Success Stories

Collin has worked a customized position at a hotel for over 2 years. He received initial support on the job through Vocational Rehabilitation and is now working on his own. Check out his story by watching his success story video.

James works at Megaplex with support from his provider agency. He is a great example of a self advocate and someone that finds value in community. Check out his story by watching his success story video.

Wesley obtained his job with Centracom using Vocational Rehabilitation support. He needed support long term and is on the DSPD waiting list. He utilized the Supported Work Independence program (SWI) to support with job coaching until he could perform all the job duties on his own. Wesley needed a little initial support with finding and maintaining the job, but Centracom has exhibited the ability to be a model employer, making reasonable accommodations and providing the support he needed to be successful.

Aaron obtained his job with the help of Vocational Rehabilitation, his provider agency, and his post high program. This team based wraparound approach helped Aaron have the resources needed to obtain and maintain his job at Megaplex. Aaron received job support through his local Vocational Rehabilitation office and a contracted provider agency. Aaron's story is a great example of person-centered planning and thinking and using a team to achieve success!

Jennifer is 46 years old, she had never had a job that she could call her own job before. She had worked at a few different sub-minimal paid jobs all of her life and attended a couple different Day Service Programs since she completed her High School Education in a Special Education program.

Jennifer had worked on an Enclave with a group of peers in the dining services at UVU, where she was assigned to wash dishes. She went into the food court area with the students at UVU and would wipe down tables and greet the students in the cafeteria on her break times just to keep herself busy. Once the Enclave had come to an end, she desperately wanted to work at a job where she could greet others and keep a dining area clean.

In June 2017 Jennifer was referred to apply for Vocational Rehabilitation Services by her DSPD/Support Coordinator and her Residential Provider. The Day Services Employment Manager was able to help Jennifer apply for Services. Her Employment Team helped Jennifer make appointments and helped her to prepare for Job Searching, NES supported her to apply and interview at three different restaurants. On the third restaurant that was advertising a hiring event, The NES Employment Specialist took Jennifer to fill out an application and interviewed. Jennifer was able to tell the Wendy’s Manager that she could clean the lobby area, the bottoms of the booths, and the chair legs. She stated “I love to make things nice and clean so everyone can enjoy their food”.

Vocational Rehabilitation was able to help Jennifer obtain funding to help her job search with an NES Employment Specialist and to help her with NES job coaching on the job until she was 80% independent on her job tasks. Wendy’s has never looked so nice, she absolutely loves her job, the customers, and her coworkers at Wendy’s.

"My name is Shandon, and I work at Kent's. I absolutely love my job! I love being able to help others and joke around with my co workers. I love the independence that having a job gives me. I take my job very seriously, and I am very responsible and get my work done."

Tracey is a fun loving and easy-going woman who has attended the Cache Employment and Training Center for more than 10 years. Some of her favorite activities are to paint her nails and to make cookies. At her day program Tracey has the opportunity to help plan her own schedule. She has learned to voice her opinion and will often tell her staff where she would like to go and what she would like to learn. Some community activities that she enjoys is going to Maverick and the movies. 

Tracy has become more eager to go on community outings this past year. She regularly submits ideas for community activities that are meaningful to her. 

Safety is important to Tracey and she’s been able to advocate for herself and suggest more classes on safety and how to contact 9-1-1. One community outing she helped plan was a tour of the local fire station. Tracey really enjoyed exploring the fire station and learning about what a firefighter job entails. 

Twice a week Tracey attends Employment Preparation Services (EPR) classes to learn valuable vocational skills that will help her gain employment someday. She hopes to one day work at Costa Vida. 

Tracey feels more empowered when she voices her opinions and plans her own schedule.  

Nicholaus is a fairly shy, 23 year old young man who had never worked in the community on his own before. He had worked in a group setting through the NES Day Services in a warehouse on an assembly line. His dream job is to someday become a chef in a high-end restaurant.

With the assistance of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Employment Staff at NES in Lehi, he was able to apply and be offered an entry level job in the dietary department of Heritage Care Center. He wanted to make a difference in the quality of the food served there and learn new cooking skills.

