As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we recognize our individuals who are successful in their jobs! For individuals with disabilities, finding sustainable employment without assistance can be challenging. Finding the right position that fits the individual’s unique skill set, while overcoming employer misperceptions of hiring someone with a disability can be overwhelming. To help overcome these challenges, New Hope of Indiana offers vocational services to people with disabilities in Central Indiana who need assistance in achieving sustained, meaningful, and long-term employment. October is Disabilities Employment Awareness Month, so this month we wanted to highlight just a few of the success stories from the individuals involved in the vocational services program.

Aiden may have autism, but she doesn’t let her disability define her. After graduating from IUPUI, she realized that her ultimate dream was to have a career related to photography, and she got to work making her dream a reality.

Working with New Hope’s Vocational Services program, Aiden found a job opening online for a Digitization Specialist position at the Indiana Historical Society. This was a position she was very interested in, so she shared the opportunity with her Employment Counselor. Together, they practiced for her interview, and she was offered the job!

In her position, Aiden archives and scans Indiana historical materials into a computer and uses photoshop to edit them. The Indiana Historical Society let Aiden pick her most recent digitization project  – the digitization of the diary of a Jewish woman who lived through the Holocaust. Congrats to Aiden on obtaining her dream position!

Anthony has always loved animals for their unique personalities and how they are all special in their own ways. Anthony knew he wanted a career around animals. Vocational services was able to connect him to the Indianapolis Zoo and he obtained a position in custodial services. Anthony worked with his Consultant to improve his communication, time management, and cleaning skills. Anthony is now independent in his role at the zoo and thriving!

When LaDiamond came to New Hope, she had one clear goal; securing permanent employment that aligned with her interests. Through LaDiamond’s training on the Cheese and Thank You food truck, she was able to accomplish that goal and was hired by Levy Food Services at The Children’s Museum. In her role with Levy, she prepares food, cleans, and interacts with customers. LaDiamond now excels in customer service and teamwork. Check out this video about LaDiamond’s journey to employment with Levy here.

These are just a few examples of individuals with disabilities flourishing in their employment. This month we want to celebrate the individuals for the hard work they have put in and continue to put into their jobs every day! If you are interested in learning more about hiring an individual with a disability, please contact us here.