Over the past two years, the PABSS (Protection & Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security) program has built connections with the disability community, engaging a wide range of stakeholders in meaningful conversations about the employment barriers people with disabilities continue to face. Those discussions highlighted a clear need for practical, easy-to-understand information about the ADA accommodation process, federal and state employment discrimination laws, and strategies for self-advocacy. In response, we created training sessions that empower individuals to request workplace accommodations with confidence and understand the steps they can take if they experience disability discrimination on the job.
The program has also placed an emphasis on transition-aged youth, individuals ages 14 to 25 who are moving from adolescence to independent adulthood, and their access to employment-related supports. DRW has connected with youth, their families, and the professionals who support them at events such as transition fairs for students with disabilities. These conversations created opportunities to share resources, answer questions, and better understand the challenges young people face as they prepare to enter the workforce.
