How to Use Life Experiences to Build Employment Skills
I have enjoyed taking part in recreational and social activities as long as I can remember. As a child I went fishing with my dad and wrestled and played football and basketball with my older brothers. In grade school, my friends and I figured out a way for me to participate in the school soccer matches.

Mirroring Our Community: Giant Stores Find a Recipe for Success with Latino Employees with Disabilities
It's 5:15 on a hot summer afternoon and customers are wandering into a Giant grocery store, distractedly looking for something to buy for supper. The only chatting is at the checkout lanes where the tired customers are brightening up and leaving the store a little more cheerful and lively than when they arrived. An energetic young man with Down syndrome is bagging groceries, dazzling the customers with his smile, making the cashier laugh, and infecting everyone with his enthusiasm.

U.S. History & the Disability Rights Movement
On a crammed bus headed for downtown Miami, a 50-year-old woman makes a great effort to stay upright, a grimace of pain spread across her face. Underneath the bilingual signs indicating that certain seats are reserved for elderly and/or disabled people, healthy, young people sit, staring out the window or blabbing on their cellular phones.

Acute Stress and Anxiety Are Among Mental Health Disorders That Often Go Untreated in Farm Worker Community
Ever wonder whom the men and women are that bring food for our tables everyday? Yes you might have guessed it… farm workers. On average, farm workers only make about $7,500 a year, not much compensation considering the often back-breaking work they do. The workers’ low incomes are a source of stress and anxiety for many who are struggling to meet the high cost of living the United States.

Students Learn Computer Literacy Skills in Class Offered by Proyecto Visión Partner Organization Access Living
In 2005 the staff at Access Living Center for Independent Living in Chicago started a basic computer literacy class given in Spanish. The course is geared to help improve the overall computer literacy of people who are English-language learners. Latinos with disabilities and their family members are welcome to attend.

Making Friends on Valentine’s Day: Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Hosted Soiree for Latinos with Disabilities
The Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago lent some space to Access Living to host a Valentine’s Day event for Latinos with disabilities. For more than four hours, Latinos with disabilities and their families celebrated Valentine’s Day.

Capitola, CA Training Addressed Myths about Hiring People with Disabilities
The Central Coast Center for Independent Living, a Proyecto Vision partner, participated in a workshop in Capitola, CA to provide employers with accurate information regarding hiring people with disabilities. Employers attended the half-day workshop to learn about the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations and more.

Conference on Transition for Latinos with Disabilities First of its Kind in Chicago
On October 1, 2005, the Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities (CILD) hosted its first annual conference in Chicago. The CILD’s mission is to promote inclusion for Latinos in Chicago by organizing educational campaigns, building awareness and developing coalitions with local, regional and national non-profit organizations and government agencies that help Latinos with disabilities connect to employment and other opportunities.

Visiting Nurses Prepared to Assist Latinos in New York City
The Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) is an excellent resource for New Yorkers who use home assistance services. In particular, the Hispanic/Latino Home Health Care Program specializes in providing culturally competent services and outreach to the Latino community.

Disabled Travelers Heading in New Directions
There were so many things about his vacation to Wyoming that David McKeand will never forget – the beautiful mountain resort setting, the hospitality of the local residents, and the warm sense of community. Undoubtedly, however, the most memorable moments were those shared with a group of travelers that he accompanied through a unique organization.

New Program in Central California Supports Health of Agricultural Workers
“Poder Popular para la Salud del Pueblo” (The Power of the People for the Health of the Community), a new community organization designed to empower agricultural workers, was inaugurated September 2005 in Salinas, CA.

Miracle League of El Paso Hits a Homerun with Youngsters with Disabilities and Their Families
Upon entering the makeshift indoor baseball diamond, bystanders realize this is a unique league. At Nations Tobin Park, the young players use wheelchairs, walkers and other assistive devices to participate in the game. Some plug their ears to muffle the noises around them but almost all have colossal grins on their faces.

Outreach to Latinos about Work Incentives Programs: How to Work and Keep Your Benefits in New Jersey
When anyone thinks of the idea of a job most people think of “the package.” For the most part, “the package” is the total concept of a job including if there is the potential for professional growth and job security. But different benefits are important to different people.

Disability Mentoring Day in New York City
National Disability Mentoring Day was initiated at the White House in 1999 to increase the profile of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October). Designed as an activity to help individuals transition from school to work, the day-long professional shadowing program provided an opportunity for students and job seekers to get a glimpse into a variety of professions.