The Choice Group

Kudos for Akia!! Akia and Mary Chris, her vocational counselor, continue to stay in touch.  On a recent visit to the employer’s site, Mary Chris learned that Akia had won a "Kudos Award" at work, and received a mug to commemorate the award.   Akia’s coworkers told Mary Chris about the award. They were happy for Akia, who was happy but shy about her significant accomplishment.  Akia continues to work as a dishwasher, and is currently in the process of training in other areas so she can work longer shifts and make a greater contribution to the team at Zoup! Congratulations to Akia for her award!! To read Akita's original story, check out our 5/13/19 blog post, "Akia is Zealous for Zoup"

Quality Assurance with a Smile     Through diligence and hard work by both Scott and his then job coach Kortney Cotton, Scott was able to secure employment with the Food Lion in Elkton, VA in early September 2019 as a Quality Assurance Specialist!        Scott has had continuous employment with Food Lion for four months now, usually working two, sometimes three, shifts a week.   Through his dedication and hard work, Scott has become a valuable team member to Food Lion, and says that he enjoys his job. Scott has a million-dollar smile which has engaged him with both co-workers and customers, he always works hard, he is punctual and reliable, he takes great pride in his work, and he epitomizes what a great employee should be!      Scott’s parents, community, and Job Coaches are proud of his accomplishments!

This is great news regarding the representation of people with disabilities in the workforce!  This article from DisabilityScoop.com  outlines goals the EEOC is trying to achieve with policy change and how it will attempt to enforce them. Federal Proposal Calls for Disability Hiring Quota By: Shaun Heasley Under a new proposal, the federal government would be required to take sweeping steps to utilize affirmative action to increase the number of workers with disabilities in its ranks. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said this week that it is proposing a rule that would require federal agencies to work toward a 12 percent workforce representation rate for people with disabilities and a 2 percent representation rate for those with targeted or severe conditions including intellectual disability. Moreover, the rule calls for government agencies to provide personal assistance to employees with disabilities who need help with eating, using the restroom a...