Observed annually in October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of Americas workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.
Yezenia Sanchez Employment Specialist
Lee County
Gail Brown, SHRM-SCP, Employment Specialist
Chatham County
Meet Yezenia Sanchez and Gail Brown, Employment Specialists, at work successfully placing applicants in jobs in Lee County and Chatham County
The WINNERs program (Worker Initiated Networks for New Employment Relationships) works with NC Vocational Rehabilitation to help place individuals with disabilities in employment opportunities. The process is straight forward:
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An individual contacts the Sanford office of NC Vocational Rehabilitation at 919-775-2247. Vocational Rehabilitation evaluated whether the individual qualifies for VR services.
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If the individual qualifies for VR services, a counselor works with the individual to develop a personalized vocational plan.
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Part of the vocational plan may be to refer the individual to an outside agency to assist in finding appropriate employment. If the decision is to refer the individual to the Stevens Center, Yezenia Sanchez or Gail Brown begins assisting the individual, whom we call a job seeker.
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Yezenia and Gail work with the job seeker to develop a more refined vocational plan. The plan helps the job seeker understand their responsibility in assisting with their job search.
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They then help the job seeker identify leads, complete job applications and interview successfully. They also assist employers in identifying tax credits and training funds that may be available.
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After the job seeker lands a job, Yezenia and Gail serves as a liaison between the individual and employer, to assure that the new employee develops the skills needed for the position.
Stevens Center 