Promising Directions - North Carolina

Working Together to Create Employment Opportunities in North Carolina

The Henderson Self Advocates in Henderson, North Carolina, identified the need for increased employment opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities in their community. In order to address this need, they developed a three-part project that focused on the employment status of members of their group. The members of the Henderson Self Advocates are persons with dual diagnoses of cognitive and emotional disabilities. The group places an emphasis on personal advocacy and empowerment.

The project created by the group addressed two needs:

1. their members’ need for information about the rights and protections provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and
2. the need to increase employers’ awareness of their members as potential employees. The group sponsored three mini-trainings, one hour each. At the first two training workshops, the group invited speakers to talk about the employment rights of persons with disabilities under the ADA. After learning about their rights and protections under Title I of the ADA, the group put what they had learned into practice by inviting family members, professionals and—most importantly—employers in their community to attend the third and final training session. How were these employers identified and invited? The Henderson Self Advocates invited 24 local employers who had been identified by the self advocates as places where they wanted to work. To further increase the awareness and interest of these potential employers, the self advocates hand delivered ADA and Employment publications, along with the invitation, to each business.