MODDC supports integrated and competitive employment for people with developmental disabilities

The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODDC) supports integrated and competitive employment for people with developmental disabilities. The Council’s position is that everyone who identifies work as a goal is employable, with the right opportunities and support. Therefore, people with disabilities have the right to, and should, receive services and supports to help them prepare for and attain competitive employment: community-based jobs, working alongside people without disabilities, earning at least minimum wage.

MODDC is continuously learning and better understanding the needs and barriers that exist between people with disabilities and their integration and access to competitive employment. As MODDC’s understanding has evolved, so has the organizations and projects that the Council supports.

MODDC granted funding to the Summit Future Foundation, located in Kansas City, to assist with the development and implementation of the Watch Me Thrive program. This innovative program takes a unique approach of supporting the individual in career planning and exploration as well as developing work readiness skills through work-based learning experiences while simultaneously supporting the family in developing a tactical transition plan that includes trajectory development, identifying support needs and connecting to local, state and national support systems.

MODDC funded the development of the Center of Human Services (CHS) which transitioned a workshop model into a business model that provides competitive and integrated employment, including competitive wages. The CHS Employment Services Department is designed to provide people with disabilities assistance in taking the next step whether that be a teen preparing for goals after high school, a graduate looking for work, or an adult needing assistance in finding a great career.

MODDC funded the development of the Mid-Missouri Business Leadership Network, creating opportunities for productive and supportive partnerships among people with disabilities, private businesses and governmental and community agencies in Missouri.

MODDC offers an online tool, Disability Benefits 101, which provides information on health coverage, benefits and employment for people with disabilities. To learn more, visit the Disability Benefits 101 website: https://mo.db101.org/

The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODDC) is a federally-funded, 23-member, consumer-driven council appointed by the Governor. Its mandate under P.L. 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, is to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration in all aspects of community life. To learn more about the work of the MODDC or to get involved, visit:  https://moddcouncil.org/

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