News:

Proyecto Visión: New Focus on Youth

With a high rate of high school dropout and low levels of participation in higher education and disability job development services, disabled youth of color (and Latinos in particular) have limited access to opportunities for financial success. Proyecto Visión would like to help change this by being a bridge between disabled youth and the disability service and employment communities.

Freelance Opportunities for Latino Writers with Disabilities in the U.S.
Proyecto Visión is looking for reporters with first person experience with disability in ethnically diverse communities.

Interview with Puerto Rican Disability Advocate Emilio Gandara Alos

A well-known advocate for disability rights in Puerto Rico, Emilio Gandara Aros is a firm believer in helping people with disabilities who can and want to find employment on the island. He is extremely well informed about the ins and outs of working while disabled and of the rules and procedures that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has established to encourage people with disabilities to successfully enter the workforce.

When a Dream to Work Gets Interrupted

Statistics show that unemployment rates among people with disabilities are higher than among any other group of people. The reasons why employment rates are so high among the disability community range from discrimination to employers not knowing about adaptive equipment in the workplace. But even when these common factors do not come into play, other barriers can impede employment.

Interview with Susan Parker, Director of Policy, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor

Susan Parker is a fervent believer in the intrinsic potential of each and every human being. “Given the necessary tools, people can become independent,” she said with certainty. Since the beginning of her professional career working with people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities, she has supported the use of innovative methods to promote independent living in the community. In her current position, she is in charge of numerous initiatives designed to reduce the unemployment rate of people with disabilities.

Success Stories:

Dana's Story – Video Success Story

I’m half latina and half asian and began living with my adopted family at 2 months old. My parents had one biological son and the rest of us (3 girls and 1 boy) came from four different families. An odd mix, but it worked well. Don’t know the official name nor the cause of my disability, but I was born with no arms and no legs.

Santina Muha – Ambition to Succeed and Dream

The afternoon of March 9th, 1989, found 5 year old Santina Muha heading to the pediatrician’s office for chicken pox with her mother and grandmother, when suddenly their Ford Escort was hit headlong by an oncoming station wagon. Santina’s grandmother sustained arm and hand injuries which forced her into early retirement, while her mother acquired a knee injury and upon impact bit out her molar. Santina sustained a spinal cord injury at the T10/T11 level.

Living with a Developmental Disability

Laura, who is 45 years old, was born with a developmental disability. Although she’s lived a very sheltered life, Laura never allowed her disability to get in the way of her goal to become independent and make her own choices.