October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. As part of the month-long series of activities, PathPoint celebrates the accomplishments of program participants with disabilities who benefit from its employment services.
Kristina Rice is one of PathPoint’s success stories. She has been a PathPoint participant since November 2005. Since then, PathPoint staff and Rice have worked together to maintain paid employment. This work has resulted in Rice’s current position working at UCSB’s Courtyard Café. She has worked there since 2006, and has advanced to the position of kitchen assistant. Rice enjoys working with UCSB students and is grateful for the guidance and encouragement of her supervisor, Robbie Yankow.
“I have really come to rely on Kristina, and she is an integral part of everything that goes into running the café,” Yankow said.
Rice’s success story is indicative of the experience that PathPoint provides to hundreds of individuals with disabilities. PathPoint’s Employment Programs are designed to offer person-centered training and support services that enable individuals with disabilities to break down barriers to employment. Each individual is given the opportunity to maximize his or her potential in the workplace. For some, this opportunity is in Group Supported Employment, where PathPoint trainees work in employment teams with the assistance of a job coach, and for others, including Rice, it means being hired directly onto an employer’s payroll while receiving support from a job coach as needed.
Rice’s job coach, Charlie Perkins, has worked with her over the years, and has seen her progress over that time.
“Kristina’s success working at UCSB is a prime example of how an individual with a disability can, with the appropriate supports, seamlessly transition into working life,” he said.
Rice’s success in the workplace has earned her recognition in the community. She has been asked to deliver a keynote address at the seventh annual Mayor’s Awards on Wednesday.
“I was shocked and amazed to be chosen,” Rice said. “I am really excited and honored.”
The event is held annually to recognize local businesses for facilitating employment for individuals with disabilities. Several of PathPoint’s employer partners are receiving awards for their commitment to hiring people with disabilities, including the Santa Barbara Airport, Marshalls, Trader Joe’s and Noozhawk.
“PathPoint is so pleased to have the opportunity to recognize local employers who have made a commitment to employing people with disabilities,” said Alana Walczak, vice president and director of Santa Barbara County operations. “They help make success stories like Kristina’s possible.”
PathPoint collaborates with more than 300 employers throughout the county. Interested employers are welcome to call the PathPoint office in Goleta.
PathPoint (formerly known as Work Training Programs) has provided employment services, as well as independent living and community access programs, in Santa Barbara since 1964. PathPoint is an independent, community-based, nonprofit organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities and disadvantages live and work as independently as possible.
For more information about PathPoint or to make a donation, click here or email info@pathpoint.org.
— Joey Corazza is a development coordinator for PathPoint.