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D&S has an active Supported Employment program dedicated
to consumers who desire to work in the community.
Our Supported Employment Coordinator assists consumers who
express a desire to work by helping them in their effort to find and
maintain employment. Through a discovery process, the consumer is
assisted in finding the type of job he or she would enjoy, by
looking at a range of factors such as skill levels, work
environment, transportation needs, etc.
Consumers are initially supported at their job site by D&S staff
trained as job coaches. We support and encourage independence and
responsibility. The goal for each consumer is to do their job
satisfactorily with the minimal amount of assistance that the
circumstances will allow. Some of our consumers are able to work on
their own without the assistance of a job coach.
Some of the employers or types of employment experienced by D&S
consumers include:
- Grocery stores
- Fast food restaurants
- Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Hospital cafeterias
- Self-employed Avon salesperson
- Daycares
- McGhee Tyson Airport
- Self-employed owner of a greenhouse
- Janitorial services
D&S feels that it benefits all involved, the person with
disabilities, their family, employer, and their community by
allowing them to experience the successes of people with
disabilities. This partnership leaves a lasting impact on the way
the public perceives people with disabilities. It affords the public
the opportunity to see the person for who they are rather than
seeing just their disability.
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