A Brighter Future: Navigating the World of Disability and Employment is a training series provided by COEF and generously funded by the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council. The purpose of this training is to educate and empower youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their parents and/or guardians about creating high expectations of employment.
Your employment journey can start in high school. This training can help you develop a vision for the future and advocate for your goals while you are still in school.
“It was awesome! Thank you for listening to me!”
– Youth Participant
“I learned new things – taught me a lot and some stuff I can work on.”
– Youth Participant
“I love the wide range of topics covered. I felt it was very well rounded and touched on a variety of good topics with links to more information. I also liked that you always asked if we needed more help.”
– Family Member
“I learned that my son can get involved with DVR before he turns 18.”
– Family Member
“I liked all the different topics offered. The resources you shared to help families in a variety of situations.”
– Family Member
“Great overview of important topics. Mentorship is a great strategy to help parents apply the information learned during the sessions.”
– Family Member
“There are more resources than I realized for my son.”
– Family Member
A Brighter Future: Navigating the World of Disability and Employment Youth and Families Training
About the Training
Training participants will engage in an interactive learning experience that includes six one-hour virtual training sessions with additional one-on-one mentoring opportunities. Participants will complete a pre and post-course survey to assess knowledge gained from this training opportunity.
Training Audience
Youth with I/DD between the ages of 14 and 21 and their family members primarily representing rural areas.
Training Topics
This training features separate Youth and Families training tracks covering the following topics:
What Employment First is
Skills needed to get employment
How employment fits into the education process
How managing health impacts employment
Services and agencies for obtaining employment
How employment may impact Social Security benefits