New funding to strengthen disability employment services across Georgia

The Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD) at the University of Georgia’s David Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities has been awarded a grant from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) to continue its statewide Advancing Employment initiative through the Employment Technical Assistance Center.

Doug Crandell, Project Director of Advancing Employment, will lead the initiative.

Crandell, Public Service Associate at CHDD, has worked at the University of Georgia for many years and serves as the Project Director for Advancing Employment, Georgia’s Technical Assistance Center for Best Practices in Employment Supports.

Advancing Employment works with employment service providers across Georgia to offer individualized planning, training, and technical assistance focused on strengthening employment supports for people with disabilities.

“We get people who might be trying to get help accessing other services,” he said. “They might be working and something happens on the job, so we work a lot with families and job seekers with disabilities. But we also work with providers across Georgia. We work directly with providers through our Request for Technical Assistance initiative, where they can tell us what they need help with. So many times, it’s them trying to start employment services, or they’re having trouble with job development or working with other partners.”

Before Crandell and his team started working on this initiative, there was a need for a resource that could bring together technical assistance, training and employment support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The GCDD funding helped create this centralized resource that is focused on connecting individuals, their families, and provider agencies.

“Prior to GCDD funding this, there was no central place for technical assistance, training, and amplifying employment for folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So, we’ve had that funding now for six years and it allows us to do several things,” he said.

Now in its sixth year, Crandell and his team are looking ahead to new opportunities to expand and strengthen the program as well as continuing to build on the work already underway.

“In terms of what’s new, we will be working with two new provider agencies under this funding to help them build up their employment programs,” he said. “We work with people who may have experience in human services and are trying to help people with disabilities find employment. Many times, those individuals may be hesitant to talk to employers and businesses, so we help them with that.”

Employment can have a significant impact on a person’s independence and connection to their community. Through its work with providers, families and job seekers, Advancing Employment helps create pathways for people with disabilities to find and maintain meaningful employment.

“There are tons of people who want to go to work, they want their first job, a chance to pay taxes, have purchasing power in their community," Crandell said.