Taquilla, a young woman whose barriers to employment include a developmental disability as well as deafness, came to Vocational Guidance Services frustrated due to her lack of communication skills outside of sign language. Taquilla had a deep desire to overcome those barriers so that she could obtain her brighter employment future.

At VGS, Taquilla met with our vocational rehabilitation staff to determine her employment goals and design a plan to accomplish them. Her plan began in our Custodial Work Adjustment Program.  Thanks to this program Taquilla received vocational training through paid work experience and developed critical job keeping behaviors such as punctuality, productivity, and work-appropriate appearance, as well as many others.

Taquilla’s Job Coach/Interpreter noted that she has seen a change in Taquilla and that VGS’ custodial work adjustment training program has enabled her to acquire the proper skills to succeed; Taquilla now understands what is expected of her by her employer. She comes to work on time, in work –appropriate attire, and she works hard to achieve the goals she has set for herself. In fact, her supervisor has noted that her general outlook and behavior have changed a great deal. Taquilla loves working at VGS and recommends that many of her friends who are deaf attend the Work Adjustment Program. 

Today, Taquilla is a member of a custodial crew that is responsible for the daily maintenance of two large facilities (over 130,000 square feet). Taquilla’s custodial supervisor says that “she has become a leader in her program and has even begun to train some of the other consumers who work with her.”

Each year thousands of individuals facing physical/mental disabilities or other barriers to employment come to VGS with hope for a brighter future. Each week 1,000 individuals overcome their barriers and collect a paycheck thanks to the innovative vocational rehabilitation programs and social enterprise work opportunities that are offered at VGS. 

Florence Miller came to Vocational Guidance Services without hope. She had been diagnosed with depression and health concerns revolving around a ten-year-old injury that affected the use of her upper neck, back, wrist and hands. While dealing with these issues, she became despondent due to her condition and her inability to find suitable employment.

The Maintenance Program at VGS gave Florence the confidence and push she needed to get her life back on track. When asked about the program she stated, “The Maintenance Program gave me the encouragement and confidence to compete with an all male class, which in turn prepared me to deal with an all male workforce. The hands on training and interaction with VGS staff gave me the confidence I needed to get back into the workforce.” more…

Geraldine has confronted many challenges on her path to a brighter future.  She struggled early on as a result of being born with congenital glaucoma and yet she was never discouraged. She lost her right eye in 1973 which led her to seek services through the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI).  That’s when Geraldine’s path led her to VGS.

With limited eyesight in her remaining eye, Geraldine knew that she could not give up and that she did not want to rely on others to take care of her. She started in Sewing Training and Manufacturing Training programs at VGS. She was hired at VGS, working in the contract shop manufacturing Doby Pads. She was eventually laid off due to the loss of the contract. Geraldine was down, but refused to give up. She volunteered at several organizations throughout the city during her time away from work. But that wasn’t enough. She got back in touch with VGS and was able to return to work in the contract shop. “I like working at VGS,” said Geraldine. “I wanted to come back because I knew that I could work and I wanted to work at VGS.”

Geraldine’s commitment and determination has helped her to overcome barriers on her pathway to success and employment in the VGS Sewing Department. more…

Dwight Tuttle is a U.S. Army veteran, trained as a Supply Clerk and Wireman. Never in a million years would he have thought that he would have to learn how to function all over again. But that is exactly what happened in 1989 when Dwight suffered a stroke that affected the entire left side of his body.

In the months to come, he had to endure grueling therapy to regain most of his motor skills. He was very discouraged and thought he may never be able to put his life back together. Gainful employment was out of the question as far as he was concerned.
That is until he was referred to Vocational Guidance Services through the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Dwight was entered into the Work Evaluation program where his instructor worked with him to explore job possibilities and transferable skills. She was helpful in finding a new direction for him since his stroke and encouraged him to explore employment in the customer service field. Dwight was then placed in the Customer Service/Call Center Training Program at VGS. Dwight attributes VGS staff with being instrumental in keeping him focused and helping him throughout training. Initially he was unsure about doing telemarketing and customer service, but through the support of his Placement Consultant, Dwight was placed at Preferred Marketing.

Within a year, Dwight moved from his position as a telemarketer to one as the assistant manager of the call center. Dwight is extremely thankful to VGS and feels he has overcome many obstacles because of the tremendous encouragement and assistance he received.