Hi Folks,
Even with early morning snow on Friday, January 6th, the team from the Division of Developmental Disabilities and 19 of our community providers who work in our Person-Centered Supported Employment Program came out to the Arnold Conference Center to meet with those who are interested in employment services.
We were thrilled to see school buses with folks from the Foster/Glocester school district, the Center For Individualized Training And Education (CITE) School, Toll Gate High School, the Providence Transition Academy, the Providence School District Administration and the Birch Academy. Also, more than 40 transitioning youth attended the Fair.
Self-directed individuals, family members and professionals filled the auditorium to speak with providers about their services in helping individuals to find employment. They also learned about the provider’s success rates in helping individuals keep their jobs.
We were pleased with the excitement of both the providers and those who attended. There was so much positive feedback that we are hoping to host more resource fairs. We will keep you posted!
Some thoughts from a family who attended the Fair:
"My wife and I have been very involved in our son Bill’s directed and now self-directed services for the past 15 years of his adult life. Our level of involvement resulted in us feeling confident that we knew the provider and support systems well.
To our surprise, our attendance at the January 6, 2017 Supported Employment Provider Fair was an eye opener. The Fair introduced us to many new services and approaches that we were not aware of. We met people at the fair who have already started working on initiatives that we are sure will have a very positive impact on Bill’s life and in Bill’s ability to secure additional employment. Please extend our sincere thanks to all who made the Supported Employment Provider Fair possible.”
If you have any questions about the Fair or about BHDDH’s Supported Employment Program, please contact me by email at
Tracey.cunningham@bhddh.ri.gov
or by phone at 462-3857.
Thanks!
Tracey
Tracey Cunningham
Chief Employment Specialist
