatisfying and frustrating for their kids, not to mention expensive.But they also knew the dismal truth: It's tough for someone with autism to get a job.So, like an increasing number of parents with children on the autism spectrum, Ireland and her peers set out to employ them themselves. Their non-profit Extraordinary Ventures businesses, including one cleaning city buses and another making candles and other gifts, now employs 40 people with developmental disabilities in the Chapel Hill area.

Variety Provides Opportunites for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Variety has teamed with Pasadena-based Foothill Vocational Opportunities and other partners for an internship program designed to create job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
Coinciding with Autism Awareness Month, six interns recently began a nine-month immersion course that will give them hands-on experience working in Variety's marketing, sales, administrative and editorial departments. Participants will also spend part of each day learning about showbiz in a classroom-like setting.

Prepping Students with Disabilities for Jobs

BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- A five-year pilot program will help Hidalgo County students with developmental disabilities advance their education and find future employment by filling in the gaps they need to succeed in college and the workforce.
Project HIRE, or "Helping Individuals Reach Employment," will assist 50 area high school seniors with developmental disabilities in attending South Texas College and later securing employment. Funded by a $1.25 million grant from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, the new program provides those students with "wrap-around services" such as on-campus counselors that help with college success, intensive summer training programs focused on independent living and life skills, and job placement services through the University of Texas-Pan American’s placement office.

The Search for Employment with Autism

Davin Stevenson

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. -- Devin Stevenson says he knows autism often holds him back.

He sometimes has trouble focusing. He has a tendency to get overly engrossed in one aspect of a task. And, if you were to explain something to Devin, he might need you to repeat it a second time, though he is quick to point out he’s not being purposefully inattentive.
“It‘s not because I‘m ignoring people,” said Stevenson.
“It’s almost like there’s a filter in my mind and only certain things get through."

Finding Challenging Work

From Huffington Post's John Elder Robinson, author of Look Me in the Eye and Be Different.

How does an autistic person establish himself or herself in a satisfying career? That's the challenge we all face, and the degree to which we succeed varies quite widely. A lot depends on our social skills, or lack thereof. In my book Be Different (Broadway), I talk about several concepts whose mastery will help you get and keep almost any kind of job.

Plenty of Lessons to Learn on the Job

MERCED, Calif. -- Maybe it's coincidence.

J.C. Whipp, left, Greg Friedman, middle,
and Steven Zambrano, fill customers'
orders at the Wired Cafe.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/04/02/2292903/plenty-of-lessons-to-learn-on.html#storylink=cpy

No, it's got to be karma.
Decades ago, when he was 14, Rich Kleitman's project to become an Eagle Scout was to teach disabled kids how to swim.

Today, he's giving jobs, skills and confidence to other disabled kids who work at the Wired Cafe in downtown Merced.

Illinois Cuts Endanger Jobs

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. -- In today’s economy, finding employment is harder than ever. Now just think if you have an intellectual disability, autism, blindness, hearing loss, or cerebral palsy. Although people with disabilities want to work, the challenges they face today are greater than ever before.
The budget passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate totally eliminates a program that is extremely vital to about 3,000 people with disabilities employed today because they have access to the long-term assistance of a job coach. This Division of Rehabilitation Services program only costs the State about $1M dollars per year to operate. The funds are used only for the purpose of keeping these individuals with the most significant disabilities employed. Without these services, the unemployment level in Illinois will raise by 3,000 more people.

Gaining Confidence and New Position

CLEONA, Pa. -- Volunteer, artist, worker-there are many words to describe Robert Boltz. The 39-year-old man born with Down syndrome is determined to keep moving forward in these areas.
The North Cornwall man's biggest success story comes from being an employee at Giant Food in Cleona. Seven years ago, Developmental and Disability Services job coach Melissa Vardzik found him an available cart-pushing position. Boltz became bored with the menial task, though Giant believed it was the only job for which he was fit, Vardzik said.
Finally, about a year ago, he was promoted to the produce department.
"He really did work his way up there," Vardzik said. "Robert is a totally different person now that he's in produce. He is so much more confident now, and it really opened him up."

California Agency Faces Financial Crisis

PETALUMA, Calif. -- Jay Brown and Gary Hament rave about the help that Old Adobe Development Services have provided them, so they didn't hesitate to participate in a grassroots effort this year seeking to reduce proposed state budget cuts that would have severely cut services for people with intellectual and development disabilities.
Brown and Hament felt empowered after Gov. Jerry Brown released a revised budget in March reducing these cuts to $174 million, but they remain concerned because the very existence of OADS could be threatened if statewide tax initiatives are not extended.
"I feel that people with disabilities are really being put under pressure: It's falling on all of us," Hament said. "Through our efforts, we found that we can actually make changes happen. I hope that the cuts won't be as severe as originally thought."