WE Include aims to open the door to opportunities and raise awareness of resources that address the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities in order to enable them to live a fulfilling and purpose-filled life through inclusion in opportunities such as employment, education, independent living and financial empowerment.
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The WE Include Employment Initiative is a collaboration between the First Lady of California, the Department of Developmental Services, and the Association of Regional Center Agencies. The WE Include Employment Initiative was formed to provide California businesses with a central point of contact to obtain information on the benefits of hiring persons with developmental disabilities and to connect employers with a ready and reliable workforce. We can connect businesses with loyal, dependable employees. Contact us today at employ@arcanet.org or 916-446-7961.
The term developmental disability refers to a mental or physical impairment that begins before an individual reaches adulthood. These disabilities include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and disabling conditions closely related to mental retardation or requiring similar treatment.
In California, 21 regional centers help individuals with developmental disabilities and their families plan, access and coordinate services. Regional centers are private non-profit organizations that arrange, fund and monitor services provided by service provider organizations.
Click here for a list of Regional Centers and links to their websites.
Regional centers contract with non-profit and for-profit organizations, known as service providers to provide services to support individuals with developmental disabilities.
The amount, type and duration of supports provided will vary based on the needs of the individual. These supports are funded through the regional center and other sources and are provided at no-cost to the employer or the individual. Regional centers identify, fund and monitor service providers that support people on the job. Employment supports may include specialized on-site training to assist the employee with a disability in learning and performing the job and adjusting to the work environment. These supports may also include transportation, assistive technology, specialized job training, individually tailored supervision and follow-along support.
Yes. Employers may be eligible for tax credits for hiring persons with disabilities or to help them cover the cost of accommodations to make the workplace accessible. For more information visit the following links:
www.foremployers.com/index.php?page=osincentives
www.doleta.gov/programs/wotcdata.cfm
The Ticket to Work program allows employers who are registered “employment networks” and hire social security disability benefits recipients that have disabilities can receive up to $20,000 in funds. For more information visit the following links:
For more information or to contact ARCA regarding the We Include Employment Initiative, please complete the following form or contact us at employ@arcanet.org or at 916-446-7961.
The WE Include video highlights the successful employment of Californians with developmental disabilities throughout the state.
With an introduction by California First Lady Maria Shriver and an appearance by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the video features individuals at various industry and public sector jobs such as:
One Success Story | More Success Stories |
Created in partnership with and produced by “Talent Knows No Limits”, the Interwork Institute and San Diego State University. Funded by a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, grant number 11-P-92399-9/03.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor which provides free consulting services to increase the employability of people with disabilities. Services include: Individualized work site accommodation solutions for both persons with disabilities and employers, technical assistance regarding ADA and disability related legislation, and information and assistance for persons with disabilities about self-employment options.
National Network of ADA Centers: The Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) is a national network of 10 regional centers that provide information, referrals, resources, and training on the Americans with Disabilities ACT (ADA) to businesses, employers, government and individuals with disabilities.
ANDERSON, S.C. - For Julia Turner, who was born with Down syndrome, a full-time job might seem out of reach, but not here, at Walgreens’ first-of-its-kind Southeastern distribution center.
“I have found what I want, and I’m satisfied,” Turner said as she scanned boxes at the center, which officially opened June 14. The drugstore chain’s plan is to hire an 800-person workforce that is one-third disabled, but it is ahead of that goal, reporting that 42 percent of the 250 people it has hired so far have a physical or cognitive disability....
In 2008, the California Chamber of Commerce as a key partner in WE Include surveyed 440 businesses on issues concerning hiring persons with developmental disabilities.
