Success Stories

“People will always tell you, ‘You can’t do it.’ I learned that the hard way, but if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. I want my future employers to know I can accomplish any task they put in front of me.” Like most 22-year-olds, Katie has graduated from a college program,…

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, CalTASH chapter Vice President Zachary Miller was in his third year working part of the day in the California State House and part in the Capitol cafeteria. Zachary had worked with the California State Developmental Disabilities Service Organization (DDSO) for placement and job coaching in the position. On March 17th,…

Kirstin Bradach enjoys the color pink, laughing, making food, and taking photos of her creations. Until last summer, Kirstin worked her entire adult life for Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (GICW) in Portland, OR. GICW is transforming its services to entirely community-based, and is focusing on finding integrated, community jobs for its clients.  …

Gabe and his wife, Alex, moved to Washington, DC from Kansas City, MO in 2012. While Gabe has Down Syndrome and Alex has Cerebral Palsy, neither of them have ever let that slow them down or stop them for pursuing their dreams. As young adults, Gabe and Alex have already accomplished so much. They live…

Last week, the YES! Center staff attended a Community of Practice, hosted by our Utah PIE state partners. The YES! Center staff kicked off the day with a welcome and quick exercise. Attendees were asked to describe a positive strength or quality that they have that they would want an employer or educator to know about…

Kevin Wright is a 24-year old native Washingtonian with a Learning Disability and a Speech Impairment. Kevin does not consider them barriers; instead, he considers his quiet nature to be his only barrier. He attended two different schools for his kindergarten to high school years. He attended Accotink Academy in Springfield, VA from kindergarten to…

Steven Powe is a native Washingtonian who was faced with many barriers growing up with intellectual and learning disabilities, as well as, mental health issues. But throughout his struggles, Steven maintained the aspiration of always wanting to work. At the age of 14, he was able to get his first work experience through DC Summer Youth…

HOW A MOTHER’S ROLE WAS KEY IN HELPING HER SON FIND EMPLOYMENT. Hi, my name is Shedia Tulic and I want to let you know I have my only son, Almir, enrolled in a Transition Program in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He has learned a lot in his two years from the instructors because they are…

David lives in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. During middle school and high school, David’s school transition plan involved working as part of each school day. He tried working in a hospital setting for a short time in high school; however, it ended badly because the school system did not involve support to ensure…