Employment Opportunities for Adults with Special Needs: An Interview with the Director of Achieve DFW

special needs employment

Achieve DFW is a nonprofit organization that specializes in employment placement and work center/vocational training for over 600 adults with physical and mental disabilities in Dallas County and the surrounding areas. We sat down with Tim Allen, the executive director of Achieve, to learn more about how this organization fulfills its mission.

Work and Disability Benefits

How to work and receive disability benefits

The workforce can often be difficult to navigate for individuals who have disabilities. As you may know, many individuals who wish to work are not able to because the fear of losing their disability benefits. Thankfully there are resources available to help. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has two programs in place for people with disabilities who wish to work. The Ticket To Work Program and the Plan To Achieve Self Support (PASS) give individuals, who receive Social Security benefits, the opportunity to work without losing their benefits.

A Fair Playing Field for Adults with Special Needs: An Interview with the Founder of Howdy Homemade

howdy handmade

Howdy Homemade is an ice cream shop with a twist – and we’re not just talking about their flavors: According to their website, “Howdy Homemade is on a relentless pursuit to provide employment for individuals with special needs.” Unlike Hugs Café, whose founder we interviewed last year, Howdy Homemade is a for-profit business. We interviewed the founder, Tom Landis, recently, and he laid down some wisdom about the benefits of hiring people with special needs from a business perspective.

Special Needs Guardianship: An Interview with Rick O’Connor, Guardianship Attorney

special needs guardianship

Rick O’Connor is a guardianship attorney who specializes in helping parents of children with special needs obtain guardianship over their children once they legally become adults. For anyone who has questions about what will happen or about what they should do when their child with special needs turns 18, read on.

After-school Programs for Teens with Special Needs: An Interview with the Founder and President of The Clubhouse

the clubhouse

The Clubhouse is a nonprofit organization currently specializing in after-school care for school-ages people with special needs and, newly, a day program for those out of the school system. The founder and President, Darlene Hollingsworth, made time to sit down and talk to us about what makes The Clubhouse different from day habilitation programs and special needs daycares, and what the future holds for The Clubhouse.

Digital Prowess for Adults with Special Needs: An Interview with the Co-founder of nonPareil Institute

nonpareil institute

nonPareil Institute is a nonprofit organization that helps adults with Autism learn hirable skills, such as coding and other digital techniques. Gary Moore is the President and Co-founder of this organization, along with Dan Selec (the CEO and Founder), and Moore agreed to donate some of his time to us for an interview.