CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The Career Development Program (CDev) is a career-minded syllabus of activities designed to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to meet their self-determined employment goals. The Arc LAOC supports participants in workplace settings and in the community with an eye toward maximizing their independence and self-sufficiency.
The Building Blocks
CDev supports participants with résumé writing, interview skills, transportation training, job searching, communication, and social skills for career advancement using the following approach:
- Staff and participants collaborate to identify employment goals.
- Participants engage in a variety of practices such as fine motor skills, gross motor skills, attention span, and quality of workmanship.
- Participants engage in activities that foster vocational development and educational skills relevant to the workplace.
- CDev staff provides supportive counseling and employment plans.
- Staff and participants explore various employment types.
- Staff assist participants with job searches.
Exploring and Providing Opportunities
CDev readies individuals with IDD for gainful and rewarding employment in the community where they might otherwise lack work opportunities. Participants learn and develop important skills as they volunteer in a variety of environments such as offices, warehouses, stores, churches, salons, etc., and learn how to package and sort, take inventory, provide customer service, greet customers, handle cash, move/organize equipment or goods, make sales, file, and so much more.
The end result of the program happens when a participant secures a job and transitions to the Supported Employment program, where participants are paired with Job Coaches for support in the workplace. Participants accomplish this in real job environments by familiarizing themselves with and adjusting to the atmosphere and demands of regular employment.
Check out the article on resumegenuis.com about our employment programs and the unique job-search challenges that face the IDD community.
For more information about the Career Development Program, please contact:
Margoritt Aquije
562-855-3467
maquije@thearclaoc.org
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community
throughout their lifetimes.
