New N.C. initiative promotes integrated employment for people with disabilities

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services launched its new Inclusion Works initiative, which aims to promote competitive integrated employment for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), on Sept. 20.

The initiative will assist people with IDD seeking to find competitive integrated employment and those who are currently employed, as well as employers looking to hire or currently employing people with IDD.

According to the NCDHHS website, competitive integrated employment means employees with disabilities work alongside others with and without disabilities and receive the same benefits and opportunities as co-workers without disabilities. It also requires that employees with disabilities are paid at least minimum wage.

According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, people with disabilities have faced barriers to competitive integrated employment, including low limits on assets and earnings and a lack of public programs that facilitate integrated work.

Kelly Crosbie, director of the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, said the goal of Inclusion Works is getting people with disabilities more involved in their communities, having fulfilling jobs and more social engagement.

“One of the barriers to employment for people with IDD is is a lack of knowledge among employers, is a misunderstanding of it,” Greg Boheler, co-founder and director of strategic planning at B3 Coffee, said. 

B3 Coffee is a nonprofit coffee shop in Chapel Hill working to empower community members with disabilities by creating employment opportunities for people of all abilities. 

Boheler said there is often a lack of knowledge about the value that individuals with disabilities can bring to a workplace.

“What we're really all about is community and facilitating community between people with and without disabilities in our efforts to advance disability justice, allyship and inclusion,” Boheler said. 

Paula Gilland, CEO of The Purple Bowl, said hiring people of all abilities has been a priority for The Purple Bowl since its beginning. She also said she has worked to encourage other businesses in downtown Chapel Hill to hire more individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. 

"There's a job for everyone at every business," Gilland said.

Inclusion Works will offer services like career counseling, pre-employment transition services, job training and internships. 

The initiative will also offer training services to employers who currently employ individuals with IDD or are looking to. 

“One of the things that we're always striving for with our dollars and our programs is to have people have their best life outcomes,” Crosbie said. 

Inclusions Works will also begin a virtual “lunch and learn” seminar once a month. These events will give both individuals with disabilities and their family members the opportunity to learn about all the programs that NCDHHS provides, Crosbie said. 

“We want to push you to understand all of the services and supports that we currently have, and those 'lunch and learns' are the best way to do it,” Crosbie said. 

Boheler said authenticity and vulnerability set up for meaningful connections between those with and without disabilities. 

“Disability justice for me is about ensuring that individuals have access to the things that enable people to obtain meaning in their life, and to be able to be to do it in a self-determined way,"  Boheler said. 

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