The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has received a federal grant to provide more support to young people with disabilities looking for work.
(ABC 6 News) – With Minnesota’s unemployment rate nearing record lows and job openings on the rise, some employers are looking at new ways to find workers to fill openings.
One group of people may play a key role in solving the problem.
People with disabilities, whether visible or not, often struggle to find and keep work.
But for many people, all they need is a little help.
Jane Fleming always struggled with where to work.
“When I was looking for work myself, I filled out all the applications and stuff,” she says, “but I just wasn’t willing to go in and submit applications and stuff like that.”
Her disabilities were a combination of factors hidden just beneath the surface that made success uncertain.
“At first, yes. My mom and my manager didn’t think I’d be able to be independent, have a job and do all this.”
Then she found Opportunity Services, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people with disabilities find and keep jobs.
“What the state has seen, and what studies have shown, is it can be a revolving door,” said Laurie Ackerman, director of the Department of Supported Employment. “You get a job, you have a bad day, you lose your job.”
They helped her find a job much faster than she would have been able to find on her own.
“My mom was proud of me and I’m proud of myself,” Fleming said, “but I could have gone further and done more.”
Programs like Opportunity Services rely heavily on government funding.
Recently, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) received a federal grant to provide additional support to young people with disabilities seeking employment.
“That’s really the ultimate goal here: to help these people find a career,” said Corey Schmidt, program manager for DEED’s Office of Youth Development, “and build a self-sustaining career in the field that means the most to them.”
While southeastern Minnesota will not be a recipient of this particular grant, the lessons learned from the program will be universal.
“They’re offering the exact same kind of menu of services that the WDAs that are participating in this project are offering, so best practices that we learn from this project, for example, will be shared with other WDAs across the state.”
That kind of money goes a long way in giving people opportunities.
People like Jane.
“I’m not going to lie and say there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “There’s quite a bit we can do.”
For more information on DEED grants, click here.
For disability support resources in the Rochester area, click here.
Related Articles: Disability Services Rochester Minnesota
Source link