Nick started working at Heritage Care Center in May 2019, he has learned new skills on how to safely use the large equipment and is learning the different dietary needs there. He takes pride in taking the temperature of the dishwasher and recording it before starting to wash dishes. Nick’s favorite part of his job is being able to help others and when he is able to organize items and putting them away in the kitchen.

Nick assists in clearing the dining room carts of the dishes, washing and placing the dishes into a sanitizing machine, he then ensures they are clean and put away in an organized area. He will help fill juice and beverage containers for the lunch hour, Organizing and putting away the food orders. He gathers clean eating utensils and cloth napkins, and rolls them. He has assisted in putting freight away and tearing down boxes to be recycled. Nick will complete any task that is asked of him with a positive outlook.

Nick had stated that he “did not know there are so many health and safety rules to stick to, but is happy to learn them as well.” He loves working in this Kitchen and the staff really like working with him there. He says his next step is to become the Assistant to the Chef, with his dream of going to Culinary Art school someday.

Amy is 31 years old, she has moved from an Intermediate Care Facility with about 62 roommates into a NES Residential Apartment with one other roommate in 2019.

Since her move to the new apartment, Amy has grown so much from a very emotional person who would tear up in conversations and withdrawal from groups to someone that shows such self-assertion and shows such courage to try and learn new things.

In January of 2020, with the help from the Employment Staff at NES, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, and her DSPD Support Coordinator working together with her, she obtained a job at Denny’s where she works two full days a week. Some of her job tasks include dishwashing, bussing tables, and some cleaning in the lobby area. She stated that she just loves this job and always has a big smile that is contagious to others. She loves helping others and loves when she can help with kids as they come into the restaurant.

She has learned to ride the UTA bus from her home, to work, and back home to become more independent, with a little training from the Employment Staff.

Everyone is so proud of Amy for her hard work and dedication to completing all of the tasks given to her with such a great outlook, courage to learn new things in her life, and what a great person she can be on the job at Denny’s. She stated that she “absolutely loves her new life and is so grateful for everyone that has helped her and supported her along the way”.

Alex was adopted by his parents when he was three years old from an orphanage in Western Siberia. He has two younger brothers who are close to his age. His parents saw his picture while browsing with an adoption agency and felt that he was the right fit for their family. His family has loved and supported him ever since. Upon moving to Utah when Alex was six, they found that there was so much support available, starting with the Wasatch County Unified School District. They assessed Alex, and ensured he was in the right classes for his abilities. Soon after, Alex was able to get support from the Neurobehavior Home Program with the University of Utah, and after much testing was found to have his intellectual disabilities since birth due to brain damage. He was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy and autism. Then, at around age 12, Alex’s anxiety disorder started to manifest itself. On top of everything else, this was causing a significant struggle for him, as well as for his parents. At about this time he was able to begin receiving waiver services to provide respite for his parents, which they say was an important part of what saved their marriage.

Alex received excellent support from the Wasatch County Unified School District. He attended the Wasatch Transition College, the local post-high school program, after turning 18. They provided many opportunities to volunteer and tour potential places of employment. Upon graduation in May of 2019, he was offered a job at the Wasatch Aquatic Center. He also helped his mother with her business that she runs from home as an official employee. Alex also attended day program with Chrysalis following graduation, and loved the activities. The Transition College assisted Alex with getting connected with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). VR helped Alex to find the job that he holds currently, as a bagger at Smith’s grocery store soon after graduating from the Transition College. As his schedule became busier with Smith’s, Alex decided to work one job instead of three in December of 2019. Transitioning out of VR services, Alex received support from Innovative Harbor, a DSPD provider, with his job coaching, and they eventually took over his day-program services, too. Alex continues to live at home with his parents, but he is hoping to be able to move out into a residential program soon and further increase his independence, while also staying close to his family.

Everyone who meets Alex loves him. He has an infectious positive attitude, and loves life. He cares deeply for others and is constantly looking out for his peers at day program. He and his family have truly benefitted from the support they have received, and are so grateful for all the different people who have helped them throughout the years.

