At The Center, we strive to promote the choice, growth, and personal independence outlined in our mission by supporting the full participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in community work life. This starts by helping our clients to find meaningful, community-based work that pays a competitive wage and providing them the support and resources necessary to succeed in those roles.
The Center offers employment services tailored to the needs of each client to help all of the people we serve to achieve their personal definitions of career success.
The Center’s Employment Services Program provides customized employment planning and assistance for individuals with I/DD. Our primary goal is to help our clients find success in competitive, integrated employment in areas of their interest. We provide guidance through every stage of our clients’ employment journey with services such as:
- pre-employment evaluation
- job placement assistance
- pre-employment training for transition youth
- work incentive planning
- employment plans
- job coaching
- long-term support and follow-up
While many employment programs exist, The Center is distinctive in its focus on serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities specifically. Clients and their families often express frustration at being overlooked for positions due to misconceptions—by employers and supported employment specialists alike—about hiring employees whose disabilities have an intellectual component. At The Center, we have high expectations for all of our clients. We are dedicated to improving the employment landscape for adults with I/DD by helping participants in our Employment Services Program embrace and demonstrate their professional abilities.
If you have questions regarding our Employment Services, please contact Frank Higginbotham at 713.525.8303 or fhigginbotham@thecenterhouston.org.
Pre-Vocational Training
Part of what makes our Employment Services Program so special is its partnership with The Center’s pre-vocational training program. The goal of this program is to prepare adults with I/DD for future success in community-based employment. In a work-like environment, clients learn universally applicable workplace skills such as appropriate professional behavior, interpersonal communication, fulfilling responsibilities, time management, and more. When they are ready, clients can transition seamlessly into one of our employment programs within a program structure with which they are already familiar. To learn more about this program, please visit our Day Services page.
For information on enrolling in our Employment Services programs, please visit our admissions page.