Rebecca sustained a brain injury as an adult, which has left Rebecca with long lasting challenges. Her family said when they first took her home from the hospital after the accident, she could not walk or talk. They had little hope she would be able to recover. In the last 10 years, she has made considerable progress, although she still struggles with short-term memory. Rebecca describes herself as similar to the woman from “50 First Dates”, with her memory retention limited to less than 24 hours. Through the SWI program, she was placed with a retail store that agreed to accommodate any additional needs she may have. Rebecca’s supervisors and job coaches were attentive to her needs and helped her find the right department to work in, allowing her the opportunity to try a few options. Her supervisor and job coach put signs on the time clock telling her where to go and reminding her every day where she worked. Her supervisor also would help explain the area each day in small sections, which over time she has been able to memorize and retain the information. She has also been able to recognize and remember her coworkers, which she is maintaining friendships with.

Through her job placement with the SWI program, Rebecca has soared in the last year in her ability to work, memorize, and remember. Her supervisor and coworkers state that she is the most upbeat and positive person they have ever met, and Rebecca is an inspiration to everyone that works with her.

Sam is 45 years old. He has been working at Smith’s as a bagger since 2000. A vital part of Sam’s job is interacting with guests, and he loves it. Making and keeping friends is important to Sam. He has made many friends at Smith’s. When customers come to shop, they make a point of speaking to him, and he to them. Oftentimes the customers come and seek him out for assistance.

Sam provides an excellent customer environment. He is courteous as a bagger, and enjoys helping guests load their groceries into their cars. Sam’s tasks include bagging grocery items in an efficient manner, sweeping the produce area and the front entryway, assisting customers out to their car with their groceries if needed, and returning carts from the parking lot. He watches the cashiers to see where he is needed most to help bag. NES provides job coaching to ensure that Sam continues to do well at his job and to help him with his speed and efficiency while at work.

His supervisor reported, “Sam is a key, valued contributor and is fully capable and successful in his role. A solid performer, and very dependable.”

Trey was so excited to get hired as an "official McDonald's employee". He is always inviting people to come and eat at McDonald's when he is working his shift so people can see him work. He works very hard at his duties and goes above and beyond by holding the door open for customers and helping them find a seat after ordering. Trey's manager says that he has been a great asset to their team, and does a fantastic job keeping the dining area clean. Trey's job coach was able to help him through some difficulty at the beginning of his employment, but now he needs only very minimal coaching. Having this job has helped Trey feel like he is contributing and is more "grown-up" and provides opportunities for him to socialize, which he loves!

Ranny has been attending a Day Services Program since 2003. She has participated in job tries throughout the community and during the school year she works for Utah State University’s food services. In May of this year, Ranny was hired as the sole landscaper for two office buildings in Cache Valley by a local businessman. Ranny landscapes five days a week and she and her job coach pull weeds, trim bushes, and rake. If you ask Ranny what her favorite part of her job is she will tell you, “pulling WEEDS!” When asked why she wants a job, her response is, “I don’t know. I just want to work.” Ranny arrives each day on-time and ready to work. She knows where her tools are and is very meticulous. The job was originally supposed to end in September, but the employer has been considering keeping her through October and possibly longer.

In April, during Post High School’s Spring Break, Kaya opted to stay home and help out at a local assisted living center while her family was on vacation. When Kaya arrived, she dove right in and got to work, asking how she could help and acted as a companion to the residents, while helping with the daily laundry. After the break, when the owners were approached regarding the possibility of Kaya doing an internship with them, they did not hesitate to say, “yes!” The internship began in June with Kaya scheduling her daily pick-up and drop–off with the local transit system via text message to ensure she is at work on time. She is constantly seeking more work to do and loves to stay busy. She was so proud when she received her official name tag. After job coach weekly check-ins, Kaya always has a smile on her face, and you can find her assisting one of the residents with eating (she passed her food handler’s permit test in June), doing laundry, singing with the residents, or painting their nails. Kaya’s internship will end in September, at which time her employment with the assisted living center will continue, and she will maintain a schedule of 6 hours a week.

Junior completed a summer internship with DSPD. During that summer Junior had the opportunity to meet with Utah First Lady Abby Cox, go to Lagoon, participate in the Special Olympics, and learn about other potential job options by shadowing and participating in informational interviews. His role took place over several months and provided some needed initial work experience as he looks at leveraging those developed skills into a long term job in the community. This was an amazing opportunity for Junior to meet new people, discover what he likes and doesn't like, and to find out more about what he would like to do for a career!